Pastoral Care

The pastoral care of the children in the Preparatory School is the responsibility of every adult who works with the children, in all classes from Reception to Year 6.

This includes class teachers, teaching assistants, specialist subject teachers and support staff, under the guidance of the Head of the Preparatory School, Mrs Alexis Gaffin and the Deputies, Ms Jacyn Fudge and Rabbi Moshe Braham. The well-being of every child is at the centre of everything in the Preparatory School.

The individual is at the heart of Immanuel College and we place significant value on the happiness and well-being of every child. The possibility of doing something better, achieving something greater, trying again to make something more effective influences the style of teaching and the interactions that take place in our classrooms and around our School.

Working together as a team, school leaders, class teachers, teaching assistants, specialist subject teachers and support staff, all in conjunction with parents ensure that “the strength of family and togetherness which is clearly apparent in the pupils reflects the commitment of the leadership to creating an aspirational and supportive ethos built upon Jewish values, to which the pupils readily respond.” (ISI, July 2019). We have a weekly whole school well-being walk, timetabled PHSE sessions in each year group in which we talk explicitly about how the children can contribute to the lives of others as well as take care of themselves, what responsibilities they have and why they may, or may not, want to take them on, how they feel in themselves and how their attitude affects others and whole school assemblies which focus on topics such as growth mindset, resilience and healthy life choices. These lessons are enhanced through practical application and so we have opportunities to celebrate successes, such as Stars of the Week and earning House Points, activities to contribute to the well-being of others, such as collecting food for families for Shabbat or a Yom Tov, raising money to support Children in Need, E-Safety workshops, and opportunities to “have–a-go” such as a drumming workshop and singing in the choir.