Increased Tutor Teacher Involvement in Social Emotional and Academic Monitoring and Tracking to Improve Student Outcomes
There is nothing new in the acknowledgment that effective pastoral care and student wellbeing is inextricably linked to improved levels of student engagement and academic outcomes. At St Edmund’s College, we have always understood and implemented initiatives that show pastoral care in an educational context means a whole-school strategic and operational approach to improve learners’ ability to embrace a growth mindset, foster an atmosphere that is conducive for learning, improve attendance rates, and promotes acceptance, resilience, fairness, and equal opportunities for all. As such, we have always had procedures in place to both monitor and track our student’s SEL and academic learning, and strategies to intervene when we have deemed a student to be ‘underperforming’. Having said that, we are always looking to make improvements to what and how we do things to continue to ensure we are providing all students with the environment and opportunity to thrive, excel and increase skill development.
After analysing student pastoral and academic data from Semester 1 2022, it is obvious that for many of our students the impact of 3 years of pandemic-related educational interruptions is starting to take effect. After much consultation between the Wellbeing and Teaching and learning teams, we are implementing an extra strategy to try and help our under-achieving students regain their sense of focus and feelings of success.
As of Semester 2 2022, any student recognised as ‘under-achieving’ will not only have support from classroom teachers and Heads of House but will have more regular consultation and intervention from their individual Tutor Teachers.
We are hopeful that providing this extra academic and social emotional support implemented in a more structured way for our students will assist them in: help seeking, goal setting, improving time management and organisational skills, planning, and generate more authentic self -reflective practices to sustain successful results into the future.
Below is a template our Tutors will use as a tool to support their more regular and structured intervention with students. The tool is designed to empower students and help create a sense of autonomy in their growth and learning, but with the guidance and support of those with expertise.
This template can be implemented with students at various academic standards and could equally be a tool parents use at home to help them be more involved in a positive and proactive way in their sons’ learning experiences.
Leanne Gair
Head of Treacy
academic tracking and monitoring