Pastoral Care
"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me"
John 10:14
At St Antony's, pastoral care is fundamental to all that we do. We are a community, inspired by Christ’s commandment to love God and our neighbours, where everyone is valued and each person's unique talents are celebrated and developed. We want our children to gain the essential skills that will prepare them to be happy, healthy and confident individuals and responsible citizens for the future.
We aim to create and maintain an environment where our children will flourish, growing in their relationship with God and with one another, learning to love, respect, accept and forgive.
We promote the dignity, self-esteem and full development of each person made in God’s image and uniquely loved by God. Our whole school approach to pastoral care and support has its basis in the ethos of Catholic education with its concern for the whole person and the development of every child’s unique gifts. We promote personal dignity, respect and charity within the pupils, providing a safe and caring environment for our children to grow as confident, happy learners, to maintain positive relationships with others and to make a contribution to their community and the wider world.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The World Health Organisation’s definition of mental health and wellbeing is: “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”.
We take a whole school approach to promoting the wellbeing of all of our community and ensuring that pupils and staff are positive, resilient and able to deal with the stresses of our modern world.
Our Pastoral Aims:
- Our children feel valued and important
- Our children have a sense of belonging and feel safe
- Our children feel able to talk openly with trusted adults about their problems
- Our children form and maintain positive relationships
- Our children are happy, confident learners who reach their full potential
- Our children are resilient and able to manage setbacks positively, viewing mistakes as an essential part of learning
- Our staff enable and support early identification of vulnerable pupils and early intervention of need
- Positive mental health is promoted and valued
- No child experiences bullying or descrimination in our school community
What we do
Our Be-Attitudes
Our Be-attitudes are the values we seek to develop in each child. They are part of our daily vocabulary and underpin everything we do at St Antony's. They express the distinctively Christian ways in which we go about things in thought, word and deed and ensure that our whole community seeks to be the best that they can be.
Our Be-Attitudes are:
- Be Responsible
- Be Organised
- Be Disciplined
- Be Considerate
- Be Understanding
- Be Humble
- Be The Change You Want To See
Through our Be-Attitudes, we encourage a growth mindset and teach our children that mistakes are an essential part of learning.
Open Communication
We provide an environment where children feel safe and comfortable talking to adults about any worries, difficulties or concerns they may have. Children know that they are listened to and that they will be treated with love and respect.
We have a robust system for reporting concerns, ensuring that important information reaches the safeguarding and pastoral team quickly and effectively. Staff are well trained in safeguarding.
The Zones of Regulation
This framework, used across the school, develops awareness of feelings, energy and alertness levels while exploring a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness. It is an easy way to think and talk about how we feel on the inside and sort these feelings into four colored Zones. The simple, common language and visual structure of The Zones of Regulation helps make the complex skill of regulation more concrete for learners and those who support them.
Wellbeing Support Team
We have staff who are qualified mental health first aiders and Emotional Literacy Support Assistants to help support our children who are facing difficult times. Mrs de Graaf is also a qualified Senior Mental Health Lead. Brentwood Catholic Children's Society provide one-to-one counselling and in-depth training programmes to children, parents and staff in our school.
Restorative Approach
We have a restorative and relationship focused approach to behaviour. Children are encouraged to take ownership of their behaviour, to be reflective and think about the effect their behaviour has on others and to suggest how they can put right any wrongs they may have done. We see behaviour as communication and seek to understand underlying reasons and feelings that may be at the root.
Pupil Voice and Leadership
It is essential that pupils are listened to and have a sense of responsibility. This helps to promote a sense of self-worth and to encourage children to be actively involved in their community. We have a School Council with representatives from all year groups from Year 2 to Year 6 and a Young Franciscan group who help lead the pastoral and religious life of the school.
Other leadership roles include:
- Sports leaders
- Reading ambassadors
- Gardeners
- Events co-ordinators
PSHE and RSE Curriculum
Through the PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) curriculum, our children acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to successfully manage their lives – now and in the future. Our PSHE curriculum follows the Jigsaw PSHE Programme.
Our approach to RSE (Relationship and Sex Education) is rooted in the Catholic Church’s teaching. RSE is about the development of the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of what it means to be fully human, called to live in right relationships with self and others and being enabled to make moral decisions in conscience. We follow Ten Ten Resources' Life to the Full programme for our RSE curriculum.