Pastoral support

At Holton, our pastoral support is second to none. We don’t just see it as a separate department – it is the foundation of our entire educational approach. Everything we do is viewed through a pastoral and supportive lens.

We do, of course, have an amazing pastoral team, headed up by our Pastoral Lead, Stevi Pullen, but our entire team has a pastoral role to play. Our high staff-to-pupil ratios and small class sizes, mean that we get to know our students really well and our staff, who are highly experienced in managing pupils’ SEMH needs, can tailor ongoing emotional support to each individual child.

The Pastoral Team oversees pupils’ day-to-day welfare, manage interventions, and coordinate with families and external support agencies.

Unlike traditional mainstream schools, Holton uses Outdoor and Physical Education as a primary vehicle for pastoral care. Learning in an active, outdoor environment helps students who may have struggled in mainstream schools, build trusting relationships with staff, learn how to regulate their emotions, and achieve personal social goals in a less pressurised setting.

Building relationships

Each pupil has a keyworker at Holton, and we make sure that each keyworker only has five pupils so that each gets the attention and time they need and deserve.

The keyworker is the main point of contact for the pupil and the family. They get to know pupils well, and their role is deeply rooted in pastoral care and individualised support. They will also be the bridge between a family, school and any external agencies.

Keyworkers are instrumental in helping the children gain trust, build relationships and providing a safe space and on-the-spot support if a student is struggling to self-regulate. They also work with pupils in class, supporting the teacher and child, often adapting lessons and activities to suit the specific learning styles and emotional thresholds of their assigned students.

One of the most important roles of our keyworkers is maintaining a good home-school relationship. Families are contacted every Friday for a weekly check-in, so keyworkers can run through the positives of the week and their children’s achievements.

In addition to spending the day with their assigned students, assessing their mood and readiness to learn, our keyworkers play a hugely important role in the life of the school. They are an advocate, a mentor, and the central pillar of the student’s daily support network.

What inspectors say

Recent Ofsted inspections (where the school continues to be rated Good) paint a very positive picture of the school’s pastoral environment:

• Strong relationships: Inspectors highlight that “warm and caring relationships between staff and pupils are highly evident.”
• Safety and trust: Students consistently report feeling safe at the school. Ofsted noted that pupils trust the staff to act immediately and effectively if any issues, such as bullying, arise.
• Positive reinforcement: The school heavily utilises positive reinforcement to support behaviour. For example, students whose attendance and behaviour improve are rewarded with privileges, such as visiting the local town at lunchtime with staff.

What parents/guardians say

Historic Ofsted Parent View data shows exceptionally high satisfaction rates, with the vast majority of parents strongly agreeing that their children are happy, feel safe, and are well-supported emotionally at the school.