Homeroom Classes
All students at Year 7 and 8 are members of a homeroom class. Homeroom teachers will often be the first to identify a student who is having difficulties. Parents or guardians/caregivers with concerns about a student should contact his homeroom teacher, or the year-level Dean.
In addition we have homeroom classes at Year 9 and at Year 10 to ensure that the learning needs of students who require a more supported learning environment with lower teacher:student ratios and more individualised programmes are met.
Pastoral meetings
Members of our Senior Management team work closely with homeroom teachers, year-level Deans, the Guidance Counsellor, the Learning Support Staff and the Careers Department. These staff members meet weekly to discuss the pastoral and academic needs of students from Years 7 to 13. The purpose of these meetings is to:
- Reinforce and recognise achievement and appropriate behaviour
- Provide guidelines about basic school standards that all staff are responsible for maintaining
- Identify students who are not achieving their potential and put in place suitable support structures
- Provide solutions for students with learning difficulties and behavioural issues, including the use of outside agencies
- Identify and assist students who require counselling
- Assist students with school-to-work transition
Additional support services:
- Prefects are assigned to Years 7 and 8 to act as role models.
- Senior students mentor Junior students throughout the year
- Year 10-13 students work with identified Year 7 and 8 students to support reading maintenance
- English speakers of other languages (ESOL) teaching is available to those new to the English language
- Individual departments offer extra coaching and tuition
- Class representatives of each homeroom (Years 7 to 8) meet to discuss student issues and concerns twice a term
- A student representative is nominated each year to represent the student body on the Board of Trustees