Pastoral Care | Upper School| Homefield Prep | Sutton

Boys in our Upper School receive excellent pastoral care. From entering the Upper School as a Year 3 student right through to the transition to secondary school at the end of Year 6, the boys have significant and high-quality contact with pastoral staff. Our strong and supportive system of pastoral care is anchored by well-established horizontal and vertical structures.

Pupils are well supported by their Form Tutor who is a consistently friendly face and is the boys’ first port of call. There are three dedicated form time sessions throughout the day for the Form Tutor to check-in with the boys. The Heads of Year work closely with the Form Tutors, as well as the Assistant Head Pastoral, Head of Inclusion and our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant, to ensure all boys’ wellbeing needs are met for them to flourish.

The house system plays a crucial role at Homefield, and boys in Upper School are led by their Head of House as they strive to earn House Points for their endeavours. Upper School boys act as a House Buddy to their peers in the Lower School, mentoring them and role modelling the positive attitudes expected in the house and across the school.

Reward systems are tailored to age and stage and so are highly motivating.

Boys are given early opportunities to exercise leadership through an

Celebration of success is paramount and when boys do well, in any aspect of school life, it is recognised. Our age-appropriate reward systems ensure boys are highly motivated, engaged and eager to succeed. In the Upper School, rewards include certificates, Courtesy Counters, House Points and Crests which result in badges, proudly worn on the boy’s blazer. Additionally, our weekly Homefield Hero award and monthly House Star of the Month award are presented in assembly, to celebrate those with particularly notable achievements. Age-appropriate sanctions allow boys to reflect on their mistakes, understand their impact and move forward restoratively with positive discussions.

Boys are given many opportunities to develop leadership skills through roles of responsibility in the Upper School. Students proudly serve as Form Captain, Vice Captain, School Council Representative, Sports Leaders, Music Ambassadors, Language Ambassadors and Youth Travel Ambassadors. The most esteemed roles are reserved for boys in Year 6 when they have the opportunity to be a House Captain, Prefect or Head Boy in their final year at Homefield. The wide range of leadership opportunities available to the boys throughout the Upper School allows them to gain in confidence, lead others and actively contribute to wider school life. Additionally, throughout the year, all boys take part in a range of charitable fund-raising initiatives as we instil the importance of contributing to good causes locally, nationally and worldwide. 

In our Upper School, boys follow a structured Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) curriculum. Topics such as staying safe, families and friendships, belonging to a community, physical and mental health, money, careers and identity are explored to broaden the boys’ education and add to the large emphasis we put on character development.

Ultimately, our five Homefield values of Respect, Kindness, Integrity, Endeavour, and Resilience are more than words; they are integral to daily life at Homefield. The huge importance we place on these values ensures our Upper School boys embody the Homefield spirit and grow not only academically, but also as caring, honest and hard-working boys with confidence to progress to secondary school and beyond where they will continue to thrive.