Pastoral System - Queensbury Academy

Pastoral System

Queensbury Academy has a strong pastoral care system.  Students are placed in Tutor groups with students from their Year Group and are under the care and guidance of their tutor, and their Head of Year. 

Students who need additional support during their time in the Academy may also have contact with a variety of Inclusion staff that are trained and experienced in working with students to help them make the best possible progress.  The first point of contact for families who wish to contact the Academy about any pastoral issue should be the Tutor and they will either support or seek advice from the staff in the Academy as necessary.

The House System

Each tutor group is assigned to one of four Houses whose names were chosen by students under the heading of Inspirational Britons: Ennis, Hawking, Sugar and Rowling.  Representing sport, science and maths, enterprise and creativity and literature these role models reflect our celebration of a wide variety of skills and the importance of all areas in life. Students have the opportunity to take part in a variety of events and competitions connected with their House, including sporting events, social development opportunities and curriculum projects.

Student Leadership

Queensbury Academy has a variety of student leadership opportunities to develop the skills and experience of students. Students may apply to become House, Sports or Community Prefect or may be chosen by curriculum areas to be prefects within a subject – promoting the subject in the Academy and providing opportunities for peer support with academic work.  Each tutor group also has a tutor representative to act as a link between the tutor group and the tutor, as well as helping to organises the tutor room, noticeboards and other events.  It is our aim that the student leadership team will help develop our pastoral care, provide new ideas and help enhance the experience all students receive at Queensbury. Year 7 students are supported by a buddy in Year 8 or 9 and older students are used to mentor younger students also.  The school is proud of the variety of student leadership opportunities it provides and opportunities including peer readers, joining the Equalities team and becoming library helpers are open to all students.

Student Voice

Our Student Voice programme aims to involve the students in the development of the Academy. Each tutor group chooses a representative to meet with their Head of Year on regular basis.  At this time the views of the students may be sought on particular issues which can be determined by either the Academy staff or the students themselves.  Representatives chosen from each Year group then form an Academy Student Voice team.  This team meets termly with a designated member of staff and may also attend Academy Leadership Team meeting to discuss issues further. Recent discussions have evaluated teaching and learning, the school meal service and looked at the reward system in the Academy. Two of our Student Voice representatives also sit on the Anthem Trust Student Leadership team, meeting with students from the secondary schools in the Trust on a regular basis to support the wider work of the Trust.

Safeguarding

Queensbury Academy is strongly committed to ensuring the safety of our students at all times and follows the local inter-agency procedures of Bedfordshire Local Safeguarding Children’s Board. The Academy has a statutory duty to promote and safeguard the welfare of children, and recognises its legal and moral duty to promote the well-being of children, protect them from harm, and respond to child abuse. In most cases where we feel a child may be at risk, the parents/carers will be informed of our concerns and work will be undertaken to support the student which may also involve referrals to outside agencies.

The Academy’s safeguarding policy may be located on the website and provides further information with regards to this area of the Academy’s work.