Looking after You – Year 9

Pastoral Care

Bullying

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Personal Development

British Values

Keeping You Safe

Who Parents Can Contact

Who to Talk to if You are a Child

Safety Issues

Pastoral Care

The personal development, health and wellbeing of our students is of most importance to us.  We pride ourselves that our school environment is caring, optimistic and encouraging. The pastoral structure is designed to support students with a wide range of needs and at every level.  The promotion of wellbeing, care for each other, respect and resilience is at the core of our systems.

The Form Tutor

Students’ primary daily care and support is overseen by their Form Tutor.  Students in Years 7 to Year 11 will see their Form Tutor every day for 20 minutes.  Tutors oversee concerns around attendance, illness and general wellbeing and should be the first point of contact for parents/carers.  They support students with any initial worries or problems and are pivotal to helping students and parents/carers to resolve issues.

Here is how you can contact the right Form Tutor for your child:

Year 9

The Year Co-ordinator and Pastoral Behaviour Officer

Each team of Form Tutors for each year group is led by the Year Co-ordinator and a Pastoral Behaviour Officer.

The Year Co-ordinator oversees specific academic concerns and will lead on achievement and progress of the year group.

The Pastoral Behaviour Officer manages attendance, behaviour and pastoral care.  Our staff are well experienced and offer advice, support or interventions and as a team work closely with a variety of external agencies to help support our students.

Find out who is Year Co-ordinator and Pastoral Behaviour Officer for each year here:

Year 9

Specialist Pastoral Staff

We have specialist staff to support students with complex needs:

Attendance Strategy Leader: Mr Casey
Director of Behaviour: Mr Bennett
Learning Support Mentor: Mr Coone
SENDco: Miss McFadden
Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Nowell

Who Parents Can Contact

Please see the following staff as soon as possible so we can resolve issues effectively and quickly.

Concern Who to Talk to in School
General concerns regarding absence, attendance or a medical appointment Form Tutor
General concern regarding behaviour Form tutor or Pastoral Behaviour Officer
Concerns around SEND SENDco
Concerns around friendship groups, peers, bullying and social media Pastoral Behaviour Officer
Concerns around physical, emotional or mental wellbeing Pastoral Behaviour Officer
Academic concerns, achievement, subject issues, progress and attitude to learning (ALT) Year Co-ordinator or subject leader
Safeguarding or a child protection concern Deputy Headteacher (Mrs Nowell)
or
Designated Child Protection Staff:

Students can talk to any member of the school staff; but we do have specialist school staff who deal with the student safety and protection.

There are lots of posters up in School so students know who to go and talk to.

Here is how you can contact the right person:

Year 9

Mental Health and Wellbeing

We take a whole school approach to the welfare and wellbeing of our students.  All students in Years 7 to Year 11 learn about keeping healthy and mental wellbeing through dedicated PSHE lessons and also through wider parts of our curriculum by taking part in specialist assemblies, themed days, mental health week and our annual health fair.  We have two members of staff that have mental health first aid training and we use mindfulness as a preventative and strategy tool.

We believe our work around wellbeing helps prepare our students with resilience and enables them to be ready for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Our students know that our pastoral staff will always listen, that they have a voice and that we value their voice.  Initiatives such as the Student Parliament and the Diverse Alliance Group play centre stage in school life.

We work alongside a variety of external agencies to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students, and here is just an example of some of them plus some other useful resources:

Other Useful Resources:

Personal Development

Students in Years 7 to Year 11 learn about character strengths through assemblies and weekly Personal Development Time (PDT) sessions in Form Time.

What is it?

Personal Development is the main driver for educating the ‘whole child.’

It has a vital role in preparing children and young people to negotiate the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly complex world. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks.

Personal Development deals with real-life issues affecting our children, families and communities. It’s concerned with the social, health and economic realities of their lives, experiences and attitudes including relationships. It supports pupils to be healthy (mentally and physically), safe (online and offline) and equipped to thrive in their relationships and careers.

Where, how does it take place?

At Horsforth personal development occurs through planned experiences, opportunities, assemblies, bespoke PSHCE lessons, super curricular events, themed weeks or drop-down day’s and activities.
It goes beyond the academic, technical or vocational, it occurs within and beyond the classroom, on and off school site.

