Pastoral Care is a term used to describe the genuine care and interest in every aspect of a human being - mental, physical, spiritual and emotional. At West Hill Park, we are not only concerned with helping every child's academic, sporting, musical and creative skills but also in his or her social integration and providing a solid foundation for the future.
Pastoral Care And Our Community
In order for children to want to learn and to be happy at school they need to feel that they belong to a community where they can use and develop their talents to the full and, more importantly, where they can be themselves. In order to create such a community there needs to be a genuine demonstration of care and respect shown towards each and every child. Children who feel that they are cared for, valued and respected will respond to the challenges of school life willingly and positively. If on the other hand the children experience criticism, antagonism and negative reinforcement of any kind they will quickly lose confidence, become withdrawn and unhappy. As a result their contribution to the school will become destructive rather than constructive.
Pastoral care is important because every individual is important and has something valuable to contribute. Our aim at West Hill Park is to bring the best out in every child. The only way to achieve this is to spend time listening to children and by taking an interest in every aspect of their lives. If a child behaves awkwardly or anti-socially, it is for a reason. It is our job as teachers to find out why that child has behaved as he or she has and to help him or her understand and resolve the underlying cause of this behavior. In this way we help the children grow up into a more responsible, integrated and happy member of the community.
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