Pastoral care
Our Commitment to Pupils’ Safety and Wellbeing
Nurturing and caring for our pupils is of paramount importance to us here at IPS Cascais. We believe that pupils thrive academically when they feel safe, supported, and valued.
Our pastoral care system is designed to ensure every young person is known, listened to, and guided throughout their time with us. We believe strong relationships between home and school are essential in supporting every child to flourish.
"We are wholly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people and expect all staff, volunteers, pupils, and visitors to share this commitment."
We are committed to:
- Safeguarding and child protection
- Promoting emotional wellbeing and resilience
- Fostering respectful relationships
- Supporting attendance and engagement
- Working in partnership with families
Our pastoral team also works closely together to ensure every child feels supported.
Urgent Safeguarding Concerns
If you have a safeguarding concern, please contact our DSL, Helen McKenzie (hmckenzie@ipsschool.org), immediately via email or telephone the school office and ask to speak to a safeguarding lead.
Wellbeing Support
At IPS Cascais, we understand that children learn best when they are mentally and physically healthy. In our school, all staff are responsible for ensuring the physical and mental wellbeing of our pupils and we work with our families to support the development of social and emotional skills such as resilience and empathy. Our pastoral team works to support children's attendance and behaviours for learning.
Social and emotional support available in school includes:
- Pastoral mentoring
- Small group interventions (e.g. anxiety management, social skills)
- Emotional literacy programmes
- Wellbeing drop-in sessions
- Workshops for Parents
- Assemblies
- A robust PSHE curriculum
- Pastoral time timetabled for classes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We are committed to ensuring that all pupils are protected from harm and feel safe in school.
Pupils can report concerns by:
- Speaking to any trusted adult
- Contacting one of our teachers responsible for safeguarding: Helen McKenzie (hmckenzie@ipsschool.org), Luke Provis, Charlotte Nash
- Using our anonymous reporting system (for Secondary pupils)
Key Policies:
Anti-Bullying
We do not tolerate bullying of any kind. We take all reports seriously and investigate promptly.
Bullying includes:
- Physical or verbal abuse
- Social exclusion
- Cyberbullying
- Prejudice-based bullying
Pupils can report bullying through:
- Their Class Teacher / Form Tutor
- Any trusted adult at school
- Our online reporting system
Preventative work includes:
- Assemblies, class pastoral time, PSHE lessons
- Activities during Anti-Bullying and Kindness Counts Weeks
- Peer mentoring
Online Safety
We educate pupils about safe and responsible use of technology through curriculum lessons, assemblies, and parent workshops.
Resources for Parents:
Parents can access guidance through the Digital Health Group within our PTA and also via the following resources:
- Internet Matters
- UNICEF: Keep Your Child Safe Online
- KidsHealth: Internet Safety
- NSPCC: Online Safety
Please review our Online Safety Policy (PDF) for more information.