Aims

The aims of our personal development offer are:

  • developing responsible, respectful and active citizens
  • promoting equality of opportunity
  • promoting an inclusive environment, where students are respectful, empathetic and tolerant
  • developing pupils’ character, giving them qualities, they need to flourish in now, in society and as adults
  • developing pupils’ confidence and resilience so that they can keep themselves physically and mentally healthy
  • developing pupils’ knowledge, awareness and skills needed for the wider world, including its challenges and opportunities
  • developing pupil’s knowledge and skills on how to keep themselves and others safe on and off line
  • developing students understanding, skills and readiness for current or future relationships
  • developing pupil’s understanding and skills around scholarship
  • preparing pupils for the next phase of education, ensuring they are aspirational
  • fostering wellbeing, promoting success and growth mindset
  • developing the desire to participate, learn, lead, discover and grow

It hoped that that our students grow to understand themselves, focus on self-improvement, build their own awareness, morals and values. Develop key knowledge and skills, as well as an overall sense of identity.

What does Personal Development look like at Horsforth?

At Horsforth we divide our Personal Development offer into 8 strands. Each strand provides interconnected experiences, skills and knowledge which combine and develop in each student over time. Each strand is delivered to each year group 7-13.
The 8 strands ensure breadth and depth of our offer throughout the key stages.

Horsforth Personal Development Diagram, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Is it a standalone lesson?

Our Personal Development Offer does not stand alone. PSHCE and RS lessons are a main vehicle for delivering this, but it is promoted and complimented by all subjects and throughout out curriculum. Each subject and some out of classroom experiences promote SMSC and FBV education (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education) (Fundamental British Values). As a school we have check this carefully against our audit to ensure breadth and depth of coverage.

Personal Development is underpinned by our positive ethos and aim for ‘opportunity and achievement for all.’ Our KS3 character programme reinforces the skills, qualities and attitudes we wish to develop in our students. Personal Development occurs naturally with our Positive Behaviour and Attendance messages, systems and policy. Procedures and education for Safeguarding, Anti Bullying and Inclusivity are all part of our additional work for Personal Development.

Personal Development is tracked and monitored by Tutors during PSHCE. Students engagement is recorded in three times a year and Attitude to learning scores with PSHCE lessons are recorded 4 times a year.

Personal Development Map

Personal Development is divided into 8 core strands which are interconnected.

Through the 8 strands we ensure the development of the ‘whole child.’ The breadth of and depth of our offer ensures all children can reach their full potential and takes them beyond the academic. This map provides a summary of our offer, is not exhaustive and is subject to change. It should be read alongside the learning journeys for PSHCE, RS, the RSE, PB and Anti Bullying Policy, SMSC/FBV audit, student leadership overview, Character, Careers and Super Curricular Programmes.

1.Health, Wellbeing & Safety

(how students learn about physical and mental health, making right choices, learning new skills and gaining knowledge. Recognising risk and harm, knowing how to stay safe, (off and online) be safe and make safe choices, helping themselves and others

How this occurs across the school

  • Statutory physical and mental health learning via PSHCE
  • Health and Safety Week
  • Children’s Mental Health Week
  • Sports, dance and yoga clubs
  • Healthy eating promotion at school
  • Food tech lessons
  • PE Curriculum
  • Mindmate Friendly Status School
  • Sports Days
  • Rewards, purple slips, credits and Rewards Days
  • Bespoke assemblies and tutor time
  • Sports Interform challenges
  • Mental Health Ambassadors

YEAR 9

  • Manging emotions
  • Self- regulation
  • Mindfulness
  • Body image and seating disorders
  • Nutrition and being active for health
  • Self – Care Tips
  • Kooth
  • 5 ways to Wellbeing
  • Illegal drugs
  • Prescription drugs
  • Legal highs
  • Online health revisited – cyber bullying
  • Online Safety: Sexting and YPSI
  • FGM revisited
  • County Lines (on and off line)
  • Children’s Mental health Week February
  • Drop down sessions
  • Health Week June: Eat, sleep and move! Active Forms

2.Relationship & Sex Education

(How students develop age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through appropriate relationships and sex education)

How this occurs across the school

  • Statutory RSE learning via PSHCE
  • Safeguarding Curriculum
  • Drama and English Curriculum
  • Health and Safety Week
  • Anti- Bullying Week and whole school promotion/policy
  • RS lessons
  • Bespoke drop-down hours

YEAR 9

  • Sexual relationships
  • Safer Sex
  • Contraception
  • STI’s
  • Healthy relationships

3.Living in the wider world

SMSC education
(spiritual, moral, social and cultural education).
The promotion of Fundamental British Values.
Students as confident, resilience learners. Active, responsible citizens.
Promotion of tolerance and respect.

