Class Teachers, Year Heads and the Student Care Co-ordination Team

The school places great emphasis on its Class Teacher system. It acknowledges that teachers undertake the resultant increased responsibilities on a purely voluntary basis.

At the start of each school year, a Class Teacher is assigned by the Principal to each class groups. Each class group will be allocated a base room for the year by the Principal.

Class Teachers of each year group will meet as required to discuss any issues arising in that year group. Such meetings will be facilitated by the Deputy Principal.

The school will provide training to Class Teachers to support them in carrying out their role.

The essential role of the Class Teacher is to take a pastoral interest in each student’s welfare and progress in school. S/he will get to know students sufficiently well to carry out the following specific responsibilities:

  • To monitor a student’s attendance in school, in consultation with the VSware system, and to receive notes from parents through the school diary explaining any absence
  • To sign the school diary of students in 1st, 2nd and 3rd years on a weekly basis.
  • To be available to Subject Teachers to assist in dealing with any serious disciplinary matters
  • To be aware of any factors likely to adversely affect a student’s school performance

and to inform Subject Teachers of same in a professional and appropriate manner.

  • To be as supportive as possible to any students experiencing difficulties impacting upon school life and performance.
  • To refer any particularly serious matters affecting a student’s welfare to the Student

Care Co-ordination team (SCCT)

  • To refer any reported instance of bullying to the Deputy Principal.
  • To facilitate the election of two prefects in each group
  • To assist the Principal and administrative staff in various organisational matters
  • To meet/consult with parents as necessary in relation to the discharge of these responsibilities.
  • To attend a staff meeting every August when vital handover information on students will be provided

It is essential that parents keep Class Teachers fully informed of any relevant matter so that the above responsibilities can be fully discharged in the best interests of all students.

The school community is most appreciative of the care, professionalism and time-input of all those who work as Class Teachers on a voluntary basis.

To ensure that all students in the school receive the necessary support at difficult times in their lives, the Student Care Co-ordination Team (SCCT) meets every week to review

particular cases and to allocate support. The SCCT will also address any general issues concerning the welfare of students. Membership of the SCCT is as follows:

Principal (chair), Deputy Principals, Learning Support Teachers, Guidance Counsellors and Chaplain.

The SCCT liaises closely with the relevant Class Teachers and Year Heads and reports on its work at staff meetings.

The SCCT will be the primary body for determining the school’s prompt, caring and supportive response to any critical incident that may occur. When meeting as the critical incident team, the SCCT will have due regard to the 2016 publication by NEPS: Responding to Critical Incidents – NEPS Guidelines and Resource materials for Schools. This publication was reviewed by the SCCT in January 2017 and has been brought to the attention of the full school staff.

This policy will be brought to the attention of staff every August.