Pastoral

Pastoral Care

At St John Payne Catholic School every student is loved and valued as created in the image of Christ, who as we witness above the corridor leading to our Chapel, we are proud to serve as ‘the reason for this school.’

Pastoral care underpins all that we do. We are proud of our strong reputation for nurturing and guiding students to fulfil their God given potential. Through the three way partnership between the home, school and parish, we offer a network of support that allows students to grow spiritually, morally, socially and academically, ensuring their happiness and wellbeing that in turn maintains our high standards of academic success.

We enjoy positive relations with our feeder schools so that support for transition begins well in advance of students joining the community in Year 7. Upon joining us students are placed in Tutor groups named for Saints or Religious Orders that are dear to our ethos: Augustinians, Benedictines, Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Servites. Students with elder siblings in the school will join the same House: our House system helping to form the strong sense of community upon which our ethos is built. Inspired by the example of Christ and the Church in service of the most vulnerable, this sees us devote much support to charity initiatives such as CAFOD, the annual Harvest Appeal for Chelmsford Food banks, and CHESS.

The tutor is the first source of support and care, and will quickly become familiar with each student, supported by information shared by the feeder school. This ensures that each child quickly becomes individually known. Tutors are supported by Heads of Year and a wider Pastoral Team, including a Chaplain who organises many opportunities for spiritual reflection and growth. Recognising the strong relationship between good pastoral care and academic achievement, Heads of Year liaise regularly with Academic Leaders in support of students’ progress. A network of professional support is available to aid mental health and wellbeing and to remove barriers to learning, aided by a mentoring programme that sees sixth form students support those in younger years.

We are proud of the manner in which our students witness and affirm our Catholic ethos and serve as ambassadors for the school in both the local and wider community. We take care to impress upon them the privilege and responsibility invested in them as members of a community that is dear to many generations of families with whom the school enjoys a long association. Students will very quickly feel at home here. As with many before, they will cherish their experiences of St John Payne long into the future.

We enjoy high standards of behaviour for learning, discipline and responsibility, upheld through expectations and accountability. Where behaviour falls short of our expectations, we apply sanctions consistent with our behaviour for learning policy. However, our approach is founded upon a desire to, ‘Catch them doing something right’. We grasp every opportunity to affirm and to praise, and we seek always to educate and encourage students towards an appreciation and acceptance of their responsibilities, promoting tolerance, respect and diversity.

Recognising parents and carers as the child’s first teachers, we are hugely appreciative of the support we receive from the home. This allows us to love, nurture, challenge, and support students towards fulfilling and rewarding futures and to become the best versions of themselves: the people God created them to be.

Diocese of Brentwood Inspection Report, November 2017.

St John Payne is a good Catholic school with some outstanding features. Students identify strongly with their school and its Catholic values, which are constantly refreshed through prayer and worship opportunities facilitated by the school chaplain and student members of the chaplaincy…Leaders, governors and managers demonstrate a strong commitment to the Church’s mission in education. Pastoral care is very strong. Relationships within the school are very good and students feel well cared for and supported in their learning.

Ofsted Report January 2016.

Students’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Students are confident, assured and conduct themselves well amongst peers and adults. The school’s Catholic ethos makes an excellent contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.