St Edward's Chronicle October 2016

22 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Pastoral Leaders Spotlight on School Matrons

James Cope, Deputy Head Pastoral, writes: ‘We have an emerging but clear vision of how we want the Matron role to function. In many ways we do not really like the term ‘Matron’ but given the diversity of skills the role entails it is hard to find the right title. However, we certainly increasingly see our Matrons as ‘pastoral leaders’ and are putting the right training in place and establishing the right ethos amongst the group so that they are very much involved in the welfare and wellbeing of the pupils. Our pastoral system is based on good relationships and a very genuine interest in, and care for, the pupils. We aim to get the right people into the role and then, as a group, look at how we move things forward. We have been extremely lucky over the years with the quality of our Matrons and are very aware from past and present pupils just how significant they have been in their lives so it is exciting for me to be part of these development processes. It should also be noted that the Matrons play a key role in (trying) to keep HMs and the Deputy Head Pastoral sane!’

We talk to Julie Richens from Segar’s, Jacqui Motion from Mac’s and Cassie Cooper from Jubilee to find out what it means to be on the front line of pastoral care provision at St Edward’s. Tell us more about the role – what do Matrons do? We are involved in every aspect of the pupils’ day-to-day lives and play a huge part in their general wellbeing. With the rest of the House team, we are concerned with their emotional, academic, practical, medical and logistical issues; we become absolutely central to the pupils’ experience in House and at School. What does this mean in practice? It means keeping the House running, and like any ‘home’ this can involve almost anything. A typical day will involve getting the pupils ready for School, making sure they’ve remembered any special events or activities, organising tea and toast for break, helping them find lost items, offering a shoulder to cry on, making cakes, celebrating birthdays, liaising with parents, taking pupils to hospital appointments, keeping the House tidy, chatting to pupils about their day, keeping a watchful eye for any problems or changes in behaviour, settling disputes, commiserating if an essay doesn’t go to plan, praising the pupils when they do well, writing daily handover notes for the night team – and much, much more. The role requires a great deal of juggling! How does your important relationship with pupils feed into the wider care network? We are an integral part of the House care teams, so we meet regularly with HMs and House teams to consider each pupil’s overall wellbeing. When Tutors and HMs are out of House teaching, we are important eyes and ears, and we are often the first to hear of difficulties or concerns. As Matrons, we meet together every two weeks to share good practice and support each other. All parents of teenagers will know that they’re not always sweetness and light; some days can be emotionally draining. Conversely, some days are hugely rewarding – so it can be a roller-coaster ride, and it’s good to have colleagues to lean on at times.

Clockwise from top left: Valentin Peiker ( Gabriel-von-Seidl-Gymnasium ), Salmon Lau ( Renaissance College Hong Kong ), Joe Courtier ( Twyford ), Jonah Cope ( Cherwell ), Julie Richens and Kunal Barman ( Bristol Grammar )