November 17th 2017
I am sure that your boys had fun yesterday choosing their odd socks in recognition of Anti-Bullying Week (ABW). ABW has been given a high profile at the school this week and rightly so. Moulsford as an institution does not tolerate bullying at any level and my assembly on Thursday reinforced the message that every boy in the school has a responsibility to report any such behaviour. The school aims to foster a culture and environment in which boys respect each other and are kind, caring and considerate to others. We also have strong pastoral systems which are designed to pick up niggles and issues at a very early stage.
Two initiatives we have introduced this term may be of particular interest to parents. We are piloting a social-emotional assessment and tracking tool called Affective Social (AS) Tracking. AS Tracking is being used in a growing number of schools to support proactive, targeted and evidence-based pastoral care. We believe it will add another piece of the pastoral jigsaw, helping us to build a more rounded picture of each pupil’s social and emotional development. AS Tracking data used alongside our existing pastoral processes will guide us in offering each pupil the right pastoral support at the right time. The pilot is being trialled in Years 3 & 4.
The school also uses the services of an independent counsellor. To date, this counsellor has visited the school on an ad hoc basis as requested. As of November, the counsellor will visit weekly to be available for drop-in sessions should boys feel the need to talk. Neither boys (nor their parents) will need to book in for a chat. If you would like further information about this, please contact Jim Hamilton-Smith (Deputy Head Pastoral).
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