Pastoral Care
At Monkton, we believe pastoral care is the cornerstone of achievement. Our teaching, care and support equips our students with the knowledge and self-awareness to be the best they can be.
As pioneers in pastoral tracking, process is always more important to us than outcome, and although we have high aspirations for all our pupils, our focus on process looks after the outcomes, as our results bear witness to.
We celebrate failure (literally - in assembly) as well as excellence because performance isn’t how we measure success, and authentic resilience cannot be built without it.
Whilst academic rigour is important to us, it is never at the expense of wellbeing. Our experience is that achievement, academic or otherwise, is the natural consequence of a healthy sense of self-worth. Whether it is a pupil in Prep bringing a caterpillar in from the playground with awe and wonder on their face, a pupil in Prep writing their own report on their development of resilience, or a pupil at Senior level reflecting on developing a higher trust of themselves in their decision making, for Monkton pupils school is not about what to learn, but how.
We tutor 1-1 because we think that’s the way to build that relationship best: very quickly the tutor becomes more coach than mentor as the pupil gains the confidence to make their own decisions and solve their own challenges. 1-1 also offers the safety net when they fail (as they do) and need help to get back on their feet.
Pupil development of self-knowledge and wellbeing is our highest priority. We take a proactive approach to self-assessment and reflection, helping each pupil better understand how they can be successful, to know who they are and recognise how they can use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses by approaching different projects in different ways.
Through a commitment to leadership coaching, we promote continuous improvement amongst staff and students. Our students learn how to actively help one another, rather than just sympathise with problems.
The tears shed by pupils as they leave for the last time speak of children who enter a non-selective school and achieve their greatest ambitions. In addition, we are able to offer the breadth of Public School education, whether on the sports field, the stage, the music hall, the Brecon Beacons or beyond, that ensures children leave us inspired by their studies and experienced in many skills.
You truly get the feeling that your child them self, not just the results they get, is the most important thing to everyone at the school and it is not just something written on the school website.
Wellbeing
Across the whole school we consider pupil wellbeing in all that we do. We also encourage students to promote their wellbeing; ideas are considered through the PD programme, and pastoral staff support pupils in different ways including tutoring. We hold wellbeing days throughout the year in which our pupils are encouraged to consider ways to look after their wellbeing. Wellbeing week 2024 will give students the opportunity to reflect on their wellbeing across the curriculum and engage in activities that promote positive mental health.
Here are some pictures from previous wellbeing days at the Senior School!
