Pastoral Care
“Together we are QVS”
For many students, boarding school is their first time living away from home. We prioritise helping them settle into life at Queen Victoria School with confidence, independence, and enthusiasm. We aim to help facilitate a smooth transition from a junior day school to boarding school life. The school endeavours to support students in an open and transparent approach with parents, allowing students to thrive at QVS and beyond.
“Knowing a student’s story”
Our pastoral care centres around the Boarding House system – The pastoral team, in close collaboration with the Pupil Support Department and parents, provides tailored support for every student. At QVS, we have a simple philosophy – in order to support a student effectively, we must first know every student’s story. This means getting to know every student personally, which is something we excel at – we are extremely proud of the pastoral care we provide our Victorians. During their time at QVS, the pupils come to rely very heavily upon the support, guidance and direction they find in their boarding house.
However, pastoral care extends far beyond the houses.
Our Tutor System
Tutors are central to the holistic education and experience we offer at QVS. In addition to the Housemaster/mistress and Matron, each student has a dedicated tutor to provide extra support and guidance. Tutors are an integral part of the studnets’ lives and make a vital contribution to the school’s pastoral provision.
Although a Housemaster/mistress has ultimate responsibility for the students in his/her House, a student’s Tutor assists the Housemaster/mistress in overseeing their academic progress and wellbeing development and is readily available to advise, support and encourage.
Every student is assigned a Tutor (assigned to him/her when they join a boarding house). Tutors meet their students in small groups (normally between five and twelve students) for 30 minutes each week. During this time the Tutor plays an important part in helping pupils to settle into boarding school life and to guide them through their journey at QVS. Weekly Tutor sessions are designed to foster discussion on social and health issues, enriching what is taught during PSHE lessons. Students also get to see their Tutor when he/she is on duty in the boarding house during weekday evenings and at weekends.
In all of their academic and pastoral relationships, students learn to communicate comfortably and openly with adults. Support and encouragement are offered in every aspect of a student’s life without unnecessary intrusion. It is a delicate and important balance: pupils are encouraged to share problems with those that can help but are empowered to face challenges independently, using their own reasoning and effort. All pupils have full access to the school’s Designated Child Protection Coordinator and to other members of the school safeguarding team, who can intervene if there are any concerns about student welfare.
Our Safeguarding and child protection policy is available here to view and download.