Pastoral Care

In order to promote effective pastoral care, the school has been organised into Year Groups. The Deputy Head, Student Support, works with a team of Heads of Lower and Upper School and Year Heads who in turn work with teams of Form Tutors who have daily contact with the students.

Each year is divided into tutor groups based on five houses - Crossley (purple), Langton (yellow), Preston (red), Royden (green) and Sheepshanks (blue). Students remain in the same tutor group and house throughout their time in the school, usually with the same Form Tutor and Head of Year.

The Student Council and Year Committees provide the ‘student voice’ within St Margaret’s. Regular meetings and suggestions enable the students’ views to be heard and provide a forum for discussion on a range of issues important to our students. These views are taken seriously and form part of the school’s decision-making process.

In order to deal more effectively with complex problems we are able to call upon and direct parents to a wide range of outside agencies. In particular, the Education Welfare Service provides support to the school, families, the community and other agencies in order to ensure that all children receive education appropriate to their needs. For more information contact Danielle Robb, Education Welfare Officer, 0151 233 2297.

Safeguarding

We take very seriously our pastoral responsibilty for students in school and recognise that they have a fundamental right to be protected from harm. Children can not learn effectively unless they feel secure. Our Child Protection Co-ordinator is Mrs A N Penketh, Deputy Headteacher for Student Support and the nominated Governor is Ms C Duzant.

Staff are encouraged to make themselves aware of any potential medical and learning difficulties which could affect a student’s performance. Confidentiality is a high priority. Many of the teaching staff are qualified first-aiders having undergone in-service training to acquire certification.