Our pastoral vision is to ensure that every young person feels safe, understood, valued and that they belong. Belonging is the golden thread running through our pastoral provision. We build strong, trusting relationships between students and adults, creating a calm, positive and supportive environment where students can develop confidence and feel ready to learn. Our approach is relational, proactive and neurodiversity-affirming, recognising the individual strengths, needs and experiences of each young person.

We support students to develop the emotional regulation, communication, social and relationship skills they need to thrive. Our universal, targeted and specialist provision includes trusted adult and keyworker support, Zones of Regulation, visual strategies, Social Stories, Positive Behaviour Support, ELSA, Draw and Talk, PEERS® and Girls Group. We explicitly teach students how to understand their emotions, manage difficult thoughts and situations, develop positive relationships, communicate their needs and increasingly advocate for themselves. We work closely with families and external professionals to ensure that support is personalised, consistent and responsive.

Ultimately, our pastoral provision is about developing the whole young person and preparing them for adulthood. We want students to leave The Courtyard with more than academic qualifications; we want them to have greater confidence, resilience, independence, self-awareness and social understanding. We measure the impact of our pastoral work through student voice, parent feedback, attendance, behaviour, engagement and intervention outcomes, using this information to adapt support. Our aim is for every young person to move from dependence towards increasing independence, from dysregulation towards self-regulation and from uncertainty towards confidence in themselves and their future.

Supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health

Supporting students' emotional wellbeing is an important part of our school ethos. Many of our young people have complex emotional and social needs, and we provide a graduated approach to support.

This includes:

• Keyworker and pastoral sessions

• Zones of Regulation

• ELSA support

• PEERS and targeted social communication work

• Girls' groups and other targeted group work

• Draw and Talk

• Art therapy and other therapeutic approaches where appropriate

• Support with friendships, relationships and emotional regulation

• Assemblies, workshops and activities focused on wellbeing and positive relationships

• Close working with families and external professionals, including mental health and other specialist services

Our staff use responsive, empathetic and neurodiversity-affirming approaches, working as co-regulation partners to help students develop greater independence in managing their emotions and navigating everyday challenges.

A graduated approach to pastoral support

Our support is matched to individual needs. We provide universal support for all students, targeted interventions for students who need additional help, and specialist support where a young person's needs require a more individualised approach.

We regularly review the impact of our pastoral support through student voice, observations, communication with families, attendance and engagement, behaviour and regulation information, and reviews of individual interventions.

Supporting students to thrive

Our aim is for every young person to develop the skills, confidence and resilience they need to live happy, fulfilling and increasingly independent lives.

Our pastoral provision supports our school values of:

Respect – Engage – Resilience

We want our students to feel a strong sense of belonging, to develop positive relationships and to leave The Courtyard with the confidence and skills to take their next steps into adulthood.

The Pastoral and Wellbeing Team can be contacted via email at pastoral@thecourtyardislington.org

Parental Engagement

Working in partnership with families

At The Courtyard, we recognise that strong relationships with parents and carers are an important part of supporting our young people to thrive. We value parents and carers as partners and work closely with families to understand each young person’s strengths, needs and experiences.

We maintain regular communication with families and provide opportunities for parents and carers to share their views, ask questions and work with us to support their young person’s wellbeing, learning and development.

Opportunities for parents and carers

Throughout the year, we offer a range of opportunities for parents and carers to connect with the school and access information and support. These may include:

• Parent workshops focused on areas such as managing behaviour, anxiety, emotional wellbeing and relationships

• CAMHS workshops and information sessions

• Coffee mornings and informal opportunities to meet with other parents and members of staff

• Information and guidance to help families understand and support their young person’s needs

We also work with external professionals and services where appropriate, helping families to access additional advice and support.

Our aim is to ensure that parents and carers feel listened to, informed and involved, and that we work together to provide consistent support for each young person both at school and at home.