Pastoral Care

There is a pastoral support structure based, in the first instance, around the Form Tutor. Every day there is a meeting between the Form Tutor and the Form. It must be stressed that this is seen as an important contact period and it is an expectation that all students attend their designed tutor period daily.

There is a single PSHE lesson each week, thus giving scope for a developing relationship between student and tutor. The majority of teachers have been assigned to a tutor group and are in close contact with that group. This leads to a monitoring of progress, both academic and social, within the confines of the students' peer group.

In addition to the channels outlined, the Head of Key Stage Four takes overall responsibility for the pastoral care of students with the support of the Head of Year 10 and 11.

The graphic below outlines who parents should contact in case of concerns about their child:

The tutor is responsible for the overall welfare of the student, and has an overview of their academic and social progress at school. She/he is the link person between the parent and the school.

For academic concerns in any specific subject, parents are encouraged to contact the subject teachers/Head of Department.

Parents will receive regular reports on students’ progress and there are scheduled Parents-Teacher Conferences where parents have the opportunity to discuss progress with the Form Tutor, subject teachers and the Head of Key Stage.

Student Support

At BISC, we aim to support every student to achieve their full potential.  We offer a range of support strategies for students, including:

• Support sessions after school
• Coursework clinics
• Weekend workshops
• Supervised study

Details of these events will be published in the Bulletin and also emailed to students in advance.

A Student's Perspective of Key Stage 4

"Key Stage 4 was overall a great experience; I can safely say that I learnt a lot from it. The workload, the memories and the experiences prepared me and shaped me to become the person I am now. In Key Stage 4, I was doing nine subjects that were all equally demanding. It was quite easy at the beginning; however, towards the end of Year 10 and exams I began to panic because I felt that I was running out of time. To combat this and take control of my own studying, I developed a system where I dedicated my efforts to one subject per week for the entire second year of GCSE. This allowed me to complete what was required in class and pick up my grades. The workload was quite a lot with the subjects I chose, but gradually I learnt how to manage my time well. 

Key Stage 4 is preparation for the Sixth Form and the workload will only continue in the years to come, therefore my advice is to start early and create a system for learning that works for you. This will build up your independence, which is a huge requirement in the coming stages of learning. 

The best part of Key Stage 4 was the IYA trips, both Bronze and Silver. IYA built up my confidence and was a great adventure to experience with my year group and we definitely got a lot closer because of it. To balance the workload, I also took part in a lot of extra curricular activities, such as BSME, football, MUN and Hopeful Youth. While taking part in all these activities, I felt very committed and involved in the school, which made the whole experience of Key Stage 4 a lot better. It is very important to balance the workload to keep you motivated and interested.

Key Stage 4 is an experience and a memory. I advise you to pick the subjects that you are interested in and to get involved with school events to allow you to build up relationships with people that you will remember forever."

Mona Mettawa