Pastoral Care
Trinity is proud of its reputation for providing outstanding pastoral care, of being a school where each pupil is valued as a unique individual. All students receive carefully considered support and advice at each stage of their school career, tailored to their particular needs and circumstances.
“My son has been very happy at Trinity from the first day. He wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The staff are friendly and approachable.”
First Form Parent
From a pastoral point of view, the School is divided in two sections, each overseen by its own Head of Section who is experienced in dealing with issues affecting pupils within their care. Year Heads take responsibility for each age group and, with relatively small year groups for a school of our kind, are able to know each pupil personally. Forms up to Year 11 will normally contain about 20-21 boys, and are overseen by a tutor whom the boys will see at least twice a day. Tutors are the key to our pastoral system: there to listen, advise and help pupils to make and understand their own choices, and to act as the primary contact with parents. In the Sixth Form, which will be co-educational from September 2011, tutor groups contain around 10-12 students.
“Trinity seems to have the balance just right, caring yet still disciplined. It is a big step from primary to secondary, but the transition went very smoothly. As parents, we still feel in close contact with the school and daily school life - the diaries and contact books are a great idea.”
Junior Form Parent
Arriving at any new school can seem slightly daunting, so from the time that new pupils have their places confirmed, we try to make them feel part of Trinity by inviting them and their parents into the School on various occasions before the start of their first term. These are opportunities to get to know their new tutor and classmates, and to find their way around the school, so that they arrive for their first day in September confident that they belong here.
“We were extremely impressed by how the teachers helped our son in the first two weeks of term. He was very anxious and the staff were really caring, and were always willing to give him time to talk it through with them.”
First Form Parent
Boys in the Lower School will also meet their form mentors before they start in September. Every form in the lower part of the School has attached to it two or three members of the Sixth Form who spend part of each week helping younger boys with organisiation, offering advice drawn from their own experiences, or just acting as a friendly face. The fact that every year the vast majority of our senior students volunteer to help younger boys in this way makes its own comment on the caring atmosphere that prevails.
“Trinity’s reputation for caring for its pupils is well founded. My son has grown in confidence and self esteem, and any difficulties have been well handled.”
Second Form Parent
The key to maintaining that atmosphere is in ensuring that all relationships in the School are based on mutual respect. We expect high standards of behaviour, founded on personal responsibility and self-discipline, combined with genuine concern and compassion for others. Underlying all of this is the belief among all members of the School community that we together share a responsibility for the wellbeing of the pupils at Trinity - that all the innumerable points of contact, in the classroom, in the corridor, on the games field, combine to establish their happiness and success.
“The distinguishing mark of Trinity is that it has a friendly and relatively relaxed atmosphere whilst maintaining high expectations in terms of academic achievement and pupils’ behaviour.”
Lower Sixth Parent
