Pastoral Care
in Schools:
The roles and
responsibilities of a tutor
Carol Gair, Assistant Headteacher
Zoe Bell, Head of House
Backwell School, Bristol
By the end of the session you
will have
A clearer understanding of the role of the
tutor
 Developed skills, knowledge and
understanding of ways of working with
individuals and groups
 Greater understanding of the scope and
range of pastoral responsibilities
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What do we mean by pastoral
care?
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“managing their personal and academic
development”
Griffiths and Sherman (1991)
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So caring becomes support for learning
– arguably a school’s central task, both
by improving pupils’ ability to learn and
by monitoring and supporting learning for
tutoring.
O’Sullivan (1995)
Kottler and Kottler (1993) argue that
teachers have a ‘duty of care’ to
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Respond to children’s emotional needs
Resolve interpersonal conflicts
Identify children suffering from abuse,
neglect, emotional problems and make
appropriate referrals as necessary
Function as a problem solver for those
pupils in the throes of crisis.
What is the purpose of
the pastoral system?
The Pastoral Curriculum
Are we producing the kind of people we want to live next door to when
we are old?!
What makes up the pastoral curriculum?
Provision
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Student welfare
Opportunities for life-long/lifewide learning
School ethos: spiritual, moral,
social, cultural
Tutorial time/circle time
Outcomes
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Behaviour
Attitudes to learning
Relationships
Personal development
Motivation
Interdependence
Skills for learning
It allows tutors to:
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Get to know individuals in the
widest context
Monitor their self esteem
Monitor individual progress
Support individual needs
Create a place of safety
Promote a group identity
Promote the group to the school
Explore the group identity
Provide a positive role model
Provide information at key
stages
Catch problems early
Behave with consistency and
continuity
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Teach social skills
Teach study skills
Optimise opportunities for
students
Mediate between the student
and the school
Mediate between the school
and home
Develop the student’s
personality
Notice change
Validate experiences
Scaffold ambitions
Tackle issues relating to the
group
What makes a
good tutor?
What’s a tutor for?
“someone who tells kids off and gives them
stuff”
“someone who helps them learn”
The two most significant aspects of the role are:
The relationship you build with the group and
individuals
The focus on students’ learning
Being a tutor
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You support pupils in their learning and model behaviour
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You help to make them feel special / individual and safe
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You mediate between your tutees the school and often parents
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You are the point of contact for parents, who will expect you to
know their child and their place in the school
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You will have the ‘big picture’ of the tutees’ involvement in
school and out of school, you keep records
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You provide opportunities to open up and reveal what matters
most, sometimes in private, sometimes with the group
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You have a programme of activities to organise and facilitate
Tutoring is not something done only
by tutors – it is an interaction
between teacher and pupils aimed at
helping young people take
responsibility for themselves.
Examples of some Tutoring situations.
Presenting problem – Actual problem
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Student is frequently late,
not arriving until just
before of just after the
bell.
Student’s parents are
splitting up. Dad is about
to leave home. Mum in a
state. Rows every
morning and evening.
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Student frequently not
feeling well; stomach
pains and headaches.
Needs to see the nurse
often
Student worried about
work. Falling behind. Not
understanding tasks, not
able to ask for help. Feels
lost and over stretched.
Little support at home.
How do you deal with this?
What skills are required?
Useful Skills!..
The use of Questions
Helpful questioning
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Open questions
Elaboration Questions
Specification Questions
Questions which focus on
the feelings generated by
the issue
Exploring questions
Unhelpful questioning
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Closed questions
Leading questions
Why? questions
Too probing questions
Listening Skills
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Attention giving – give them your full attention
Active listening – a good listener:
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5.
6.
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Looks at you without staring
Doesn’t interrupt
Doesn’t fidget
Gives you time to say what you want to say
Is comfortable with silence and emotion
Is aware that you may need somewhere private to talk.
Reflecting – this is a simple way of showing you have been
listening.
Paraphrasing – this is reflecting the feelings and the content
together.
Summarising – this is the skill of drawing the threads together.
Some tips…
Make Tutor Time
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Safe
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Sane
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Secure
Dr.W.A Rogers
Behaviour Conference
(2004)
Rights
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The right to safety
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The right to teach and learn
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The right to be treated with dignity
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The right to be heard
Responsibilities
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Responsibilities are linked to rights
Students learn that actions lead to
consequences and that they have choices
about how they behave
Students cannot be absolved of their
responsibilities. They need to understand the
reward and sanction system that you operate;
how they are supported and challenged.
Routines
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Establish a workable entry and exit procedure
Positively greet the group each registration
and end on a positive note
Establish a seating plan
In the first minute establish the tutor group’s
attention
Avoid talking over significant noise
Deal with early disruptions during
instructional time
Have a consequences framework
Dr W.A Rogers (2004) Education Consultant
Rules
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Keep rules simple, few in number with a
positive/negative balance
When establishing rules make sure there is
ample discussion
Try using inclusive language;
- “to learn well in tutor time we…”
- “to show respect in tutor time we…”
- “to feel safe in tutor time we…”
Always encourage and enforce rules from
day one
Dr.W.A.Rogers (2004)
Assertiveness
Take a deep breath
 Think first for a fraction of a second
 Speak in the ‘I’ as this demands ownership
 Keep tone of voice calm, clear and certain
 Reframe statements
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An effective tutor will really get to
know their tutees. This is important
because all pupils need to feel that
they are of worth, of value.
Just a thought:
As a tutor you are probably the one person
that will see the students twice a day for 5
years.
Being an effective form tutor can be one of the most
rewarding aspects of being a teacher. At the same time
however, this area of our work can be problematic,
demanding and exhausting. Sometimes teachers do not
know where to start and indeed where to finish!
“All meaningful relationships are built
on trust and respect”
K.D.Gardner
5 P’s of Pastoral work
Personal Responsibility
 Passing it on
 Policy
 People
 Place
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Questions!