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The Retreat is a safe space for the school community to have opportunities to be supported pastorally and developed emotionally. The Retreat was created in September 2023, to build on our already fabulous pastoral support system we have in school and to offer another aspect to our developing way of working, in order to support the individual and personalised needs of our school population.
At Irlam Endowed we aim to provide the highest quality pastoral support throughout the school. While The Retreat is a separate space in the school, its ways of working will always be woven into the fabric of our school ethos and be first felt inside each child’s classroom. However, sometimes, it is necessary to have a space away from the classroom, to be able to facilitate some more targeted and focused pieces of work, with those that need it most. We also work in partnership with ‘Place to Be’ and ‘Foundation 92’ to ensure all pupils develop socially and emotionally, in order to support them to be continually ready to learn and develop academically. |
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Our pastoral team is made up of:
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Mrs Ryding Pastoral lead and DDSL |
Mrs Hackett Pastoral support and DSO |
Mrs Dennett Pastoral support and DSO |
Our aims for pastoral support throughout Irlam Endowed are:
- To support children to address social, emotional and physical needs.
- To provide an atmosphere and ethos in which children feel secure, are encouraged in their learning, as well as their personal growth, social development and to know they are valued in a safe environment.
- To provide support that meets the differing needs of all children so that all pupils are equipped with the skills to cope with life’s differing challenges and react accordingly.
- To work in partnership with parents/carers to support their children and reassure them they are being educated in a safe, nurturing environment.
- To encourage children to recognise and reflect upon our school’s core values (respect, diversity, kindness and resilience).
- To work with a range of multi-agency partners as well as our community cluster to ensure the progression of each pupil.
Strategies our pastoral team use to help children reach their full potential:
- 1:1 mentoring sessions to discuss problems and address them to support overcoming them or reducing their impact via focused and solution based approaches. These could be based upon self-esteem, bereavement, managing anxieties/worries, friendships skills, amongst more.
- To work alongside parents/carers in addressing pastoral concerns impacting on their child’s learning and development.
- To work with staff to ensure good all round pupil support and build upon the already caring, respectful relationships that exist between staff, pupils and families.
- Responding to any situations that arise within a school day.
- Meeting with parents/carers to discuss issues relating to their child.
- Group activities such as circle time to build upon friendships.
- Liaise with outside agencies to get the right, most appropriate support available for children and families.
- Peer mentoring and budding.
- Track attendance and punctuality concerns.
- Complete early help assessments or Salford School Partnership referrals for any emerging needs to be addressed early.
- Breakfast club to ensure children who need extra support coming into school receive the correct level of care and a calm start to the day.
- Lunch time club to provide children who need a quiet space while eating.
What parents/carers can do to help
- Discuss any concerns with a member of the pastoral team. Staff will be on the playground or you can make an appointment to speak to a member of the team via Seesaw or the school office.
- Attend parents’ evenings.
- Keep up to date with school letters and announcements via seesaw.
- Utilise the school website.
- Talk to your child about any concerns they have and seek advice.
Calm Start
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Our invite only breakfast club has been formed from September 2023. Calm Start is for certain children who have been identified as needing some extra support coming into school. Children will be met at The Retreat door at 8.15, by a member of the pastoral team. Staff and children will sit together and have some breakfast (there will be a wide variety of cereals, toast, bagels etc. to choose from) while having the chance to talk through any worries on a child’s mind. This gives the children the opportunity to ‘off load’ before the school day starts, so that when lessons begin, they are ready to concentrate on their learning. Calm Start is an invite only club but will be reassessed every half term. If you have any worries about your child at the start of the school day, you can speak through your concerns with a member of staff so they can be considered for a place in Calm Start. |
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Calm Lunch
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Calm Lunch is for any child who is in need of a quiet lunch. This could be that the busy environment of the school hall is too overwhelming or just that they are having an unsettled day. Therefore, children will be invited to The Retreat and have lunch with a member of the pastoral team, again this gives children the opportunity to talk to staff in a quiet environment about anything that is on their mind. |
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Family Club
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On the last Friday of every month, we will be holding a coffee morning where any parent/carer can come into The Retreat to discuss any worries they have, update staff on any ongoing concerns or just have a quiet coffee with a listening ear. We hope this will help maintain and enhance our great partnership work between home and school. |
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