How this occurs across the school

  • Wider themes within PSHCE curriculum
  • Whole School Curriculum promotes SMSC and FBV (see audit where this happens)
  • FBV drop down day and projects: understanding the law, British democracy, respect for other cultures, tolerance and respect.
  • Whole school Charity work
  • Lower school Character programme
  • ATL scores
  • Positive Behaviour Policy and Systems
  • Rewards systems and rewards days

YEAR 9

  • Anti -Bullying Week
  • Character Programme and Character Awards
  • Types of Bullying
  • Organ Transplant and blood donation
  • Pride month
  • Remembrance
  • Respect and Tolerance
  • Crime and Punishment – the law, sanctions
  • Charity and Non-Uniform Day
  • Christmas Jumper Day
  • Holocaust Survivor Talk
  • Holocaust Study in History and English
  • Whole School Parliament Vote: Democracy in Action
  • Diversity Day

4.Careers & Aspirations

(How we support students readiness for the next phase of education, training or employment so that they are equipped to make the transition successfully, through careers information education, advice and guidance)

How this occurs across the school

  • Gatsy benchmarks – we follow the framework
  • Character- Aspiration
  • PSHCE lessons
  • Bespoke Tutor sessions
  • Planned curriculum
  • Transition processes
  • Options process
  • Careers fair
  • Unifrog
  • Speakers
  • Work experience

YEAR 9

  • Character badge: Aspiration Careers Activity Week
  • A1 and Machine Learning
  • Virgin Money Talk
  • Y9 Options and process, parent support
  • Robotics Club
  • Theatre Trip
  • Unifrog events
  • Ersnt and Young STEM Day
  • Careers Fair
  • Careers Assembly

5.Scholarship

(how we help our students to develop the study skills and knowledge to access our curriculum, be exam ready, prepare for new key stages and exams. Support their transition, how we foster a love for learning and acquiring new academic skills)

How this occurs across the school

  • Revision Sessions
  • Y10 and Y11 Prep Events
  • Mock exam prep
  • Assessment weeks
  • Progress review lessons
  • Oracy, Literacy
  • Achievement Assemblies
  • Catch up
  • Homework clubs
  • CL offer
  • Library offer
  • ELC offer
  • Clubs to support learning and skills
  • Competitions

YEAR 9

  • DEAR time
  • Y9 Options Process and week of preparation Feb
  • Progress Review lesson and reflection
  • Y9 Assessment week June
  • ATL challenge groups
  • ATL rewards
  • Pride in Work Assembly
  • Responsibility for Learning Assembly
  • Achievement Assemblies
  • Growth mindset Tutor session
  • Learning from WCF: WAGOLL
  • Families Intervention
  • Character badge: resilience
  • Homework club ELC
  • Subject ambassadors

6.Leadership & Participation

(opportunities for student leadership, student voice, ambassador roles, council and parliament.)

How this occurs across the school

  • Parliament members
  • Y7 ambassadors for y6 transition
  • Y8 ambassador receptionist
  • Y10 focus group ambassadors
  • Senior ambassadors
  • Mental health Ambassadors
  • Student Council -sixth form
  • Subject ambassadors

YEAR 9

  • Leadership: Y9 ambassadors for reception
  • Y9 ambassadors for open evening and parents’ evenings
  • Student Parliament
  • Subject ambassadors

 

  • Participation:
  • Character badge: participation
  • Interform sport rounds
  • Sports Day
  • Headteacher Breakfast
  • World Book Day
  • Production
  • Theatre Scenes
  • Super Curricular
  • Cadets
  • Charity Days

7.Discovery, Adventure, Enrichment

(clubs, trips, extra -curricular, enrichment, themed days, drop down days which allow students to discover things, try new things, adventure, travel, develop new skills, experience new things…)

How this occurs across the school

  • Super Curricular
  • Trips and Visits
  • Residentials
  • All clubs
  • Performances
  • Opportunities
  • Rewards days
  • Sports day
  • Interform

YEAR 9

  • Super Curricular Timetable with Assembly launch
  • Table tennis, Football, Rugby, netball, badminton, dance, hockey.
  • Musical theatre Scenes, Choir, concert band, production, guitar group, vocal group, string group, drama group, Horsforth school of Rock.
  • Art Club, 3D graphics club.
  • Maths Surgery
  • Homework Club every day ELC
  • Flamingoland July
  • Swimming Gala
  • Aquatic Camp
  • Ski Trip

8.Equality and Diversity

(how we promote opportunities to teach and develop respect, empathy, tolerance of different faiths, cultures and of those with protected characteristics)

How this occurs across the school

  • RS and PSHCE lessons
  • SMSC education
  • FBV promotion
  • Protected characteristics awareness and support
  • Anti -Bullying
  • Drop down days
  • PREVENT education
  • Themed days
  • Tutor time
  • Assemblies
  • Anti -Bullying week and whole school work
  • Diverse Alliance Group
  • What it means: RS
  • Anti-Bullying
  • History and English lessons, cross curricular themes

