Pastoral Care

At Millbank Gardens, we place our children’s wellbeing and safety at the heart of everything that we do: we want them to be happy at school and outside school, and we are here to support them to grow into confident, resilient young adults.

Our approach is based around the Five Ways to Wellbeing, recommended by the NHS and many other respected organisations: connecting with other people, being physically active, learning new knowledge and skills, giving to others, and taking time to notice and enjoy the world around them. We know that these steps help children (and adults) stay mentally healthy, and we have carefully planned the different ways in which every child can embed each step into their lives at school. From listening to younger children read to taking part in lunch-time sports clubs, and from growing plants to putting on concerts for members of our community, each child’s experiences at school are designed to allow them to live happy and purposeful lives.

There are, of course, some children who may require additional support to develop the social and emotional skills they need to thrive, and we partner with two wonderful organisations – All Child and Greenhouse Sports – to allow us to offer these children additional mentoring.

We know how important it is that children develop positive relationships not only with their peers but also with trusted adults. All children, of course, have a dedicated form teacher, who oversees their welfare and happiness at a school on a day-to-day basis, and who is the main point of contact between school and home. All form teachers take the time to get to know children as individuals, to understand their interests and to build relationships with their families. Just as importantly, children also spend time with many other teachers, teaching assistants and support staff, all of whom share a responsibility for the wellbeing of the children in our care. We therefore aim to ensure that if a child ever feels in need of support or advice, there are many people to whom they can turn.

Often, support from a teacher or teaching assistant who works with children every day is able to address any issues or concerns that may arise. However, members of our staff have also undergone training to allow them to provide more focused support for members of our community. Mrs Lloyd is a qualified Senior Mental Health Lead, Mrs Begum-Miah is our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant and Coach Anton is our Mental Health First Aider. Where appropriate, we are able to support children and families to access more specialist or expert help than can be provided in an educational setting.

Working closely with parents is often the key ingredient to providing the most effective pastoral care available. We have, for many years, had a successful partnership with MIND, who are able to provide support and advice for individual parents and who also run workshops on a range of topics for parents and children. A family navigator from Westminster City Council visits the school each week to meet any parents who may need their advice, and we also have arrangements with a family therapist, who can provide support, where appropriate, to some of our families.