Pastoral Care
We know and value all of our students as individuals. We aim to help them achieve their personal best. Our approach encompasses the whole person and supports all of their needs and the ethos throughout the School is one of warmth and friendliness. We believe that kind, respectful and empathic pupils become responsible individuals who are equipped with a greater sense of understanding and emotional awareness to grasp all the possibilities and challenges life offers.
Our parents describe the School as caring, friendly and warm which highlights our strong pastoral support and sense of community. When a child leaves us, they will be well prepared for the world – self-confident, sociable and articulate – and will have many special memories of their time at our school.
In 2021 Holme Grange was awarded a Gold standard for its outstanding mental health and wellbeing provision. We achieved the School Mental Health Award which is delivered by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools. Achieving the award is not just recognition of a whole-school approach to mental health, it’s a recognition of our commitment to improving the life chances of children and engaging with the wider community including staff and parents.
In our recent parent survey we received this wonderful comment “Pastoral support and contact with parents is excellent. Staff are supportive and listen to us. My son feels supported and encouraged. He has a good relationship with his teachers and the mutual respect between them is evident.” Our recent Muddy Stilettos review said “Wellbeing is Holme Grange’s calling card and the needs of each individual child are gold plated”.
“The Holme Grange Way” is at the heart of our pastoral system and provides the framework for how we conduct ourselves:
We treat other people as we would want to be treated.
We forgive.
We share.
We are honest and live our lives with integrity.
We listen to each other.
We are kind and helpful.
We do our best to be our best self.
Confidence and Success for All
We strive to impart confidence to our students and give them a “can-do” attitude so that they can achieve their potential. We also prepare children to take a full role in society as confident and upright citizens and are proud of our National SMSC Gold Award which recognises spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Our School community models mutual respect and an appreciation of diversity. Our wide-ranging and exciting curriculum inspires children to find out more about the world in all its variety. Teaching methodologies that give value to peer discussion and collaborative working practices, encapsulate the skills that pupils need to be successful and productive in the wider world.
The House System
Every pupil is allocated a House when they join the School and they will remain in these houses during their time here. There are four Houses named after rivers: Thames, Trent, Severn and Kennet.
House points are awarded by teachers for good work and effort. Children are rewarded with house points for good behaviour and effort or for putting the Holme Grange Learning Habits and Values into practice.
We have a number of Inter House competitions throughout the academic year, our past pupils always remember these with great fondness. We also hold various fundraising events and awards are given to each house for the most collected, encouraging them to think of others and be positive global citizens. The most coveted Prize of the academic year is the House Cup.
"Learning happens best when we're trying something new and sometimes learning happens best out of failure. Students need to feel comfortable to allow themselves to make mistakes."Mr Jelley, Deputy Head