Pastoral Support

At Tooting Primary School, we have the well-being and social and emotional development of our pupils at the forefront of everything we do.  We believe that we cannot expect academic success or positive personal development from our pupils if they have social, emotional concerns or simply a barrier to their learning.  We work hard to ensure that all pupils are able to make the best of all of their educational, social and emotional opportunities to be the best that they can be.

Our Pastoral team is very much every member of our staff, whether that be through our communication, our interactions with each other, an ethos of belonging and community or through specific interventions to support removing barriers to learning.  We are a talking school, and through consistent communication and early intervention we are able to identify and put early support in place, for pupils that are facing difficulties.  We have a pastoral leader who over sees the pastoral provision at TPS and provides tailored support to our children and families depending on the identified need.

At Tooting Primary School, we have whole school initiatives for consistency, such as a regulation zone in each classroom, for pupils to reflect and emotionally regulate when required, visual resources in each class for pupils to show how they are feeling, celebration boards to celebrate the whole child and achievements that are not solely academic, weekly star awards for individual pupils, worry boxes and opportunities to seek support through Sharing Circle or a member of our promotion of the Safeguarding Team.

Sharing Circle is a whole school initiative, whereby children, parents and teachers can request for a child to see a member of the trained Pastoral Team if they have concerns about their well- being. Children can share worries, seek support or speak about whatever is on their mind.  This is hugely successful and popular amongst our pupils.  low scale worries are rectified and solutions are found together and for larger worries, a plan of support is put in place, once again together. 

Our Teaching Assistants are trained to deliver social skills groups and Sharing Circle interventions which play a crucial part in the social and emotional development of our pupils.  At Tooting Primary School, we deliver multiple interventions over a termly basis and if required shorter or longer periods.  The interventions are Drawing and Talking, ELSA, Mentoring, Emotional Literacy, Social Skills, Lego Therapy, Sharing Circle, bereavement and Mindfulness (PASWb). If pupils require further specialist support we work closely with outside agencies, such as CAHMS.

At Tooting Primary School, we work hard to ensure that our pupils are actively taking responsibility for their choices and recognise how their choices impact our whole school community. We will be starting a Peer Mentor programme this academic year to give the children the opportunity to continue to support each other’s growth and development. 

If you would like to know more contact Ms Pereira at pastoral@tootingprimary.org