Pastoral Care
Our aim is to ensure that every child at Embley is the best they can be and we believe that the foundation of their academic ambition, belief and compassion lies in our dedicated focus on pastoral care. We do not compare our students to their peers or with so-called norms, and we strongly believe that every child is unique and deserves the support and recognition that they deserve as they grow.
The importance of our home-school-pupil partnership
Strong relationships are at the heart of effective pastoral care and we place great importance on every aspect of the home-school-pupil partnership. Our team of tutors, Heads of Year, Heads of Boarding, school nurses and school councillors who work closely with our Senior Leadership Team and safeguarding leads to ensure the happiness, wellbeing and safety of every child – and help with any concerns you may have no matter how large or small.
We run initiatives which include talks, workshops and informal discussion groups that help equip students with the life skills they need to make well-informed decisions. PSHE lessons are taught across all year groups in the Senior School, covering issues such as internet safety, relationships and bullying and all Year 7 pupils take part in an emotional literacy course.
Furthermore, our programme is enhanced through annual events to help raise awareness, such as Anti-Bullying Week, and we invite expert speakers into school to run workshops, which help to provide engaging information and advice for Embley students and staff.
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
Students 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
New students are welcomed into one of four houses – Austen, Chichester, Nightingale and Palmerston. Each house provides the chance for our students to make friends, share experiences and develop essential skills such as teamwork and collaboration. Students compete in regular whole-school competitions such as the House Festival, the 10 Mile Cup and Sports Day, as well as smaller competitions each term.
Medical needs
We have a medical centre in the Senior School and a matron who takes care of any minor illnesses and accidents should they happen in school.