Breaktime with our Head of Pastoral, Ms Stimson

We catch up with Ms Stimson to find out why pastoral care is so crucial and how it thrives at Redmaids’ High. We learn about the key initiatives that our school carries out, including extensive mental health support and our unique Parenting in Partnership programme, that help create a nurturing environment for every student to feel fully supported.  

Q: Can you tell us what your background is?  

A: I believe pastoral care is at the heart of making a school successful for its students. Throughout my career, it has been a key focus, starting in a boarding house while teaching History and Politics, then as Head of Year 11, guiding students through GCSEs, A Level choices, and teenage challenges. I returned to boarding and girls' education before becoming Head of History and Politics, but soon missed pastoral care. I took on roles as Head of Upper School and Deputy Head of Sixth Form, where I enjoyed supporting students academically and emotionally. I then spent 11 years as Assistant Head (Sixth Form) at Downe, working with 200 boarders, a role I fully embraced. Wanting a broader role with younger students, I was excited to join Redmaids' High as pastoral lead and DSL.  

Q: Why did you want a role leading a school’s approach to pastoral care?  What is it about this area of a student’s education and overall support that appeals to you personally from a career perspective? 

A: My passion lies in student well-being, ensuring every pupil feels supported, heard, and valued. This drives my commitment to leading pastoral care and shaping a positive school culture. By promoting kindness, empathy, and respect, we create an environment where students thrive socially and emotionally, leading to academic success. The role at Redmaids' High offers an opportunity for growth, challenging me to implement lasting pastoral programs and aligning with my goal of making a broader impact in education.  

Q: Our recent parent value survey ranked pastoral care as the most valued area of school life. Why do you think it is so important? 

A: This reflects our belief that pastoral care is the foundation of a good school. Parents understand that success is not just about academics, but also personal development and well-being. Our holistic approach creates a safe, supportive environment where students can thrive. By offering individual attention, we encourage each student’s unique talents and address their needs. Our pastoral care helps build life skills like resilience and interpersonal abilities, essential for overcoming challenges. With mental health issues on the rise, our Early Help plan ensures students receive the support they need. At Redmaids’ High, we take pride in our excellent pastoral care.  

Q: Why is the pastoral care so good at Redmaids’ High School?  

A: Our dedicated and highly experienced pastoral team, comprising of Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year with wide-ranging experience, all share the same vision - the student is at the heart of everything we do. We provide a bespoke and individualised experience in pastoral care provision, ensuring that each student's unique needs are met. Our tutor time and year group programme cover a wide range of age-appropriate themes, and we also provide social opportunities out of school time for students to enjoy each other's company and celebrate key milestones. We extend our social opportunities by inviting the local boys' school to join us for various events.  We have a superb nursing team of 3 who support our students' physical needs but also do a great deal to support their mental health and emotional needs. We have an excellent PSHE programme, which the girls thoroughly enjoy and greatly benefit from. The Sixth Form of the Lighthouse programme encompasses PSHE and life skill topics. 

 Q: What unique pastoral initiatives do we as a school adopt? 

A: We have a half-term pastoral CPD for all staff, which is produced and delivered by members of the Head of Year team. These sessions cover many differing topics but aim to ensure we meet staff needs and requests. They have been very well received and ensure that all staff are up to date with current safeguarding issues and trends in Pastoral care.  We have two tutors per tutor group, ensuring more individualised pastoral care and mentoring. The Year 7 team remains in situ, recognising the importance of this transitional year. Furthermore, the Heads of Year and tutors move up with the girls from Year 8 to 11, providing a continuity of experience that helps us all feel secure and confident in our roles.    

Q: Why is it so important that pastoral care is a collaborative responsibility and how do we engage parents to best support students? 

A: Various factors impact students' well-being, including home life, school, and social interactions. At Redmaids' High, we collaborate closely with parents to provide unified support, ensuring consistency that fosters emotional security. Understanding the challenges of parenting teenagers, we introduced the Tooled Up platform, offering articles and seminars on mental health, parenting strategies, and emotional development. Our Parenting in Partnership initiative also hosts six annual events with expert speakers on topics like online safety and self-esteem. We maintain regular communication through newsletters, emails, and meetings, and recent parent feedback led to expanding our counselling team, including a specialist for ages 16-18. 

Q: What pastoral initiative are you most proud to have introduced to the school? 

A: Well-being Ambassador programme for the Year 12 students to peer mentor younger students. Yondr has just been introduced this September for all year groups from Years 7-10 in the first instance. It echoes the feelings in society that schools should be smartphone-free zones, and we are proactive in taking the lead in this. We are also supporting our Sixth Formers with lockable boxes so they can put their phones away of their own volition. Whisper is an anonymous online reporting tool which I introduced when I arrived. Students have well used it to seek advice and support for themselves and their peers. 

Q: What do you hope to implement over the next few years? 

A: A Year 7 and 8 well-being programme has begun this September. It involves small group work for all members of the year groups, which I hope to extend to all year groups. We have a large Fostering Respect conference taking place in October 2024. I have managed to secure some notable speakers, like Chloe Combi and Deana Puccio, who will talk to the girls and boys in Years 10-12 from local schools, about relationships and the world in which Gen Z lives.   

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add? 

A: Our school uses a system called Content Keeper for filtering and monitoring online activity on school-issued iPads. This system, originally designed for use within the school, has now been extended to students’ homes. By doing this, we help ensure that students remain safe online no matter where they are. The Content Keeper actively monitors and filters inappropriate content, ensuring students are protected from harmful websites. This consistent oversight promotes responsible digital habits and enhances overall online safety.  

For more information about our pastoral care please click HERE.