Senior Department > Pastoral Care

The Lower Fourth Form
Boys arriving from the Junior Department join the Senior Department in the Lower Fourth Form.  Two noticeable differences for them at this stage are that they are taught by single subject teachers and learn to move to their lessons around the school.

The step from the Junior to the Senior Department is exciting and challenging with the Senior Department staff. For example: they will have been taught Games throughout their time in the Junior Department by Senior Department games staff.  Mr Mallett will have taken them for ICT, Mr Meyers for Music and Mr Girdler for Art.  The boys already know some of the Senior Department teachers

As in the Junior Department they also continue to be taught in mixed ability groups. 
 
Although a proportion of the boys’ teaching time is still spent with one tutor, they are predominately taught by single subject specialists and benefit increasingly from specialist facilities and the expertise of specialist staff.

House Tutors
Your son will be part of a tutor group formed from all the members of the same house in the senior school across all the years. A house tutor will have responsibility for the pastoral and academic care of your son throughout his time in the Senior Department.  The Tutor will be your prime link with the school.

Four members of staff are assigned to each House and the boys will be equally divided between these members of staff.  Typically this will mean that each House Tutor will be responsible of a maximum of fifteen; about three from each year group.  Brothers will be placed in the same House, however, they may not necessarily be assigned the same tutor.  All boys will be taught in a class comprising of boys of the appropriate age.

Parents and boys are informed of their particular House Tutor with the end of year reports, or by letter in the case of new boys joining the Senior Department.

Parents will have two formal opportunities to meet with staff.  In the first instance, parents will meet with their son’s House Tutor to receive an overview of progress across the full range of subjects and the second evening will enable parents to meet all his teachers.  However, informal contact on a needs basis is encouraged, indeed we feel it extremely important to know of any issues as soon as possible as often a problem can be speedily resolved before it becomes more serious.  
The boys will register twice daily with their House Tutor and will have two tutor meetings per week.  During these meetings there will be the opportunity for a regular review of academic and pastoral progress.  There will also be weekly year group meetings when the particular needs of a year group can be discussed, this may be of particular relevance for the Year 4 (Lower 4th form), for example, as they settle into the new routines of the Senior Department. 


The structure outlined above gives every opportunity for effective and meaningful interaction between the boys and the member of staff directly responsible for their welfare.



Anti Bullying Policy
At Homefield we actively promote our Anti Bullying Policy and at the appropriate time parents will be asked fully to commit their support to this policy.

Responsibility

Boys are encouraged to accept responsibility at all times.  They practise this, first as form monitors and captains and, eventually, as prefects and House captains in the Sixth form.  The easy exercise of responsibility is one of the hallmarks of the Homefield boy and equips him well for the next stage of his development at this Senior School.

Conduct

Homefield’s defining characteristic is that it is a happy school.  It is therefore rarely necessary to restrict the children’s freedom with a great volume of rules but it is important that the school’s expectations of the children are firmly defined.  Therefore the school has a written behaviour policy to which all parties are expected to accede.

The school believes, wherever possible, in the reinforcement of the positive and, in the Senior Department, a code of conduct has been drawn up with agreed rewards, called House Points.  House Points can be awarded for such aspects of positive behaviour as good classwork or homework, performances on the sports’ field, involvement in Music or Plays and good general deportment throughout the school.

Boys conduct will be monitored electronically using individual pages for rewards (House Points) and sanctions (Misconducts).   Good behaviour is recorded by subject staff on the boys’ personalised pages.  These House Points are monitored weekly by the house tutor.  Poor behaviour is also similarly noted and the appropriate action taken.

Occasionally, to assist them, report cards may be issued to provide support to boys who are in special need of monitoring and ultimately offer an opportunity to praise and to reinforce. Report cards are seen and signed by parents at the end of each week. They are also seen weekly by the tutor and the Head of the Senior Department.  In extreme cases a boy may be awarded a detention for poor behaviour or work.  Twenty four hours notice will always be supplied.  Parents are expected to sign and to return a consent form.

Parental Involvement
The boys also have an individual diary in which to record homework, personal targets and weekly totals of house points.  This is used as a useful means of communication between home and school.

Individual Support
The school discourages extra coaching as this is often unnecessary and life-distorting and can lead to the creation of extra pressure for the boy.  In appropriate cases, however, the school will provide boys who are experiencing difficulty with extra in-house coaching and support.

 
Homefield School Complaints Procedure – an overview

Sharing your concerns about your child’s education

A guide to parents
Homefield School recognises that at times things can go wrong.  This guidance will help you understand how to resolve concerns you may have about your child’s education.

When should I complain to the School?
The school’s governing body has overall responsibility for the school and for ensuring that all pupils receive an appropriate and high standard of education.

The Headmaster is responsible for making decisions on a daily basis about the school’s internal management and organisation.  So you should contact the school if you are concerned about a general issue such as:

•    your child’s academic progress
•    special education needs provision
•    your child’s welfare
•    bullying

or about wider issues, such as:

•    the overall running of the school
•    a school policy
•    the use of school facilities

The school also has procedures for dealing with complaints about:

•    the community’s use of school facilities
•    services delivered by the school such as adult learning or childcare.


How do I complain to the school?
The school will always want you to speak to the relevant member of staff as soon as you have a concern. 

In the Senior Department, if your concern is of an academic nature the subject teacher may be approached in the first instance. If the concern is of a pastoral nature the relevant form tutor may be approached.  Should you feel that the matter has not been successfully resolved by this approach the Assistant Headteacher Curriculum, the Deputy Headteacher Pastoral or the Assistant Headteacher Administration may then be contacted to help resolve the matter.
 
 
This informal approach is nearly always the quickest and most effective way of resolving your concerns.  If you feel that your concern has not been resolved, then it is important to ask the school for its complaints’ procedure.  This explains what you should do next.  The school will use the following process and will advise you:

•    to speak to or write to the Headmaster who will look into your concern
•    to write to the Chair of Governors if you are unhappy with the Headmaster’s response or if the matter concerns the governing body.

The school’s procedures also offer an appeal to the governing body’s Complaints’ Panel.  This panel consists of three persons: two governors and one independent person who have no prior knowledge of your complaint and will consider written and verbal submissions from you and the Headmaster.


Can I take my complaint further?
The Complaints’ Panel will report to the Board of Governors, whose decision once the Complaints’ Procedure has been followed, will be final.