Form Time Programme and Assemblies
Form Time
Given our pastoral vision, the role of form tutor is arguably the most significant one in the school. Tutors become the consistent support for their tutees, an essential bridge between home/school and shape student experience. Although tutor time is brief in the school day (8:35-9:05 every morning) and is not measured using outcomes, the progress that a student makes in school is inevitably linked to the pastoral support that they receive by their tutor. We believe that our pastoral vision is underpinned by staff (namely tutors) deliberately practising the 4 Pillars (the 4 R’s):
Relationships Routines Reinforcement Rigour
The role of the form tutor is vast and varied and it is difficult to capture it as a specification; however, students and their families need to know what they can expect from their tutors, and this needs to be a consistent approach across the school. We have developed a tutor charter that we use to constantly develop, monitor and evaluate the impact of form time.
Years 7-11 follow a very specific programme and each session has a very distinct purpose:
Assemblies
Our assembly programme serves to create frequent opportunities to gather as a whole school or micro-community. When gathering, we aspire to celebrate achievement; further understand contemporary issues; advertise opportunities; or increase our awareness of what our Five Ways virtues look like in action. Assemblies are also integral to supplementing the work that we do within the curriculum to cultivate Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) understanding and an appreciation of Fundamental British Values (FBV).
Every week we hold a Full School Assembly that takes place in Sander’s Hall (streamed during exam periods or times when the hall is unavailable); this is a formal occasion and is normally delivered by senior staff or the School Captains.
As part of a wider programme across the week, there may also be a Year Group or Key Stage Assembly. These assemblies are led by Pastoral Leaders and are strategically planned to reflect milestones in the individual ‘journey’ of each year group or key stage.
To support our thriving house system, we also host a half termly House Assembly. This is led by our Head of House and/or House Coordinators, with a view to reviewing the latest scores in the House Championship and sharing upcoming opportunities for participation.