Pastoral Care & Wellbeing
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
at St. John’s Junior School
At St John’s Catholic Junior School, we recognise that children learn best when they feel safe, happy, supported and understood. We are committed to promoting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of every child, helping them to feel valued, build resilience and reach their full potential.
Gina Simm – Pastoral Lead, Mental Health Lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Gina Simm plays a key role in supporting the pastoral care, emotional wellbeing and mental health of children across the school. Through a caring, nurturing and child-centred approach, Gina provides one-to-one pastoral support for children who may be experiencing emotional or personal difficulties. These sessions offer children a safe and supportive space where they can talk about their feelings, explore their worries and develop strategies to help them manage life's challenges.
Gina can support children with a range of needs, including:
Anxiety and worries
Low mood and emotional wellbeing
Confidence and self-esteem
Bereavement and loss
Trauma and difficult experiences
Family circumstances and challenges
Transitions, change and new situations
Gina recognises that every child is unique and tailors her support to their individual needs, helping them to feel listened to, understood and better equipped to manage their emotions.
Working in partnership with families and external agencies
At St John’s, we believe that working together is key to supporting children's wellbeing. Gina works closely with parents and carers, offering meetings to discuss concerns, explore individual needs and identify the most appropriate support. Families are encouraged to be involved throughout the process, ensuring that children receive consistent support both at home and at school.
Gina is also the school's link with the NHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST), maintaining regular contact and consultations with the team. Where appropriate, she can refer children and families to the service to access additional mental health support.
In addition, Gina works closely with the Early Help team and can refer families to Teresa Morley, the school's Early Help link worker, when additional support would be beneficial. She can also signpost families to other services and agencies to help ensure they receive the right support at the right time.
Safeguarding
Alongside her pastoral and mental health responsibilities, Gina is one of four Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) at St John’s Catholic Junior School. Together with the other DSLs, she shares responsibility for ensuring that all children are safe and protected from harm.
Safeguarding is central to everything we do. Gina is committed to ensuring that children feel secure, know they can speak to a trusted adult and are confident that their worries and concerns will be listened to and taken seriously.
Through pastoral care, early intervention and close partnership with families and external professionals, Gina helps to ensure that every child feels safe, supported and able to flourish.
How to access pastoral support
We aim to provide the right support at the right time, recognising that early intervention can make a significant difference to a child's emotional wellbeing. We work closely with parents and carers to identify concerns, explore needs and put appropriate support in place.
The usual process for accessing pastoral support is outlined below.
Step 1 – Speak to your child's class teacher
Parents and carers who have concerns about their child's emotional wellbeing should initially speak to their child's class teacher. The teacher will listen to your concerns, gather information and consider the most appropriate next steps.
Step 2 – Identifying the right support
Following this conversation, the class teacher will complete a pastoral triage form to help identify the child's needs and consider what support can be provided within the classroom or by members of our school team, including teaching assistants (TAs) and higher-level teaching assistants (HLTAs).
This may include:
Language for Behaviour and Emotions (LFBE)
Resilience workbooks and activities
LEGO® Therapy
Classroom adjustments and additional strategies
Where appropriate, these interventions may provide the support a child needs without requiring further referral.
Step 3 – Referral to Gina Simm
If additional support is needed, the class teacher may refer the child to Gina Simm, the school's Pastoral and Mental Health Lead. Gina will consider the information provided and identify the most appropriate way to support the child.
Step 4 – Contact with parents and carers
Gina will contact parents or carers to discuss the referral, gain consent for pastoral sessions to begin and explore any additional support that may be beneficial for the child or family.
We recognise the importance of working in partnership with families, and parents and carers will be kept informed about the support being offered.
Step 5 – Beginning pastoral sessions
Once consent has been received, pastoral sessions will begin. Sessions are usually offered every two to three weeks, depending on the child's individual needs.
Children typically receive between 6 and 10 sessions, although this can be extended where further support is considered beneficial. Additional drop-in sessions may also be offered when needed, providing children with an opportunity to check in and access support between their planned sessions.
Step 6 – Ongoing communication and support
Gina values open communication and positive relationships with families. Parents and carers are welcome to contact Gina directly for updates, to discuss any ongoing concerns or to explore further support that may be available.
When more immediate pastoral support is needed
We understand that some circumstances require a more immediate response and cannot always follow the usual referral process.
Where a child has experienced a recent trauma or bereavement, or there is an immediate safeguarding concern or significant mental health concern, the class teacher can refer the child directly to Gina Simm without going through the usual pastoral triage process.
Any safeguarding concerns will be responded to in line with the school's safeguarding procedures, ensuring that the child's safety and wellbeing remain the priority.
