Pastoral Care
We believe that every child should be recognised as an individual and supported to be the very best version of themselves. The foundation of their academic ambition, belief and compassion lies in our commitment to providing outstanding levels of pastoral care.
Home-school-child partnership
Strong relationships are at the heart of effective pastoral care and we place great importance on every aspect of the home-school-child partnership. Our teachers and school councillor work closely with parents, our Senior Leadership Team and safeguarding leaders to ensure the happiness, well-being and safety of every child. A child’s perception is their reality, so we are ready to listen and support families with any concerns.
We run initiatives which include talks, workshops and informal discussion groups that help equip our children with the life skills they’ll need to make well-informed decisions. PSHE lessons are taught across all year groups in the Prep. Reception to Year 6 following the same themes each half term: ‘Being Me in My World’, ‘Celebrating Difference’, ‘Dreams & Goals’, ‘Healthy Me’, ‘Relationships’ and ‘Changing Me’. Whole school assemblies follow the same themes.
We also provide a programme of parent workshops that offer guidance and ideas about how parents can support their children at home as part of our subscription to The Wellbeing Hub from Teen Tips, and there are lots more helpful resources available on Embley’s School Portal.
The Wellbeing Hub
The Wellbeing Hub was developed by child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing expert Alicia Drummond. All Embley parents have free access to this resource, and we highly recommend they take the opportunity to register via Embley’s School Portal.
The Wellbeing Hub is an interactive online portal, designed to help parents understand and meet their child’s social and emotional needs.
As a member, Embley parents benefit from:
- Complete parenting teens and parenting 2-12’s audio and video courses
- Weekly updated resources – podcasts, articles, tips and more
- Weekly live Q&A with a child and adolescent psychotherapist
- Careers advice articles and webinars, as well as inspiring Futures mini-podcasts – insiders’ perspectives on different industries, roles and career paths
- Q&A library
- Self-care – an area to find positivity, inspiration, good news and more
- Member offers
- Access to specialist help and support
- Monthly webinars from in-house and guest, expert-level speakers on a range of topics
Pupils also have access to The Wellbeing Hub via two different platforms, one for those aged 10-13 and one for those aged 13+, with resources tailored specifically to support them with their mental health and wellbeing.
There is a useful guide published by the Children’s Commissioner titled ‘The things I wish my parents had known’. This guidance has been written by the Children’s Commissioner alongside young people and gives advice for parents on talking to your child about online sexual harassment, including pornography, sharing nude images, editing photos and body image, sexualised bullying, and peer pressure. It includes conversation starters, top tips and links to further information.
House system
Our Houses provide children with the opportunity to make friends and share experiences with those in other year groups and develop essential skills such as teamwork and collaboration. We have four Houses at Embley. Each House is named after famous and influential people in the local area – Austen, Chichester, Nightingale and Palmerston – and are represented by their own colours.
Young leaders
As our children progress, they are encouraged to take an active role in the leadership of the school. Our Prep School Council comprises representatives from Years 1 to 6 and they meet regularly to discuss matters arising around the school and to organise fundraising events.
We believe that it is important to give pupils in Year 6 additional responsibilities to prepare them not only for Senior School but for their lives ahead. Our young leaders apply for roles and all of Year 6 are allocated a prefect role. Pupils are selected to perform a range of supportive tasks around the school, to set standards and act as role models for others in the school. They also Buddy read with Reception on a weekly basis.