YEAR 9

  • Horsforth Expectations PB and Anti Bullying policy
  • Anti- Bullying Week
  • Odd Socks Day
  • Black History Month Oct
  • Diverse Alliance Group
  • Autism Awareness week
  • Inclusivity bespoke assembly
  • Character badge: respect
  • Diversity Assembly
  • Diverse Alliance Group – LGBTQ+ Allies Support and Awareness Group
  • Christian Connect Club
  • RS: What it means to be a Christian.
  • RS: What it means to be a Hindu.
  • Ethical Issues and Moral dilemmas in RS with religious viewpoints: Life, death, crime, drugs, IVF.
  • Holocaust Memorial Day.
  • Supporting Ukraine and national disasters.

British Values

and the Prevent Agenda at Horsforth School

Horsforth School is committed to serving its community. We recognise the multi-cultural, multi faith and ever-changing nature of our local population and within the United Kingdom as a whole. Through our School ethos and curriculum, we embed the themes of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding. Through robust safeguarding procedures, we strive to ensure that groups or individuals within the school are not subjected to intimidation or radicalisation by those wishing to unduly, or illegally, influence them.

We follow equal opportunities guidance which guarantees that there will be no discrimination against any individual or group, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status, or similar.

The Government set out their definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. These were reinforced in September 2014. These new regulations will sit alongside the Equalities Act, which applies to all schools.

The 5 British Values are:

  • Democracy
  • The Rule of Law
  • Individual Liberty
  • Mutual Respect
  • Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.

Students will encounter these principles through our curriculum, Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural (SMSC) provision, Behaviour and Rewards system, assemblies, trips and visits and extra-curricular activities.

Find more details of how we promote British Values at Horsforth School.

Keeping You Safe

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Safeguarding legislation and Government guidelines say that safeguarding means:

  • Protecting children from maltreatment
  • Preventing impairment of children’s health or development
  • Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best possible outcome.

Safeguarding includes child protection, health care plans, health and safety, site security, safety on school trips or residentials, anti-bullying, safer recruitment and all systems in school around behaviour and attendance.

Sometimes young people and children can hurt or feel frightened in different ways. It might be that they are being bullied, or being hurt by an adult, being touched in a way you do not like. If students feel uncared for, under-fed, or are shouted at a lot, or feel unsafe at home…..this could be abuse and not their fault. There is help both at school and outside of school and children and young people have the right to be safe and be listened to.

Abuse can take many forms:

  • Physical – hitting, shaking
  • Emotional- bullying, blaming
  • Sexual – forcing sexual acts
  • Neglect – no food, being left alone
  • Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) – where children are tricked by gifts, money and drugs in exchange for sexual acts
  • Forced marriage – when you do not agree/give consent to a marriage
  • FGM – female genital mutilation.

Our School’s Child Protection Team

Mrs Nowell Designated Safeguarding Lead (Deputy Headteacher)
Miss McFadden Deputy Safeguarding Lead
Team Mr Casey, Mr Bennett, Mrs Comiskey, Mr Watkins, Miss Brown, Miss Hutchinson, Miss Robinson, Mr Barnard, Miss Jenkinson, Mrs Gledhill, Mr Croft, Mr Steele and Mrs Squire

All staff receive annual child protection and safeguarding update training and are aware of the procedures for identifying and reporting concerns in school.

If You Have a Concern

If any member of the school, a parent/carer or a member of the community has a concern about the welfare of a child within our school, please pass the information onto a member of our Child Protection Team at school or contact the Children’s Social Work Services Team in Leeds (0113 222 4403).

If a child is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999.

View our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies here.

Who to Talk to if You are a Child

If you have been hurt by anybody, or an adult or another young person has done something that makes you feel upset or scared, it is important you tell somebody so you get help, support and protection.

  • Tell an adult you trust at school (Mrs Nowell, a staff member or a member of the Child Protection Team), or a parent, youth worker, school nurse, doctor or a trusted family friend
  • Tell them what is happening and why you are worried.

Adults who work with children have a responsibility to protect them from harm and will know what to do.

You can also contact:

  • Children’s Social Work Services Team (0113 222 4403)
  • childline (0800 1111), calls are free and confidential.

Useful Websites and Telephone Numbers

Bullying

We are a ‘telling school’. This means we urge all students to report things that they may see or experience which they feel is bullying: unkind, hurtful or derogatory. We encourage all students to do this whether it affects them or others.

