The General Care of Students

Heads of Year at Newport Pagnell and Heads of Upper/Lower School at Olney each have general oversight of the progress, welfare and discipline of the students up to age 16. In the Sixth Form this responsibility lies with the Heads of Years 12 and 13. Within each Year the care and monitoring of the individual student is the special concern of the form tutor.

The form tutor will aim, through personal contact with each student and a structured tutorial programme, to foster a sense of belonging; to generate a sense of security and confidence, and to make the students feel that they are known individually and that the form tutor is concerned about them.

The form tutor will also help the Heads of Year monitor, through termly Reviews, each student's progress, keeping parents informed of any changes in achievement and behaviour for the good as well as the bad. Parents wishing to raise a query about the general progress of their child are asked to contact the Form Tutor in the first instance. It is the Heads of Year who write references and testimonials for those seeking jobs or places in Further Education. They work closely with the school matron to ensure that children with medical problems are helped in school and they monitor students' attendance records.

If a child is generally under-achieving or misbehaving, it is the Head of Year who will write home to parents, perhaps inviting them to interview. It is normally the Head of Year who will discipline a child for persistent, uncooperative behaviour within the school or refer to a Deputy Headteacher if the situation is serious.

On the other hand all teachers recognise the importance of rewarding children for good effort and work. Parents will see "Commendations" awarded for good effort, contributions or work in the student's school planner.

Help for students

Adolescence can be a turbulent time and a minority of young people do experience considerable anxiety due to relationships, work, self-image and health pressures. Parents and teachers will, we know, do their best to help but in extreme cases it is recognised that specialist guidance may sometimes be necessary.

Within the school the following staff are available for students:

Also www.mkweb.co.uk/information-sharing is a directory for use by children, young people and parents. It lists clearly what services are available and how to make use of them.