Pastoral Care at Orchard Mead Academy

At Orchard Mead Academy we take the pastoral support that we provide for our young people very seriously. We believe that happy, healthy students will thrive and succeed therefore we have a large dedicated staff who make this goal their priority.

On arrival, each student is allocated to a Form Group, made up of students from within their year group. The Form is led by a Form Tutor who will build up a positive relationship with tutees and their parents.

The form tutor will monitor each student’s commitment to our expectations, particularly those connected to uniform, equipment, punctuality and attendance. They will reward students for doing well and will offer support to those who need it. They will ensure that parents are kept well informed of their child’s progress.

In addition, each Year is supported by a Head of Year and an Assistant Head of Year; they are a strong team and together will deal with any issue that may arise during the school day. They provide valuable support for students and their families before, during and after the school day. They will work together with students and their families to ensure excellent standards of attendance and behaviour in order to improve outcomes for the young people within their Year Group.

Students are also allocated to a House. Our Houses are all named after Greek mythical creatures and are a connection to our original 1950s school logo, the Chimera which is often mistaken for a horse! You can read more about our House System by clicking here.

Additional care

Some students, at different points in their lives, will need additional care and support. Alongside our dedicated pastoral team we are ably supported by other professionals such as our school nurse, counsellor and wellbeing practitioners who provide the space for our students to discuss their feelings and find coping strategies during difficult periods in their life.

Supporting Positive Behaviour for Learning at Orchard Mead.

Excellent behaviour for learning is absolutely vital if students are to make good progress and succeed. The school has a clear set of expectations and routines which all students and staff are expected to follow. These are simple, and focused on ensuring we are all able to work and learn in an environment which is safe and effective for learning.

We strongly believe that effective behaviour for learning is achieved through the development and promotion of positive relationships between all members of our school community and our Orchard Oath, which we expect both students and staff to follow to, encapsulates this commitment. Our Orchard Oath, Work Hard, Be Kind, Be Responsible also has its basis in the fundamental British Values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.

We have the following expectations for our students

1. Arrive each morning by 8.20am, and arrive to all lessons on time;
2. Wear the correct uniform and follow the expected dress code click here to see our uniform expectations;
3. Be prepared for learning with the correct equipment including, as a minimum:
   a. a pencil case,
   b. pen,
   c. pencil,
   d. ruler
   e. a Casio Fx83GTX calculator
   f. reading book
   g. any specialist equipment, such as PE kit;
4. Complete the Do Now task in silence in order to consolidate learning and ensure a strong start to each lesson;
5. Follow instructions, first time, every time;
6. Adhere to STAR expectations in all lessons;
7. Move swiftly, sensibly and quietly around the building, adhering to one way systems;
8. Complete all homework, on time;
9. Eat at break and lunchtime only and only eat in permitted areas;
10. Do not use mobile phones or music devices and headphones on the Academy site;
11. Respect any books or equipment which is loaned to you; if this is to take home, students are responsible for ensuring that they are returned to academy on time and in good condition;
12. Respect the Academy environment. Do not litter or cause damage to the Academy site.

Reward and Consequences

At the heart of our Behaviour Management Policy is the use of rewards to recognise the contribution, effort and achievement of students who are committed to our Orchard Oath. The rewards are accessible to all and are aimed at motivating students to try their best during their time at Orchard Mead.

The vast majority of students are well behaved and meet our expectations. When necessary, all staff follow a 3 step ’Consequence’ (C) approach. Consequences are there to remind students that they have made a poor choice by failing to meet our expectations or behaving in an unacceptable way. Our expectations are very clear and we strongly believe that it is our teachers’ right to teach and our students’ right to learn.

If students are in anyway disrupting the learning of themselves or others they will be issued with a consequence in the following manner:

• C1 is always a first verbal warning. Staff must log this in Class Charts at a convenient juncture.
• C2 is always a final verbal warning, coupled with a teacher management technique such as moving seats or speaking to the student outside of the classroom.
• C3 is the removal of the student from the classroom through the use of on-call. Once in the C3 Removal Base, students remain for the day, completing a detention until 4pm. Staff will support students to reflect on their behaviour and ensure that appropriate learning is completed.

Detentions

Students who are removed to the C3 Removal Base following a C3 will complete a same day detention until 4pm.

Detentions are also given for the following:

• Lateness (Be Responsible Detention)
• 3 pieces of unsubmitted homework (Work Hard detention)

Our method of communication to parents in connection with detentions is BromCom

We value our relationships with parents, carers and other significant adults involved in our young people’s lives. We strive to ensure that we communicate effectively with parents at all times and we welcome contact from families.

Please address your child’s form tutor, Assistant Head of Year or Head of Year for any support that you may need in the following ways:

Telephone the school’s receptionist on: 0116 2413371

Or by email in the following ways: