Pastoral Care & Education Overview

Our House events are as joyous as they are competitive and on the day of the School’s birthday the House trophy is hotly contested through a variety of games, puzzles and creative problem-solving activities.

Each year group works to raise funds for the nominated school charities and takes part in other active citizenship events such as the elderly citizens’ tea party; the charity fair for our global charity “Friends of Kipkelion” or the National Citizenship Service for which the school won an award for the high uptake amongst our students.

Other areas in which our student participation excels are:

• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
  Of the 162 Awards earned from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 104 were Bronze, 36 Silver and 22 Gold.  This is a superb achievement given students were still completing Awards following the lock-downs.   We have also received a certificate from the DofE Award thanking Nonsuch students for donating 3,406 hours of voluntary service to the local community during this period.  The social value of these hours is £16,381.
   

• Combined Cadets Force
  Currently, we have around 100 students taking part.
   

• Jack Petchey Achievement Award scheme

• Clubs
  76 different clubs take place at lunchtime and 29 clubs after school each week.   Around 1,000 students take part in after school clubs each week.

There are also leadership roles throughout the school and for all ages: school council, environmental, charity, house and sports representatives, amongst others.  The student leadership video here expands on this theme.

The responsive strand of our well-being strategy is through our awareness-raising of the continuum of mental health.   We work closely with the mental health charity, Place2Be, patronised by HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.  Each year, 20 members of staff across the Girls’ Learning Trust, undertake training to become “Mental Health Champions.”   Attachment theory underpins the training and informs our approaches in all areas.  In addition, we link with the Anna Freud Centre who provide training for adults, advice for parents and support for young people.

The Form Tutor is the central point of contact for every student and provides the crucial link between home and school.  All tutor groups in the lower school are also allocated Sixth Form “Form Leaders” who help with the care and development of our students.  Tutors are supported by the Head of Year who also works within a broader team responsible for taking charge of pastoral care within school.

• We have a School Counsellor who offers sensitive support and guidance to students who require it. 
   
• Our Pastoral Support Officer is able to respond to student need each day and provide help and expert support.
   
• Their roles are supplemented by Child Well-being Practitioners who can offer small group sessions of support.
   
• The School Nurse provides confidential advice and support.
   
• Our SEND coordinator works with girls who have special educational needs and disabilities to ensure that provision is made for these students in order that they can access all aspects of the curriculum.
   
• We also have an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant to support our students.
   
• We are also part of a pilot where schools have an attached social worker.
   

PEER SUPPORT:

Some students are trained as:

Our students are also supported by our well-established LGBTQ+ support group and Year 13 student members of the CARE council (Champions of Anti Racism and Equality).   The council is developing a subcommittee structure to include students from all year groups.