Pastoral Care and PSHE
Pastoral care is at the heart of everything we do at Sheffield Girls’. It is fundamental to achieving our School Aims and is woven into every aspect of school life. As one of Sheffield’s leading secondary schools, we understand that girls thrive when they feel known, valued and supported.
Pastoral Care
Our dedicated pastoral team support each of our pupils to flourish—academically, socially and emotionally—by providing consistent, individualised support and creating a strong sense of community and belonging. We deliver this in the following ways:
- Form Tutors get to know their pupils as individuals and help to steer them through all the events and developments of School life.
- Heads of Year work closely with Form Tutors to monitor and encourage the progress and development of the year group. We have a HOY for Year 7 and four others who take Year 8 through to Year 9 and Year 10 through to Year 11 in alternate years.
- Emotional needs are supported in a range of ways depending on individual situations, in cooperation with families, the School Counsellor and School Nurse.
- Our School Counsellor offers a confidential service to all Senior School pupils.
- Our School Nurse is available throughout the school day for medical concerns and advice.
- Pupils can access our Resilience Hub where they can seek assistance from trained Peer Mentors.
A Supportive Environment
- Assemblies are held weekly for different sections of the School with pupils often playing key roles.
- Form Groups elect Form Leaders, Eco Representatives, Charity Representatives, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Representatives, Wellbeing Representatives and School Council Representatives.
- School Council, chaired by Sixth Form students, come together to share ideas and concerns about the School. The Council is also consulted over curriculum changes and other key developments in school.
- Our Code of Behaviour provides guidelines for all members of the school community.
- New pupils are fully supported as they settle in, whether they are new to established year groups or Year 7s arriving from other primary schools. Girls will have lots of practical guidance and reassurance and will be supported to manage homework and school activities alongside their other commitments. Sixth Form Prefects are attached to each Year 7 (and Year 8) form to support this.
- Individuals joining us at the start of any other year, or during it, soon make friends and settle in and support is given if they need to catch up with aspects of work, with timetables being adjusted if necessary. Parents receive updates about academic and progress after a few weeks.
- Transition between Key Stages is fully supported, beginning with the move into Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9). A programme of activities and meetings takes place during Year 9 to help girls with decisions about their GCSE options and, during Year 11, further exploration of possible career paths, links into the process of beginning to make decisions about A Levels.
Our pastoral system is built to ensure our girls are happy and settled at school whilst supporting those individuals and groups who, at certain times, may need some extra help or support.
Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education
PSHE aims to provide students with accurate and relevant knowledge and understanding, as well as the skills, language and strategies they need in order to live happy, healthy, and successful lives and make a meaningful difference in the world. PSHE education is an important strand in our curriculum and is delivered from Year 7-11 at Sheffield Girls’.
- It is part of a whole school approach which fosters good relationships and well-being for students and teachers alike.
- It is participative and engaging, and the programme is developed through consultation with students.
- It is inclusive of difference.
- It is relevant to students depending on their age and maturity.
PSHE lessons cover three core themes of health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world. Central topics are revisited throughout the key stages as students develop and mature. Lessons are intended to be relaxed but focused sessions where students can:
- Acquire relevant information and increase their knowledge
- Develop their own values and attitudes
- Develop a range of skills that will enable them to participate actively in society
PSHE lessons, however, are only the starting point. Students are encouraged to continue conversations outside the classroom and we signpost additional resources for further advice, support and guidance.
In addition to lessons, the PSHE Department also makes a significant contribution to the wider life of the school through
- Arranging visiting speakers and workshops
- Providing special curriculum days
- Providing information sessions and resources for parents and carers
Support for parents
Some of the topics explored in PSHE can be challenging and benefit from further discussion at home. We work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure families can access the PSHE programme of study on our online learning platform, Firefly, and can follow the topics being covered and those coming up in the future.
We provide information sessions for parents and carers and share online resources and guidance to support conversations within the family and signpost further support. Our dedicated Head of PSHE is on hand, along with our Pastoral Support Team, to support parents and carers with any query regarding our PSHE provision.
