School Life
The Senior School is divided into three sections: The Lower School (Year 7 and 8), Middle School (Year 9, 10 and 11) and Sixth Form (Year 12 and 13)
Lower School – Year 7 and 8
Students entering Eltham College Senior School in Year 7 will be placed in a form group of between 20 and 24 students and assigned a Form Tutor. This Form Tutor will be the primary point of contact as we work with parents to ensure that all students settle in well and are happy, as well as successful. The Form Tutors are supported by a Head of Year who also moves through the Lower School with the year group. This provides continuity of support and ensures that the Tutor and the Head of Year gets to know each student individually. The Head of Lower School has over-arching responsibility for both year groups and ensures the holistic care and progression of the students, looking after their pastoral and academic needs.
Middle School – Year 9 to Year 11
As with the Lower School, one Form Tutor will support the students throughout their time in Years 9, 10 and 11, enabling them to get to know each student’s individual strengths and needs and to work closely with parents. Tutors are given time to meet each student on an individual basis to talk about progress in all aspects of school life, which enables us to give them better holistic support as we prepare them for the crucial GCSE years. The Head of Middle School is supported by Heads of Year, who move with their year group through the Middle School and work together as a team to ensure that all students are given continual holistic support.
Pastoral Care
Eltham College has long had a reputation for excellent pastoral care. Our Christian foundation, the size of the school and the quality of staff has meant that we have always rightly placed a strong premium on valuing and supporting our students as individuals. We firmly believe that pastoral care is essential to the well-being of our students, and that a successful pastoral system not only helps to ensure that students are happy in their school environment but also is a crucial support to our academic system. Success and enjoyment at school can come only if students feel supported and that an interest is being shown in their overall development, not just their results.
The pastoral structure at Eltham College is designed to provide every student with support, help and guidance at a variety of levels.
In the Senior School, the Deputy Head is head of all pastoral care and works closely with the Heads of Section, Heads of Year and the broader pastoral team to ensure the needs of every student can be met. The team includes specialists including the Lead Nurse, the School Counsellor, Chaplain, Head of Wellbeing and Lead Teacher in Learning Support. The team is also able to benefit from the expertise of a clinical psychologist who offers advice on individual cases.
The success of our pastoral care relies upon regular and open dialogue with parents. We encourage all parents who have concerns about their child, no matter how small, to contact the Form Tutor in the first instanc
