Pastoral Care
Scots College is committed to supporting the wellbeing of our community and provides support though a very robust pastoral care programme. We ensure the appropriate systems are in place so that each student and staff member is known and recognised as an individual, and is given the tools to thrive.
Scots College has a strong commitment to supporting the wellbeing of our students, staff, and community. Our goal is to support everyone to connect, succeed, and thrive through partnerships that enhance learning and teaching, and through responsive and proactive pastoral care systems, health and wellbeing services, resources, and initiatives. We aim to build the student and staff individual and collective health and wellbeing capability and capacity, and provide targeted support in partnership with individuals and their families to safely manage wellbeing within the Scots College context and scope.
Pastoral Care at Scots involves the management of the welfare and activities of students and is overseen by the Pastoral Care Committee. This committee includes representatives from the Middle and Senior School Houses, international students, and boarders, as well as students with specific learning and medical concerns. The committee works to ensure that the unique needs and concerns of these student groups are addressed and supported within the school community.
The eight Houses in the Middle and Senior Schools play a vital role in pastoral care and support for students in Years 7 to 13. House Deans lead the Houses, and teachers act as tutors within the House tutor groups. These tutor groups enable more personalised care and facilitate conversations about the individual needs of the students. The Houses also organise various inter-house sporting and cultural activities, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
To promote the emotional, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of all students, Scots College provides wellbeing services. The College Counsellor and Director of Wellbeing, in collaboration with other pastoral care staff, including the Chaplain, play a crucial role in attending to the holistic wellbeing of the students. Additionally, the school nurses operate the Health Centre during school hours, providing medical care and support to students.
When students or families require specialised care beyond the school's resources, we provide guidance on accessing additional support outside of the College. These external supports are equipped to provide additional support and care for the emotional and psychological wellbeing of individuals and family groups, ensuring that all students receive the assistance they need.
PERFORM
The wellbeing framework created for Scots, P-E-R-F-O-R-M, is a development tool that has been designed specifically for students and teaching staff of the Scots College community to reflect the unique and special character of this school.
The main driver of this initiative is the Thursday Tutorial Programme. Students have weekly activities that are specific to their year group and linked to the PERFORM attributes/themes. PERFORM has a close relationship to the IB curriculum. Each of the PERFORM elements takes account of the relevant IB Learner Profile attributes.
We use the bagpipes as a metaphor for the PEFORM wellbeing framework. There are seven main components to a set of bagpipes, each contributing to the overall function of the instrument. Similarly, there are seven components, or themes, to the PERFORM framework, each contributing to the wellbeing of an individual. The bagpipes are also an iconic symbol of Scots College and play a huge part in our special character.
PERFORM fosters wellbeing, supporting and encouraging both teachers and students to realise their potential. Its success is determined by the willingness of the whole school community to embrace this approach. As Kurt Hahn notes, “We are crew, not passengers. Students and teachers are strengthened by acts of consequential service to others."
The Stand-Up Project
In 2024, Scots College became the first school in New Zealand to implement The Stand-Up Project (SUP) – a student leadership programme that empowers our students to stand up to poor behaviour through Upstander training.
The student-led SUP programme encourages students to identify the issues affecting them, develop plans, and present them to their teachers, families, and peers. In 2024, the SUP programme is being delivered by sixteen Year 11 and 12 students to students in Years 7 and 8, and will be delivered to the rest of the College in the following years.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
In 2024, five staff members completed training in an innovative international Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) programme, which has a focus on supporting young people aged 11 to 18.
As accredited Youth MHFA instructors, they are now able to train teachers and parents in the programme, creating a network of adults in the school community who can act as mental health first aid responders for youth, and providing a robust network of support to our students.
SchoolTV
Because parenting does not come with instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that can support you in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting.
This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding, and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.
Komodo
At Scots College, students are encouraged to use the Komodo Wellbeing Application. Komodo is a wellbeing tracking application that students use to record metrics of their wellbeing at regular intervals.
The application is not publicly available, and only Scots users with accounts have access to Komodo. The costs are funded by Scots College, and students use short weekly/fortnightly surveys where they use a scale, similar to a "Likert Scale," to identify how they feel in a particular area, for example: academics, social interactions, resilience, sleep quality and quantity, self-efficacy and confidence, stress levels, school-life balance, and motivation. The student can look at their own trends in their survey responses over time and reflect on these. For any students who may prefer not to use Komodo, Scots College provides an alternative means for students to reflect on their wellbeing.
The Pulse
The Pulse is our Wellbeing Magazine. Launched in 2023, it is produced by a team of staff, students, experts, and specialists. It is a digital magazine that is all about building student and community wellbeing, and articles focus on how to prioritise wellbeing, maintain balance, and continue to be your very best self.