Pastoral Care

Successful learning thrives when students feel safe, confident, respected, valued and intrigued.

From the moment a child obtains a place at Sir John Lawes, the process of supporting them to become a successful learner within a nurturing environment begins.

On entering the school, all students become members of a form group comprising of students of the same age who are all experiencing the same stage of their education. This marks the beginning of a strong bond with their form tutor who will maintain an overview of each child’s academic and personal development.

The form tutor is responsible for the pastoral care of each student and is supported in this role by a Head of Year and Student Services Manager with the aid of the Careers Coordinator. The services of the School Nurse are also available to further ensure that every child is happy and well looked after. We have a dedicated School Counsellor and Attendance Officer.

At the heart of productive learning is the need for creativity and questioning. Risk-taking is essential to achieving originality and flair and mistakes should be allowed to evolve into improvement and refinement. This can only truly flourish within a setting where it is fine to be wrong as long as you have applied yourself and tried your best. This philosophy is made very clear to all students as we support them in their learning.

Whilst some secondary schools can be extremely frenetic, the ambience at Sir John Lawes is very calm and purposeful and there is a real sense of community. There are no loud bells to be heard and the staff and students get on with one another in a very positive and meaningful way. Our school cat provides an additional ‘homely’ feel and can often be found wandering the corridors.