Pastoral care refers to the encompassing support system in place for student’s academic and learning life at the BSP.  It is one of the clear differentiators of a British education and underpins the School’s overall approach to teaching and learning.

Junior School

The whole Junior School meets once a month for an assembly and there are separate weekly assemblies for the Early Years pupils, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. While assemblies cater for a whole school approach to Pastoral Care and Discipline, the ethos of the school is set around the Golden Rules which pervade the classroom, dining rooms and playtimes. Kindness, concern and respect for others are the goals to which we all hope to aspire, and which are reinforced during class Circle Time and Golden Time thus helping the children in their personal and cultural development.

In the Junior School, all of the teachers are aware of the often varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds of many of our children, and adjust their teaching approaches with this in mind, to try to ensure that all children can fully access the work being introduced. In this, teachers are supported by the Head of EAL (English as an Additional Language) who provides advice on teaching methods and suitable materials, while also monitoring pupils’ progress.

Senior School

The BSP pastoral system in the Senior School is designed so that each and every student is encouraged to fully exploit their school years. Students, within each year group are divided into small tutor groups, led by an individual tutor. The tutor’s role is to take an overview of every individual student’s progress in all areas. Twenty-two tutors care for the student body and provide an essential link between pupil, teacher and parent.  The first contact with the School should always be via the tutor who will then determine the most appropriate course of action and maintain contact until a satisfactory resolution to any problem/issue is found. The Heads of Year oversee the tutors and work with the Head of Pastoral Care, ensuring a cohesive care system and a relevant programme of pastoral experiences delivered in a caring and work like environment. 

The responsibility of the Head of Pastoral Care is to coordinate the activities of the pastoral team, to develop new initiatives and help support the education of the pupils at the British School of Paris.

Further support functions which operate under the umbrella of the pastoral team include:

• Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) Co-ordinator
• Head of Careers
• School  nurse

PSHE is taught as part of the curriculum and each year group has two 30min periods per week.  Each tutor is responsible for presenting the programme and the activities are planned by the PSHE Co-ordinator.  A careers course is part of the PSHE programme for all pupils in Years 10 – 13.

The pastoral teams meet weekly to discuss pastoral issues.