"At Newquay Primary Academy we believe that healthy well rounded children have the best chance of achieving success at school and in the wider community. Children need to feel happy, safe and valued and that they are treated fairly. Our commitment to this runs through all strands of school life. Our pastoral care provision ensures the physical and emotional welfare of your child. This means that your child is safe, happy, involved and able to perform to their potential.
Aims
Every child is encouraged to make the most of their time at Newquay Primary Academy, so every effort is made to remove obstacles to successful learning and to equip children with the confidence and skills to be enthusiastic learners and effective members of the community.
At Newquay Primary Academy our aim is to provide the highest quality pastoral care throughout the school. All staff work together to help pupils achieve their best – educationally, socially and emotionally. Our pastoral care aims are:
Aims
Every child is encouraged to make the most of their time at Newquay Primary Academy, so every effort is made to remove obstacles to successful learning and to equip children with the confidence and skills to be enthusiastic learners and effective members of the community.
At Newquay Primary Academy our aim is to provide the highest quality pastoral care throughout the school. All staff work together to help pupils achieve their best – educationally, socially and emotionally. Our pastoral care aims are:
- To provide an environment which will support the emotional health and well-being of all our pupils.
- To support and empower families who are experiencing challenges.
- To meet the differing needs of all our children so that each unique child is equipped with life-long skills.
- To help our children develop empathy for social, spiritual, emotional and physical needs within the school.
- To maintain an atmosphere in which children feel secure, are encouraged in their learning, growth and social development and know that they are valued within a healthy and safe environment.
- To model for parents/carers that their children are being educated in a safe and nurturing environment.
- To motivate pupils to recognise and reflect upon our school’s core values.
- To promote positive relationships with parents/carers through good communication and interaction.
- To enhance parental awareness of how children learn and the importance of education.
- To work with a range of stakeholders, parents, support staff, outreach agencies and other schools to ensure the best outcomes for every pupil.
A safe and happy environment
During their time at Newquay Primary Academy, our pupils learn more about the world through our Personal, Social and Health and Economic Education (PSHEE) programme. The various year groups learn age-relevant information about topics such as relationships, how to keep safe when using IT, and what to do if a classmate looks unhappy. Topics are further reinforced with themed assemblies, visiting sessions, day excursions and residential trips in Years 4, 5 and 6.
Pupil voice is an important aspect of life at Newquay Primary Academy. We have an active School Council where children learn to discuss issues and talk about ways to improve their school.
We hold a weekly pastoral care meeting for our staff to make sure all are regularly updated on the needs of each and every child.
We also believe that with the right training and support, children can help each other to manage low level situations in the playground. For example, working closely with Newquay Tretherras, older pupils act as Peer Mediators and are trained in conflict resolution to help sort out problems with younger children. Prefects and Playground Buddies are roles that are taken very seriously and give the children valuable life skills. The children learn to respect one-another and this inclusive approach helps to boost self-esteem amongst pupils.
Our Friendship Club runs every lunchtime. Children talk and play with others who may be feeling vulnerable. This works really well and the children enjoy helping each another. Adults are always supervising and will assist if needed.
Throughout school life we are always looking for opportunities to check that children are feeling positive and enjoying school. We offer a wide range of extra curricular activities to give all children a chance to shine, to make new friends and to feel good about themselves. Staff are always on hand to work with groups or individuals who may need a bit of extra support.
Restorative practice
Restorative Practice is a way of dealing with conflict peacefully and fairly. It promotes a safe, caring environment where problems can be resolved successfully. It encourages children to take responsibility for their actions and to think about how their behaviour affects others. When disputes happen, children are encouraged to think about:
- What happened ?
- What were you thinking when it happened ?
- How were you feeling ?
- How has this affected others and how did it make them feel ?
- What can you do to make things better ?
- How can we make sure this doesn’t happen again ?”
At Newquay Primary Academy our staff use restorative practice. This ensures that children feel listened to and that they have a chance to give their side of things even when they are in the wrong. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility and to be part of the fixing process in matters of their behaviour. When things are not going well we think it is important that children are able to talk about it.
Children respond very positively when they feel they are being listened to and treated fairly. Our pupils are learning to be better listeners and to think about other people’s feelings. They are also learning to resolve conflicts and disputes themselves.
Open door policy
We operate an open door policy for parents and offer arranged appointment evenings to give both academic and pastoral feedback.
Parents are always welcome to come in to talk through any concerns in detail. Points of contact include your child’s class teacher and our Head of School. In addition, our dedicated Parent Support Adviser is available to work directly with our parents in a non-judgemental way.
There are also weekly parents’ coffee mornings held after drop off time. These are a great opportunity to mix with other parents and get involved in our active Parent Teacher Association events throughout the year.
Safeguarding
We take our safeguarding duty very seriously at Newquay Primary Academy. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect every one of our staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment. At Newquay Primary Academy, safeguarding our pupils is everybody’s business.
Our pastoral team have a specific responsibility to work to support families accessing the Team Around the Child (TAC) or Child Protection processes, liaising with Social care. They will provide links to external agencies should these be required.
We will always welcome you to contact school should you have any worries or are experiencing challenges in school or at home. We understand that any change in home life, no matter how small, can influence your children in school. We are here to support both you and your child. All information will be treated confidentially unless there is concern over child safety.
