Personal Development and Pastoral Care

Helping Every Child Achieve, Belong and Thrive

Rooted in our Catholic values, we believe every child is created in the image and likeness of God and deserves to feel safe, valued and loved. Our pastoral care reflects our commitment to nurturing the whole child, supporting pupils to flourish academically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

Through our Achieve, Belong, Thrive approach, we create a caring and inclusive community where every child is known as an individual, encouraged to reach their full potential and supported through life's challenges.

Achieve

We believe children achieve their very best when they feel secure, confident and supported.

Our staff take time to know every pupil, recognising their individual strengths, talents and needs. When additional pastoral support is needed, we respond with compassion and understanding, providing timely and personalised support that helps remove barriers to learning.

We not only respond to immediate concerns but also work alongside children and families to understand and address underlying issues, helping pupils develop resilience and confidence so they can thrive both in and beyond the classroom.

Belong

Our Catholic mission inspires us to build a school community where everyone feels welcomed, respected and included.

Positive relationships are at the heart of school life. Pupils know who they can talk to and feel confident seeking help when they need it. We listen carefully to children's views and value their voice when developing our pastoral provision and wider school community.

Strong partnerships with parents, carers, our parish, local authority services and external agencies ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

Thrive

We want every child to flourish.

Our pastoral support promotes positive mental health, emotional wellbeing and resilience, helping children develop self-awareness, empathy, confidence and healthy coping strategies rooted in our Gospel values.

Effective systems, careful record-keeping and regular review enable us to provide coordinated, responsive support that meets pupils' changing needs and continually improves our pastoral provision.

Together, we nurture confident learners, compassionate individuals and responsible citizens who are equipped to make a positive contribution to their communities.

Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers

Parents and carers play a vital role in supporting their child's wellbeing.

One of the most important things you can do is listen to your child and take their feelings seriously. Children experience different emotions at different times and may need comfort, reassurance, practical help or someone to listen.

If your child is feeling worried, anxious or unhappy, we encourage you to speak to their class teacher or our SENDCo as soon as possible. By working together, we can provide the most effective support and ensure concerns are addressed early.

How We Can Help

Our pastoral team and SENDCos provide support for children and families in a variety of ways, including:

• Emotional support following bereavement and signposting to specialist services.
• Support for pupils experiencing friendship or relationship difficulties.
• Support for children and families joining our school community.
• Advice and guidance for parents to promote children's emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• Support for families experiencing difficult or challenging circumstances.
• Liaison with external professionals and agencies where additional support is required.

Specialist Support

Where a child requires additional help with their emotional wellbeing or mental health, we work closely with families to ensure appropriate support is put in place.

Support may involve collaboration with:

• Class Teachers
• SENDCos
• The Pastoral Team
• School Nursing Service
• Educational Psychologists
• Your GP or Health Visitor
• Healthy Young Minds (formerly CAMHS)

We also work closely with Altrincham Counselling & Family Centre, whose experienced counsellors provide therapeutic support for children and advice for families when appropriate.

Please speak with your child's class teacher or SENDCo if you feel your child would benefit from additional support.

Talking It Through

Many emotional or mental health difficulties can be successfully supported through opportunities to talk, explore feelings and develop positive coping strategies.

For younger children, this may include therapeutic play, while older children may benefit from counselling or psychological therapies. These approaches help children understand their emotions, build resilience and develop healthy ways of managing challenges.

Support is often most effective when schools, families and professionals work together to meet the individual needs of each child.

Specialist Help

If your child is experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties, please let us know so that early support can be put in place. A class teacher, SENDCo, member of the pastoral team, school nurse or educational psychologist may be able to help.

You can also speak to your GP or health visitor, who can refer your child to additional services if needed. These professionals often work together with Healthy Young Minds (formerly Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – CAMHS).

Healthy Young Minds Trafford
Based at Sale Waterside
Tel: 0161 716 4747

Please speak to the relevant SENDCo about referrals so that we can work together to support your child.

Our school also accesses support from Altrincham Counselling Centre. Our trained counsellor provides counselling sessions for children and works closely with parents and school staff to ensure effective support.

The Counselling and Family Centre, Altrincham also offers a range of services for families and has provided training for school staff.

Tel: 0161 941 7754

Website: www.thecfc.org.uk

Talking It Through

Assessment and treatment for children and young people with mental health difficulties often focus on talking and understanding the problem in order to decide the best way forward. For younger children, this may be done through play.

Support recommended by professionals is often straightforward and may involve the whole family. Your child may be referred to a trained specialist to help them explore their feelings and behaviour. This type of support may be called talking therapy, psychological therapy, or counselling.

Organisations That Can Help

Childline – 0800 1111

Healthy Young Minds
www.penninecare.nhs.uk/your-services/service-directory/trafford/mental-health/healthy-young-minds-formerly-camhs/

Contact (for families with disabled children)
https://contact.org.uk/

Family Lives (support for families on a wide range of issues)
www.familylives.org.uk

Barnardo’s
www.barnardos.org.uk