Abbotsleigh Website - Academic Care

Abbotsleigh encourages each girl to develop her potential in a caring, Christian environment. Our staff are all involved in nurturing and supporting our students as they grow into independent and competent young women and our goals are realised through the dual approach of pastoral care in the curriculum and allocated pastoral care sessions. The school operates on the premise that respect and responsibility underpin the behaviour and interactions of all girls and staff.

While we recognise all girls need to be nurtured to ensure their potential is realised, we equally realise that the ways in which this pastoral care will be structured and delivered will vary according to the age and maturity of the girls as they move from Kindergarten to Year 12. In the Junior School the classroom teacher is the pivotal person around whom each girl’s pastoral needs are initially recognised and most regularly met. Class based programs raise issues of personal well being and from Registration to Dismissal each day classroom teachers are closely monitoring girls’ behaviour and performance. Anomalies and inappropriate behaviours are quickly identified and addressed usually by a quiet word of encouragement or a reminder of the consequences of behaviour. Should a girl’s particular behaviour or circumstances place her in a position of risk that cannot be addressed by the classroom teacher then the Junior School pastoral team comprising the Year Coordinator, Deputy, School Counsellor, Chaplain and/or Head of Junior School may become involved to ensure a strong and support pastoral response can be found.

In order to create connections and links within our school community, Middle and Upper School students join a Tutor Group comprised of girls in a common House, within the year group. Tutor groups work closely with their Tutor on service, leadership, recreational and creative pursuits. Tutors and Year Coordinators collaborate to design and implement proactive and supportive pastoral care programs, appropriate for each age group. The pastoral care program is supported by the School Counsellors, the Deans and the Head of Senior School and the Head of Boarding.

Activities are often student initiated such as the Service Project, which promotes student leadership at all year levels. Other pastoral care focal points include Year 7 Orientation, Y7 and 11 Peer Support, Buddy Reading Program, the Wheeldon Cup Performing Arts Challenge, Service to Other Children and performances by theatre-in-education groups on the topics of safety, decision-making and goal setting. Annual camps for each Year group also provide opportunities for targeted Pastoral Care programs.