Is it Bullying?

  • The term bullying is really important and shouldn’t be taken lightly or used incorrectly. If we classify unpleasant behaviour or a ‘falling out’ as bullying it could lose its importance and severity – so we have to distinguish between the two and know when to step in
  • It goes without saying that if a student is upset we will always support them, but we all need to understand the term ‘bullying’, the seriousness of it and the impact it can have on someone.

Bullying is usually defined as behaviour that is:

  • Repeated
  • Intended to hurt someone either physically or emotionally
  • Often aimed at certain groups, for example because of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

It takes many forms and can include:

  • Physical assault
  • Teasing
  • Making threats
  • Name calling
  • Cyberbullying – bullying via mobile phone or online (for example email, social networks and instant messenger).

 

What Bullying is not:

  • A friendship fallout
  • An argument
  • Not liking someone
  • Being excluded
  • A single act of telling a joke about someone
  • Isolated acts of harassment, aggressive behaviour, intimidation or meanness.

Tell us

We have created an environment that encourages students to feel confident about reporting any issue around bullying.  They can do this in a number of ways:

  • Talking to their Form Tutor
  • Talking to their Pastoral Behaviour Officer (PBO)
  • Telling any member of staff
  • Writing their worries or concerns down and posting them into the anti-bully box on Mrs Nowell’s door. This can be done anonymously.

If as a parent/carer, you have concerns, please contact us straight away. You can do this by contacting the pastoral team at pastoralhub@horsforthschool.org.

What will we do?

As with all incidents, we aim to deal with things effectively, but sensitively.  We will always work to support the victim and their family but also with the perpetrator to change their behaviour.   The steps we take can include the following (this is not an exhaustive list):

  • Reassure and support the victim
  • Deploy the Pastoral Behaviour Team to investigate/report/monitor/support
  • Interview the alleged instigator and provide support if required
  • Work with parents/carers and external agencies to help the victim and, if necessary the instigator
  • Record and monitor incidents to avoid reoccurrence
  • Support staff and parents/carers to ensure that our response to incidents is prompt and consistent.

If the behaviour continues we may:

  • Put restrictions on the bully’s social time
  • Issue a sanction of inclusion
  • Fixed term exclusion
  • Managed move to another school.

How we educate our students about bullying

Students learn about the types of bullying, the effects and consequences through assemblies, safety week and PSHE lessons.  We reinforce this message throughout the year by revisiting this important topic through form time, tutor activities, national anti-bullying week and through the wider curriculum.

Specific Safety Issues and Our School’s Procedures

Knives or other Offensive Weapons

There has been a great deal of media attention and concern focused on this issue due to recent events. Although within our West Yorkshire cluster and Horsforth School in particular, we do not have the knife culture as experienced by other areas, but we are not complacent.

We have a zero tolerance policy on all forms of violence. This is embedded through the school ethos, the school rules and expectations. The education around the use and abuse of weapons and dangerous objects is delivered specifically in PSHE and in assemblies.

The law:

  • It is illegal to carry a knife if there is intent to use it, even defensively, as a weapon, even if the knife belongs to someone else
  • Police can and will search someone if they believe they are carrying knife. Police and school staff can also search young people for weapons in school.

If a student is believed to be in possession of a knife and there is sufficient evidence that it has been used to threaten or cause violence, the following guidelines will apply:

A search will be conducted. The police and parents/carers will be informed. An investigation will follow and if there is sufficient evidence, there will be a recommendation for permanent exclusion and the Youth Offending Team will be alerted.

Drugs

We have a clear policy on illegal substances in and within the vicinity of school and on school visits and placements. If students are found in possession of, or supplying any drugs, both parents/carers and the police will be informed immediately. Students involved in any such activity will be subject to a detailed investigation. Where there is evidence that this is not a first offence and there are no extenuating circumstances, the Headteacher will recommend a permanent exclusion.

Internet Safety

Whilst the internet is great for school work and socialising, not everything students read online is true so talk to your child when it comes to the use of the internet and social media. Ensure you know what sites they are using and ask if they know how to stay safe. They must use privacy settings and never share passwords. Ensure they know where the reporting tools are if they need them – these vary. Make sure they know to tell an adult of trust if they see something they are unsure of.

Use parental controls on all social media including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and in particular Snapchat. Please ensure students are in “Ghost Mode” on their location settings for Snapchat.

Aerosols

These can cause a problem for anyone who suffers from breathing difficulties, not just asthma sufferers. Therefore, we prefer that they are not used in school or brought to school.

Students can however, bring roll-on deodorant to use after their PE lessons.

Other Useful Websites and Telephone Numbers