Pastoral Care

Happiness At Our Heart

Forres Sandle Manor enjoys an outstanding reputation for its nurturing environment and strong pastoral care. As a school which aims to help young people to become the best versions of themselves through their teenage years, and to achieve their dreams at GCSE, we believe, above all else, they must be happy and love coming to school.

It is, therefore, essential that outstanding pastoral care is at the very heart of our Senior School and that we provide all our Senior School pupils with the opportunities and protected time, each and every day, to ensure they feel happy, cared for and listened to.

In addition to the benefits of small classes across the school, we achieve this in four ways:

The FSM Way

We place considerable value on ‘The FSM Way’ – the 5 values which we most value and celebrate as a school. These are:

– Love of Learning

– Commitment

– Kindness

– Respect

– Responsibility

All of our staff can issue house points to any pupil for any of these 5 values on top of regular celebrations and awards given in assemblies.

4. Food and Wellbeing

Days at FSM are as busy as they are enjoyable and we therefore ensure that our Senior School pupils have opportunities to pause, relax and unwind with their friends. Each day, they enjoy a thirty-minute morning break and a further hour for lunch, during which our dedicated Head Chef, Matt (and his team), serve delicious meals which cater for all needs and dietary requirements. Everything is freshly prepared and served, often using local produce. Each day, pupils have a choice of a meat or vegetarian/vegan main dish, plus a choice of freshly made soup, puddings, drinks and a self-service salad bar.

2. Starting Right – FSM Tutor Programme

We allocate the first 30 minutes of every day to pupils meeting with their tutors. This gives ample time and space for them to have an adult who knows them well to have meaningful conversations and sessions on their wellbeing and to address any concerns or worries they may have. These sessions can also include workshops/assemblies as appropriate.

3. Learning for Life

Every Senior School pupil has a dedicated Life Skills lesson each week, led by our Pastoral Assistant Head. This ensures that not only does this crucial member of staff know every Senior School pupil exceptionally well, it also allows us to protect some time each week to ensure that our pupils feel happy with who they are now, as well as equipped to thrive in the world outside of school, including online.