Wellbeing

Every child who joins us will have a unique journey. We celebrate this and strive to help every pupil to thrive and find happiness here.

Supporting them is an integrated network of teachers, Heads of Houses, professional on-site counsellors, school nurse and senior pastoral team. Our focused approach on the individual develops resilience, enabling our pupils to cope with set-backs, gain perspective, and have the confidence to flourish both inside and outside of the classroom.

Portrait of Mr J-D price, Deputy Head (Pastoral) at Ibstock Place School, a private school near Richmond, Barnes, Putney, Kingston, and Wandsworth

Mr J-D Price

Deputy Head (Pastoral)

Senior pupils at the well being center at Ibstock Place School.

Pastoral Care at Ibstock

We want all pupils to leave Ibstock with their feet on the ground and eyes on the future.

We place great importance in developing pupils’ individuality and in promoting a culture of kindness.

We aim to provide a safety-net for our pupils, whilst at the same time encouraging them to tackle the challenges of adolescence head-on. We are a listening school, and our pastoral team are experts at listening to worries and concerns, however big or small.

We recognise that young people make mistakes along the way and ask that they learn from them. We are proactive in addressing issues that crop-up through adolescence through assemblies, talks, workshops, tutorials and informal discussions.

Celebrating Achievements

Praise is important at Ibstock and we want our pupils’ successes to be recognised and celebrated.

Praise comes in many forms, from an informal verbal acknowledgement in the classroom to a formal recorded ‘praise’ which contributes to House totals in termly competitions. Postcards are sent home by Tutors to pupils and their parents in recognition of outstanding achievements both in and out of School, with exceptional achievements recognised by invitation to the termly Headmaster’s pizza party!

Senior pupils at the Head master lunch at Ibstock Place School, a private school near Richmond, Barnes, Putney, Kingston, and Wandsworth

Creating a Supportive Environment

The House System

The House system is at the very heart of our School.

There are four Houses, each with their own distinctive identity; Brearley, Findlay, Paget and Montefiore.

Pupils quickly develop a sense of pride in and loyalty to their House which manifests itself in healthy rivalry as they vie for the title of House Champions.

Pupils remain in the same House throughout their time at Ibstock, so strong relationships are built between the Head of House, House Tutors, pupils and their families.

Tutor Groups

Pupils are divided into tutor groups within each of the four Houses.

In Senior 7, tutor groups are deliberately small, with a maximum of 15 pupils in each, to ease their transition into the Senior School. In Senior 8 and Senior 9, tutor groups become vertical, to encourage pupils to expand their networks and friendships amongst the Lower School year groups.

In preparation for GCSEs, our Senior 10 and Senior 11 pupils are tutored in small year-based groups to enable specialist support from their Tutor for this important stage of their School life.

Daily Pastoral Time

Each pupil has a Tutor who oversees their social, personal and academic progress throughout the year.

Pupils meet with their Tutors daily for a 25-minute Pastoral session, providing an opportunity for pupils, their tutors and the tutor groups to get to know one another.

In addition to one-to-one time with their Tutor, pupils will also attend School/House assemblies or involve themselves in a wide range of Tutor Group activities during Pastoral time.

Partnerships with Parents

We know that navigating adolescence is not easy for our parents and we recognise the importance of home and school working together to help our young people thrive.

All parents are granted access to the Teen Tips Wellbeing, a one stop shop of articles, podcasts and workshops to support parents. In addition, the School hosts termly psychoeducation events in partnership with the on-site counselling service through The Soke. Frequent parent workshops take place in person and online throughout the academic year.

Pupil Voice and Leadership Opportunities

Pupil Voice is important at Ibstock. We want pupils to shape the School now and in the years to come.

Pupils can represent their Tutor Group in House Council or become part of the Digital Resilience Committee.

If they are passionate about food, then they could meet regularly with the Executive Chef as part of the catering committee.

There are opportunities to become Wellbeing ambassadors, and later on in the school to take up a position in the Ibstock Cabinet.

The Cabinet are a group of senior pupil leaders who work closely with Senior teachers in areas including Sustainability, LGBTQ+, Race and Culture, Gender Equality, Mental Health, Neurodiversity, Co-Curriculum and Partnerships and Charity.

Foundations Programme

The aim of our Foundations curriculum is to help pupils make safe and informed decisions during their school years and beyond.

We believe that promoting the health and wellbeing of our pupils is an important part of their overall education.

We do this through our personal, social, health and emotional (PSHE) curriculum which we call the Foundations Programme.

Our Foundations Programme covers many topics, including sessions around relationships, physical/emotional health and wellbeing, futures and the skills needed to live in the wider world.

Foundations is taught throughout the Senior School, from Senior 7, as a timetabled lesson. Elements of the programme are also addressed in Rhetoric & Ethics lessons, our termly ‘Tutorial Days’ and in faculty lessons across the school each day.