Well-Being
Well-being is very high on the agenda at The Banda and is interwoven into all aspects of school life. This can be seen on an explicit level through our PSHE curriculum, our Well-Being Wednesday Form Tutors sessions, our displays around the school and our newly established Well-Being Centre, or on a more subtle level through the intuition and empathy of our experienced teaching staff who are quick to address any pastoral concerns amongst our pupils.
Our School Counsellor is on hand on a full-time basis to assist pupils who may require her guidance, and the strong rapport that exists between our pupils and teachers ensures that problems are shared willingly and can be quickly resolved. A more formal method of tracking pupil well-being has recently been introduced using the highly regarded Steers AS Tracking system, ensuring that pupils regularly have the opportunity to be assessed and any concerns can be acted upon immediately.
High levels of confidence and self-esteem are essential to success and happiness. A culture of encouragement and praise, whether given as a passing comment, or as a specific accolade during a school assembly, helps to boost esteem amongst our pupils.
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Safeguarding Children
Safeguarding the children in our care is of paramount importance to us. More detailed information can be found in our Safeguarding Policy (available on the Policies Section). However, we would like to draw your attention to our responsibilities within this.
All children have the right to grow up in a safe, secure and nurturing environment. They should feel comfortable that their individual needs will be met and they do not live in fear of harm or neglect.
In the event that we have concerns regarding your child, we will act upon them. Any staff member who has a concern will raise it with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads. Wherever possible, the concern will then be discussed with you.
From this discussion, a decision will be made as to whether to take further action. Confidentiality will be maintained as far as possible. However, the degree of confidentiality will be governed by the need to protect your child.
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Rewards
As well as various class awards and stars for academic work, pupils from Year 1 upwards can be awarded with Merit badges for particularly high standards reached in academics, sport, music, art and drama. Colours are awarded in Year 8 for excellence in these areas. Pupils can also earn a ‘Citizenship’ badge when they show consistently caring behaviour towards those around them.
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House System
A sense of belonging is further enhanced through a pupil’s allocation to one of our four Houses – Simba, Twiga, Swara and Duma. These Houses form the basis of various inter-house competitions such as swimming galas, cookery and singing competitions, and a fierce but friendly competition operates between them – both amongst pupils and teachers!
The Banda balances pastoral and academics brilliantly. I feel they make a huge effort getting to know each child personally.