Pastoral Care

FORMS AND FORM TUTORS 

Every student is part of a Tutor Group and will see their Form Tutor daily. The Form Tutor plays a key role in helping each child feel settled, supported and confident in their learning. They are your first point of contact for both pastoral care and academic matters. Please contact them by email in the first instance, and they will respond or arrange a meeting as soon as their teaching schedule allows. 

HEADS OF YEAR 

Our Heads of Year oversee the pastoral care of each year group. They guide and support Form Tutors, help with matters affecting the whole year group and step in when more senior involvement is needed. Heads of Year are supported by an Assistant Head who leads the Lower School, ensuring that every child’s wellbeing remains a top priority. 

ASSISTANT HEADS OF YEAR 

Working closely with Form Tutors, the Assistant Head of Year helps to ensure that every child’s day-to-day experience at school is smooth and positive. They provide additional support to students and Form Tutors as part of the wider pastoral team and work alongside the Head of Year. 

MEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE 

Your child’s health and wellbeing are important to us. Our School Nurses, registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, are based at the school site on London Road from 8.15am - 4.15pm, Monday to Friday. The nurses form part of a dedicated team caring for students’ physical and emotional wellbeing and can also guide families towards additional support where needed. In the absence of the School Nurses, our team of trained First Aiders is always available to help. 

When your child joins KGS, we ask parents to complete a medical form via your online checklist in OpenApply, providing a full medical history. Please keep the School Nurse updated on any changes to your child’s health or medical needs by emailing [email protected], including details of any medications and uploading care plans if relevant. 

Before any school trip, we ask that you confirm your child’s up-to-date medical and dietary information to help us provide the best care while they are away.  

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR 

We have two School Counsellors, Mrs Nabila Ghauri and Ms Pirjo Singer, who provide a non-judgemental service to students. Students may self-refer, and appointments can be arranged via a member of the KGS pastoral team; alternatively, parents can contact Mrs Ghauri or Ms Singer directly by emailing [email protected].  

We offer an initial block of six sessions free of charge. After this, the situation will be reviewed by pastoral staff and a fee may apply for ongoing sessions. 

LOST PROPERTY 

Loss of property is common among younger students, so we ask you to clearly and indelibly name every item. The staff will do their best to reunite students with their named belongings. 

• Lost valuables and clothing are held by Mrs Vilasoa in the School Office.
• Items left at Ditton Field are returned to school on a weekly basis and are then handled as above. 
• Named items will be returned to students via Form Tutors. 

VALUABLE ITEMS 

Where possible, we recommend that all valuable items are left at home. Students should need no more than £4.00 per day (card only) to purchase snacks or drinks at break time. 

MOBILE PHONES 

Lower School students (First to Third Year) are not permitted to use mobile phones during the school day (8.15am - 3.45pm), unless given specific permission by staff in exceptional circumstances.

Upper School students (Fourth and Fifth Year) may use their phones at break and lunch in Hawkes or the Learning Centre for school purposes only.

While students do not need to bring a mobile phone to school, we understand that many parents prefer their child to have one for communication on the journey to and from school. Some parents also value the additional security of location tracking available on smartphones. 

However, the decision to provide a smartphone is a choice, not a necessity. We recognise concerns around children having smartphones at an increasingly young age. Our pastoral programme educates students about screen time, social media and messaging apps. We provide guidance and training to parents on managing smartphone use. Many social media platforms have a minimum age requirement of 13. 

A growing number of parents are choosing to delay introducing smartphones and are signing up to the Smartphone Free Childhood pact. Alternatives include touchscreen devices without social media, messaging apps or internet access. While we respect parental choice on this issue, we are keen to support those parents who want to make life without a smartphone a genuine option for our younger students. For that reason, we are pleased to endorse the campaign for a Smartphone Free Childhood and encourage awareness of alternatives.

TRAVELLING SAFELY TO AND FROM SCHOOL 

Your child’s safety and wellbeing are a priority, both in school and on the journey to and from KGS. We provide guidance on key topics such as road safety and personal awareness in an age-appropriate and supportive way. Parents can keep the following in mind: 

• Mobile phones can be useful for staying in touch, especially when travelling alone. However, we recommend a simple, inexpensive model on a ‘pay as you go’ plan, as expensive phones may attract unwanted attention.
• Valuables should be kept out of sight when travelling.  
• Headphones reduce awareness. Students should be alert, especially when crossing roads. 
• Travelling with friends on public transport is safer and more enjoyable.  Our parent platform, Classlist, helps families connect and coordinate travel by postcode. You will be invited to join at the start of the summer holidays, and more information can be found here. 
• Even familiar routines require vigilance. Please encourage your child to stay mindful of safety, particularly when crossing roads in busy areas, especially during the darker winter months. 
• Please ensure your child has saved key contact numbers: 
  • Your number 
  • School emergency number: 07843 350687 
  • Reception: 020 8546 5875 

We aim to foster independence and confidence while supporting students in staying safe. Thank you for helping reinforce these important habits.  

ITEMS LEFT AT HOME 

Should students forget any kit or equipment, parents may bring it to Reception where staff will attempt to deliver it to the student. Please clearly label any dropped-off items with the student’s name and form.  

SCHOOL LUNCHES 

Students may either take lunch at school or bring a packed lunch. Hot lunches are served in the Dining Hall (First to Third Year), or students can opt to collect a baguette to eat elsewhere. Students may not go home for lunch.  

Our catering staff are well informed about dietary needs. We aim to be a nut-free school and do not knowingly serve food containing GM ingredients.  You can inform us of dietary requirements via the Medical Information form in your online checklist.  

If you indicated on the ‘New Student Checklist (Finance)’ form, in your offer pack, that your child would like to have school lunch, this arrangement will continue unless you inform the Director of Finance & Operations in writing before the end of the preceding term. 

The Fourth and Fifth Year have access to their own dining area, known as Hawkes Cafe. Snacks and drinks are available to purchase at break and lunchtimes, in addition to school lunches which are served here each day. 

ABSENCE AND ILLNESS 

Absence from school disrupts your child’s education, and we ask that you do all that you can to keep it to a minimum. We strongly discourage requests for holidays during term time and any such requests must be made in writing to the Head Master. 

To report an absence on the day, please choose one of the following options: 

• Please complete the absence form on My School Portal.
• If necessary, email [email protected] stating your child’s full name, form and reason for absence. 

If, for unavoidable reasons, you know that you will have to take your child out of school (e.g. sickness, appointments, external music exams, passport or embassy appointments or any other reason such as a funeral) please follow the same procedure as for reporting absence giving us as much notice as possible. 

If your child is not present at Registration and we have not been given advance notice of absence, we will call or email you. 

Please try to avoid medical/dental appointments in school time as far as possible. 

Lateness 

If you know that your child is likely to be late for school, please ask them to sign in at Reception upon arrival (Lower School) and the Learning Centre (Upper School). As a courtesy, we will send you an automated email to alert you that your child is late to registration. There is no need to reply to this email. 

Sickness during the school day 

Students who become ill during the school day are cared for by the Nurse. If necessary, she will contact you in order to arrange for you to collect your child. 

Absence and attendance procedures

Code of Conduct 

Students are expected to follow the Student Code of Conduct, available on our website. This will be updated over the summer break and reissued to students and parents in September.