Georgie Sherrard

Each school year can highlight a different range of emotions and feelings for children. The first year can see your child feeling homesick and feeling anxious making new friends. The third year could reveal exam stress and difficulty switching off from homework. Sixth Form can be overwhelming with applying for university while keeping on top of schoolwork.

You, as parents, are always there to support and give encouragement, but the pastoral care that your child’s school provides – from webinars about managing anxiety to talks about managing social media – works seamlessly alongside to help your child manage their emotional health and help them to achieve their best.

Pastoral care support can have a profound influence on your child’s success because it creates a foundation for them to thrive in all areas of school life.  Recent studies (Pastoral Care in Education, Cambridge Scholars) have shown that pupils with better health and wellbeing achieve more at school academically and socially, are happier and more resilient.

So, what is pastoral care?

Pastoral care is a holistic approach to supporting the wellbeing of students and their families. Your school will have a pastoral care team which could include counsellors, nurses and mentors. The team would be on hand for a student or family member to talk to about any personal or academic concerns.  Your school may offer wellbeing programmes or individual sessions that give students guidance and tools to manage issues such as exam pressure and anxiety.  Every student has an instant support network on hand to guide them through their issues and allow them to talk through and understand what they are going through. Every parent has an instant support network to share their own parental issues and have support to help their child.

How does pastoral care contribute to academic success and happiness?

However your child receives pastoral care – whether it is listening to advice given at a wellbeing seminar, talking to a counsellor or asking advice from a tutor – they will learn ways of managing their daily lives more effectively, helping them to achieve more in everything they do.

Increased motivation and confidence

Pastoral care brings a sense of belonging and builds self-esteem. Students are more likely to participate in class, take risks and ask questions if they feel they have a support network.

Resilience and coping skills

Pastoral care programmes can teach students how to handle setbacks. Students are given help in managing exam stress and help them view challenges as something to overcome.

Emotional stability

Feeling anxious and stressed can affect concentration and learning in class. Pastoral care support helps students manage these emotions and help them focus better.

Pastoral care really does underpin everything your child does at school, helping them to achieve their best in everything they do.

In early November Pippa’s Guardians hosted our second ever British Boarding School Fair in Tokyo (https://bbsfjapan.com/). Ben Hughes had this to say, about what went on and how it went:

I am pleased to confirm it was a roaring success with 18 leading boarding schools in attendance and, more importantly, over 150 Japanese families seeking a UK boarding school education for their child(ren).

We delivered relevant and timely seminars and Japanese families had the opportunity to meet with UK boarding schools directly to discuss their child’s enrolment. Interest from Japan in our schools is extremely strong with record attendances and registrations for the fair itself. In fact, it was so busy there was a queue to enter the venue at 10am (we did a count down 3-2-1!) and families also queuing in front of each school waiting to speak to the Registrar or Headmaster. Those schools with two attendees could maximise their time more efficiently as they could speak to two families consecutively.

We have been really pleased to receive some wonderful testimonials from a number of the Registrars who attended, including:

Pippa’s have again organised the most brilliant boarding schools fair in Tokyo. From the guidance ahead of the event, the administration and care on the day itself, the attendance at the fair, to the support around the whole trip, the Pippa’s team were exceptional. Well done Ben, Yoriko and everyone at Pippa’s!

And

Pippa’s Guardians are a joy to work with and the BBSFJ 2024 was organised brilliantly. It helped us make contact with many Japanese families, all of whom are highly focused on an independent UK school education for their children. We look forward to returning to the fair again next year.

Also

A superbly organised event from start to finish with excellent pupils and parents. Pippa’s have a real grasp and understanding of the changing Japanese market and this fair is a fixed fixture in our admissions calendar.

Aside from the event itself we enjoyed a drinks party at a 5* hotel the night before the event, the most amazing Wagyu beef dinner after the fair and a cultural trip for those interested on the Sunday. From a personal perspective it was a pleasure to return to Japan, again with my family, to enjoy Japanese hospitality and to engage further in the Japanese market.

Due to demand we will be hosting a second event in March 2025 and then again in November 2025.

If I could take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank the team involved with the fair including Tracy and Sarah here in the UK and the Japan dream team of Yoriko, Aya and Naoko based in Tokyo. What an incredible team to work with, thank you to you all.

Thank you also to the following schools for coming all the way to Japan with us:

Abingdon School

Blundell’s School

Brighton College

Cheltenham College

Cheltenham College Prep

Charterhouse School

Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Christ’s Hospital

Clifton College

Cottesmore School

Culford School

King’s School Canterbury

Malvern College

Millfield School

Millfield Prep

Rugby School

Sevenoaks Schol

Stowe School

Wellington School

If you are interested to hear more about how Pippa’s Guardians can help your school recruit students from Japan please do get in touch with Ben Hughes. Ben@pippasguardians.co.uk

Arigato, until next year!

Pippa’s Guardians’ Area Managers Sarah Garnett and Elaine Allen recently arranged a get together for Pippa’s Guardians’ students at Roedean School in Brighton. It was the first ever Pippa’s hot chocolate, brownies and games evening, all hosted at Keswick House.

If you need to use a host family for your child during the holidays – when they can’t travel home – Pippa’s has the most wonderful caring community of families who open their houses and hearts to overseas students.

We know it is a big decision to give your child to a host family and we take every care to ensure you will feel totally secure with any family we use to host your child.

Our Area Managers personally match the right host family for every student – making sure they have similar interests and lifestyles – and this means that for your child, they will feel instantly welcomed and understood. Many return to the same family every time they need that support.

Host families are carefully chosen and vetted to ensure they share and support Pippa’s aim of providing a safe, caring and supporting environment for children in their care. Every family is checked by The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and our guarantee that every family follows our Safeguarding policy ensures you and your children feel safe and secure.

An interview with Emma Aubrey, Head of Careers, Oundle School

Final question – What about extra-curricular activities? Should students drop them and concentrate on their chosen university course subject?

Oxbridge admissions tutors are only interested in an applicant’s ability in, and enthusiasm for, their academic subject. However, future employers will value well-rounded students.

I would always recommend students continue extra-curricular interests for the benefit of their CV and also for the personal benefit, including time to switch off and relax. Extra-curricular activities will develop skills that can help a pupil become a successful undergraduate (and employee), such as time management, self-discipline and teamwork.  Plus, if a pupil can maintain top grades alongside a busy extra-curricular schedule, they will be well placed to flourish at Oxbridge.

Some extra-curricular pursuits can be directly beneficial to an application, such as debating which supports an application for Law or working with younger pupils which would support an application for medicine.

Choose wisely and you could gain more than you think