Twggs122

Pastoral care

“The quality of care, advice and support is a significant strength of the school. Staff aim to know all of the girls as individuals and ... transitions, such as students’ arrival in Year 7 and the start of GCSE courses, are closely and extremely well managed.” 
OFSTED

Pastoral care is at the heart of TWGGS. We firmly believe that if pupils are happy and individually valued and supported they will thrive.

We hope pupils will have a varied and enjoyable experience and we aim to instil in them a respect for others and a desire to always give their best. Pupils have a Form Tutor who supports and guides them, and friendships flourish both within form groups and through a wide variety of extra-curricular clubs. There is a happy atmosphere at TWGGS and we value compassion, open-mindedness and trust.

We offer a variety of support and assistance for pupils who may find things difficult at times. In addition to the caring nature of our tutor groups, we have a member of staff responsible for pastoral support and we employ two qualified counsellors, one of whom is a CBT specialist, who come in to school every week to offer sessions by appointment for pupils who need more professional support or advice. Sixth formers also take on the role of mentors and offer support to younger pupils. Further information on how we support parents can be found on our Wellbeing page
 
Whilst being a highly academic school, we strive to ensure that all pupils become well-rounded individuals who are able to contribute positively and fully to adult life.

Use of Mobile Phones in School

As part of our ongoing commitment to pupil wellbeing, we have made some changes to our mobile phone policy. We are noticing that large numbers of pupils are spending excessive time on their mobile phones and this is not conducive to learning, building social relationships, or to positive mental health.  

From September 2022 Year 11, Lower Sixth & Upper Sixth will be permitted mobile phones but not in corridors, the canteen, lessons (unless instructed by a teacher to aid a lesson) or outside of their form room/ common room. 

Years 7-10 are not allowed to have their mobile phones out at any time during the school day

If a pupil in Years 7-10 needs to contact you urgently, then they can do this either through Reception or a member of the pastoral team. Equally, if you need to get an urgent message to your child, then you can do this by emailing reception (reception@twggs.kent.sch.uk) or by telephoning 01892 520902.

If a pupil in these year groups is seen with a mobile phone during the school day, then the following sanctions will be followed:

  • First offence: phone removed and to be collected by the pupil at the end of the school day.
  • Second offence: phone removed and to be collected by a parent at the end of the school day (whenever is convenient to them)
  • Third offence: phone removed and to be collected by a parent at the end of the following week

The above sanctions will also apply to any pupil in Year 11 and the Sixth Form who is seen using their mobile phone outside of their designated areas.

 

TWGGS Rewards System

From September 2023, pupil merits are issued through EduLink in order to manage behaviour, motivate pupils and encourage engagement. We will be rewarding students for key skills and achievements, allowing us to build a picture of how they are developing both academically and within the classroom environment. Merits will be awarded by staff for any of the following examples: 
  • Excellence – excellent standards of classwork or homework
  • Effort – recognition of significant effort towards completing a task
  • Community – courtesy, volunteering, supporting the school, fulfilling responsibilities well
  • Contribution – contribution in class, inspiring others
  • Ambition / Resilience – readily tackling difficult tasks, rising to challenges

Pupils and parents/carers can review their rewards through EduLink by clicking on the Achievement tab. Within this, they will see the reason that the pupil has been given a merit, as well as by whom. Merits from academic subjects and form tutors are worth 1 point, those from their Director of Achievement are worth 2, TWGGS Star merits (given for those that actively demonstrate our school motto of ‘Give your Best’) are worth 3 points and Headteacher merits are worth 5 points. Mrs Marchant also sends postcards home following nominations from staff. These are given to pupils who have really shown the school motto, ‘Give Your Best’ in an aspect of their school life.  

At the end of the academic year (Easter for Year 11 and Upper Sixth pupils), the pupils with the greatest number of points will be rewarded with a treat, chosen with their Director of Achievement. 

Interventions and Behaviour Ladders

We have introduced two new behaviour ladders for this academic year to ensure there is consistency and clarity amongst staff and pupils for sanctions given as a result of any misbehaviours. The first ladder is focused on an academic point of view, and the second is from a general behaviour perspective for pupils around the school. Both are based on a triage system with escalation for repeated or more serious offences. The ladders are visible in various locations around the school, as well as in pupil planners. 

TWGGS Behaviour Ladder TWGGS Academic Progress and Support Interventions

Anti-Bullying at TWGGS

As a school we are committed to ensuring that the whole community recognises that all forms of bullying are not tolerated at TWGGS. If left unaddressed, it can have a devastating effect on individuals; it can create a barrier to learning and have serious consequences for mental wellbeing. By effectively preventing and tackling bullying, our school can help to create a safe and disciplined environment, where pupils are able to learn and fulfil their potential.

TWGGS Anti Bullying Poster.docxTWGGS does not accept any form of bullying and any reports can be emailed to beatbullying@twggs.kent.sch.uk. This email will go straight to Mrs Miller and any reports will be dealt with sensitively to support those involved. The poster shown here is displayed in form rooms, together with supplementary material that has been used during form time discussions.

Who to contact

Your child's Form Tutor is your first point of contact if you have an enquiry about any aspect of their school life or wish to discuss anything of concern.  All staff can be reached by phone on 01892 520902, or by emailing admin@twggs.kent.sch.uk and your email will be forwarded to the appropriate person.

Additional pastoral support is available through the Head of Pastoral Care, the Year 7 Transition Co-ordinator, the Directors of Key Stages 3 and 4, and the Pastoral Support Assistant.

Mrs Miller, Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Head of Pastoral Care - ahtpastoral@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Miss Pérez, Year 7 Lead and Transition Co-ordinator – transition@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Mr Walker, Director of Achievement Key Stage 3 – keystage3@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Ms Hogben, Director of Achievement Key Stage 4 – keystage4@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Miss Mitchell, Director of Achievement Sixth Form – sixthform@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Mrs Rogers, Key Stage 3 Pastral Support Assistant - pastoralsupport@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Mrs Barclay, Key Stage 4 Pastoral Support Assistant – pastoralsupport@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Mrs Brown, Key Stage 5 Pastral Support Assistant - pastoralsupport@twggs.kent.sch.uk

Information shared by local Police

Personal Safety

Although the days are slowly getting longer we are acutely aware that many of our pupils travel to and from school in the dark. With this in mind, the following has been shared with pupils to help keep themselves safe:

  • Keep to well-lit and busy areas as much as possible

  • Avoid wearing headphones or looking down at your phone whilst walking

  • Find a local shop / populated area and ask for help 

  • Make sure someone knows your route and an approximate time you should be arriving home or to your destination

  • Keep your mobile in close proximity to be able to make a call

  • Ultimately, call 999 if you feel you are in danger

Further information can be found from the following two websites: 

Drug Use

The local Police Schools' Team has recently been made aware of information regarding the rise in the use of edible drugs and their promotion on Snapchat and Instagram.

Please see the following letter from the team, giving more details:

Information on Edible Drugs

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