Pastoral Care and Wellbeing We are very proud of the pastoral care which we show all of the pupils who come to Dulwich, especially during the often daunting transition to Senior School. Form Tutors, Heads of Year, and the Head of School are instrumental here, as well as the librarian team, Housemasters and all of the teaching staff who put the boys’ wellbeing first. We run an Anti-Bullying week in the first term, led by Sixth Form prefects, which focuses on helping boys to continue to make new friendships, and also reassures pupils that any concerns can be raised, that they will be listened to and acted upon. We also have the Yelcho Room, a wellbeing space with trained staff members and open every breaktime and lunchtime, where pupils can drop in for a warm drink, play a game or just to chat. Our friendly Counselling Team is well-resourced and boys can self-refer if they feel like they are struggling. Finally, the Learning Support Hub is based in the Lower School, which is a welcoming space for all our pupils, and particularly those with neuro-diverse needs. All pupils will also get to know their Sixth Form Mentors, who meet with their classes once a week, and are a familiar and reassuring presence around the campus throughout their time in the Lower School. Wellbeing lessons in the Lower School focus on making friendships, celebrating character strengths, healthy living, healthy relationships, and safety within the online world of social media. Having these discussions in a single-sex environment is a powerful and meaningful process, where we can help boys to develop their emotional vocabulary in a safe place, and give them the tools to deal with the pressures of early adolescence. “I appreciate being able to talk to lots of different people about how I’m feeling, my Form Teacher and my Head of Year - everyone is so friendly.”
Helping Pupils Settle When pupils arrive in Year 7, we do all we can to make sure that they settle in quickly, forge strong friendships and enjoy being at their new school. To achieve this we: • integrate the 55 or so boys who come up from our Junior School with our new joiners into form groups of around 20 - 22 pupils; • help to forge close relationships between the boys and their Form Tutor, their Head of Year, and myself as Head of School to help them to feel valued and settled; • invite all new joiners to the College to a Welcome Evening in the summer before the long break so that pupils can meet their new Form Tutor and some of their new classmates before the start of term; • hold an Induction Day on the day before the first day of term, when only Year 7 pupils are in the Lower School. This gives them time to get to know their Form Tutor and other members of their Form. Pupils also take part in team-building activities where they are split into small groups, and compete against each other to solve both physical and mental challenges; • give every Form the experience of travelling to Wales for a full week of activities at the College’s Outdoor Centre in the Brecon Beacons in their first term. This trip helps develop self-confidence, perseverance and tenacity when faced with challenges – life skills that are just as important as the academic skills learned in the classroom.
“The highlight of my first year was Wales – it was brilliant. I made lots of new friends and had great fun whilst caving.”
Lower School Wales Trip film
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