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Guidance

Staff

  • Mrs Cochrane (Principal Teacher)
    Bruce House
  • Mrs Cowieson (Principal Teacher)
    Abbey House
  • Mr C Fraser (Principal Teacher)
    Abbey House
  • Mr Leahy (Principal Teacher)
    Denmark House
  • Mr Lewis (Principal Teacher)
    Carnegie House
  • Mrs Miller (Principal Teacher)
  • Mr Powrie (Principal Teacher)
    Bruce House
  • Mrs J Young (Principal Teacher - Guidance )
    Currently on Maternity Leave

Aims

In Queen Anne High School we want every young person to feel valued as an individual and as part of the community. We see this as being the concern of all members of the school community.

Accordingly, we have a Guidance structure which includes Personal and Social Education, Register Teachers, Guidance Teachers, Principal Teachers (Guidance) and Depute Rector (Year). In this, we hope to ensure that the young people know that there are adults in school who take an interest in their development and welfare - an adult to whom they can turn for help and support.

This may mean at a practical level, for example, listening to a youngster who wants no more than to let someone know how hard things have been that day; talking to the youngster who refuses to attend a class or classes despite the efforts of others; examining, before they can leave school, the alternative of further study or taking the first job that comes along; helping them choose courses in which they will be reasonably interested and successful; noticing and congratulating them on their successes and so on. Guidance has a key role in the raising attainment and target setting initiative. Time has been allocated to raising attainment and target setting in the PSE programme.

It cannot be stressed strongly enough that class teachers obviously play a key role in fostering a caring school community and that they have a key role to play in raising attainment.

It is crucial that all those involved work as a team. Register teachers make the first contact, Guidance specialists provide back-up expertise and PSE teachers and other class teachers also have an important part to play. Each member of staff must know the other's contribution if the aims of the Guidance system are to be achieved. It is the responsibility of the Principal Teachers (Guidance) in collaboration with other specialists from Pupil Support to ensure this.

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Objectives

To ensure that each pupil knows and is known personally in some depth, broader than just intellect, by at least one member of staff.

  • To consider the personal, social and educational development of each pupil
  • To help the pupil to be aware of their own development and to accept responsibility for it.
  • To identify and respond quickly and appropriately to the specific needs of the individual.
  • To foster good relationships between staff and pupils.
  • To maintain good links between the school and home in all aspects of pupil development.
  • To liaise with support and welfare services
  • To be systematic and effective in recording and communicating information relevant to the welfare of individual pupils.
  • To contribute to the work of the Support for Learning Committee.
  • To have a key role in the raising attainment and target setting initiative.

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Registration Classes

Pupils from a given year group are allocated to Register classes each consisting of approximately 25 - 30 pupils. A member of the teaching staff meets the group each morning from 8.57 am - 9.07 am in an allocated room. Registration teachers normally move on with their classes.

In particular:

Each Register teacher may be asked, at appropriate times, for information he/she has about a pupil in the group. In addition, a Register teacher should look out for changes in attitude or behaviour patterns amongst his/her charges so that an immediate report can be made to the Guidance staff with a view to further investigation.

The daily register periods may be used for the following purposes as well as registration.

  • Routine administration
  • Assemblies or mini assemblies as required
  • Issuing communications to parents
  • Receiving communications from parents
  • Issuing information to pupils

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Promoted Guidance Staff

Our basic philosophy is that the Guidance team be a contact which will enable young people to make informed decisions, based on an awareness of self and others.

General

Promoted Guidance staff are expected to operate with mixed sex groups within the school's vertical guidance system and to:

  • Be responsible for the personal, curricular and vocational guidance of their pupils
  • Play a key role in raising attainment and target setting
  • Play a key role in taking forward the inclusion agenda
  • Co-operate in the arrangements for Guidance team meetings and participate in them
  • Participate in the development and the teaching of the PSE and the Careers education programme throughout the school
  • Monitor and review the whole-school policy on Guidance
  • Follow established Guidance calendars
  • Play their part in developing individual House identity
  • Promote the roles of the House Councils.

In Particular, their duties will include:

  • Maintaining regular empathetic contact with their pupils through personal interviews and group sessions or helping in crisis situations. Other contacts will be made through House Assemblies or Year Assemblies. There may also be informed or social contact or a residential experience
  • Discussing information relevant to a pupil's welfare with other members of staff involved and provide feedback.
  • Maintaining and contributing to pupil progress records.
  • Monitoring pupils' progress and attendance and providing a rounded comment on assessment report to parents.
  • Providing reports and references as required.
  • Liaising/meeting with outside agencies, parents, Depute Rector (Year), Register Teacher, teaching staff (all staff should be associated with a House) and where appropriate with other colleagues from Pupil Support.
  • Updating their specified role in the school's referral system
  • Involved in transition from primary to secondary and secondary to tertiary education.

The Guidance team is there to support staff with professional advice and direct assistance.

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Depute Rector (Year Group)

The Depute Rector (Year Group) has overall responsibility for a year group. He or she will be responsible for or have overview of:

  • The organisation associated with each year group e.g. reporting; Parents Evenings; Interim updates; social activities; links with all departments throughout the school.
  • The specified role in the school's discipline procedure including monitoring of all referrals and taking action where necessary.

The Depute Rector is expected to be involved with his/her year through school parties, fund-raising ventures, perhaps residential experience or any other group activity which helps staff/pupil relations. This will provide the Depute Rector with a wider picture of the pupil he/she is working with.

In particular, duties will include:

  • Liaison with all House Guidance staff.
  • Weekly timetabled meetings with the Senior Executive (part of the agenda - to consider year groups).
  • Dealing with discipline matters for the year group, consistent with the school's disciplinary policy.
  • Working with the House Guidance team to improve all other aspects of pupils' conduct and welfare, attendance, punctuality, dress, respect for others and commitment to studies.
  • Working, when appropriate, with school and external agencies or Support for Learning Group.
  • Maintaining contact with pupils through year group assemblies, year group committees and other ways.
  • Liaising with the member of staff responsible for planning the school's Personal and Social Education programme and with those responsible for delivering it.

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