Pastoral Education at St Columba’s College November 2024

By Mr Mark Livesey

Twice a week in the Senior and at various times during week in the Prep school our students have specific lessons designed by staff and tailored to their specific pastoral needs. It is part of my job to look at the themes for these and ensure that they cover the necessary PSHE guidance. This stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. This also includes RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) of which there is also statutory guidance.

These sessions also feed into various House and year group assemblies. Prep have assemblies twice a week and senior are spread over the half term.

We do an excellent job at this, indeed our 2022 inspection feedback noted that our provision for this was excellent, the highest you can get. Since then though, I think this has got even better and I look forward to showing this off to the Catholic Schools Inspection (due soon) and perhaps even ISI later in the year!

Our pastoral programme coordinators (Mr Batten in Prep and Ms Gregson-Brooks in Senior) do a fantastic job of collating resources and deciding which topics are best for our children.

This sort of dynamic, personalised and age specific content is second to none and I don’t know of any schools that do it better. We also regularly ask the students which topics they would like to cover in our student voice meetings which has led to the introduction of First Aid and Coercive Control being added into the curriculum.

To give you a brief flavour of what students are looking at…

This half-term in the Senior School, we are covering a carefully curated selection of topics tailored to each year group’s developmental stage and the challenges they may encounter. For students in Forms 1 and 2, we’re focusing on Peer Pressure and Influences. These sessions provide students with strategies to recognise and manage external pressures, helping them to make independent, informed decisions in social situations. For Forms 3 and 4, our lessons address the risks associated with County Lines, educating students on how criminal networks operate and the tactics they use to exploit young people. By raising awareness of this issue, we aim to equip our students with the knowledge and confidence to seek help if needed and to recognize when something doesn’t feel right.

For our older students in Forms 5 and the Sixth Form, we are tackling the complex topic of Coercive Control. These lessons help students identify the signs of controlling or manipulative behaviour, emphasising the importance of healthy boundaries and mutual respect in relationships. This topic is especially relevant as young people navigate increasingly complex social and personal dynamics, and our aim is to empower them with the skills to protect their emotional wellbeing.

Beyond these specific age-focused topics, our Pastoral Programme also incorporates broader, timely themes. For example, senior students will reflect on Remembrance and Sacrifice, encouraging students to consider the historical significance of these values and how they can apply empathy and understanding in their own lives. The Anti-Bullying Week (National Week from November 11th-17th) will highlight the importance of standing up against all forms of bullying, fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. We also recognise International Men’s Day on November 19th, which will allow us to explore positive masculinity and discuss the importance of mental health and emotional resilience for all (genders).

As we move further into the term, our focus will shift to Careers and Human Rights (in recognition of Human Rights Day on December 10th). These sessions aim to broaden students’ understanding of their place in the world and to inspire them to consider how their unique strengths and interests might contribute to the broader society. Finally, we’ll conclude the term with reflections on Advent, Faith, and Respect, encouraging students to celebrate cultural diversity and understand the values of tolerance and compassion during the holiday season.

This term, our Prep pupils have been delving into British Values, Anti-Bullying, Keeping Safe, Justice & Democracy, Advent, and Gifts. These themes are thoughtfully crafted to introduce younger students to key social concepts in a way that resonates with them, laying the groundwork for more complex discussions as they progress through the school.

Where there is thematic crossover, we see this as a valuable 4-18 link that reinforces continuity in our pastoral curriculum. For example, both Prep and Senior students have focused on Anti-Bullying, each session tailored to their stage of maturity but united by the same message of respect, kindness, and standing against bullying in all its forms. Similarly, discussions on Keeping Safe in the Prep School complement the Senior School’s exploration of Peer Pressure and Influences and County Lines, helping our younger students learn fundamental safety principles that will be revisited and expanded upon in later years.

This continuity from ages 4 to 18 is a key strength of our pastoral programme. By aligning these themes across year groups, we ensure that our students build on a consistent set of values and skills as they grow, creating a seamless progression that supports their moral and social development at every stage. You have probably heard us talking about the development of the Head and the Heart – this is it in action!

Each of these topics has been chosen with careful thought to ensure that our students receive an education that not only supports their academic growth but also nurtures their personal development, guiding them to become well-rounded, socially conscious individuals.

If you have any suggestions on topics or comments on the above, I would love to hear them. I also look forward to seeing some of you at the Columban Fayre later this month.