The House System and Vertical Tutoring

Posted by Joss Glossop

In 2008 the Heads of House were remodelled, redesigned and re-packaged as Performance Leaders. The Team continue to have overall responsibility for the whole student but increasingly the focus is on students’ performance within the curriculum. The aim is to ensure that all students participate and perform to reach their full potential.

The welfare of the students remains our top priority, as a central part of the Government’s Every Child Matters Agenda. In order to meet these requirements some of the Performance Leaders’ responsibilities have transfered to a large support team. This enables the monitoring of student performance at a more profound level.

South Dartmoor Community College is divided into 6 houses named after Dartmoor Tors.

Joss Glossop, Assistant Principal - Director of Student Performance, leads this pastoral team. Each House has a staff Performance Leader and two Student Heads of House. These are:

Each House contains 10 Tutor Groups led by a Personal Tutor. Tutor groups are vertically organised. They contain roughly equal numbers of students from all of Years 7 – 11. Average tutor group size is 25 students. Students meet their Personal Tutor daily at morning registration at their ‘Form Base’ from 09.00 – 09.10.

There are also scheduled extended registrations every Tuesday and Thursday where Parents will receive any letters of communication. (09.00 – 9.25)

Personal Tutors are first points of reference where there are any difficulties with coping at South Dartmoor. Personal Tutors conduct tutorials regularly by extracting students from Assembly times. (11.10-11.25)

Tutor list 2009 - 10

Support Staff

Photographs of The Performance Team

Safeguarding at South Dartmoor

Posted by Joss Glossop

Child Protection - Everyone's Responsibility

PROTECTION OF STUDENTS

Protection of students at risk is an extremely important issue and the College has considerable responsibility when a student is considered at risk.   If any member of staff is concerned about a student's well-being, emotional or physical, and/or has worries about their safety either from their own or others’ actions (others  include adults and young people in and out of college)

The College procedure is as follows:

  • Discuss concerns with the student's Performance Leader or the Director of Student Performance
  • Concerns must be reported as soon as possible. It is much better to share a concern or worry than to keep it to yourself.
  • The Director of Student Performance and PL will make a decision as to whether outside agencies should be involved. This will usually be following advice from the Child Protection Threshold Team (CYPS)
  • Write down as soon as possible what the student has told you, including the time, date, and names of other people involved.
  • Confidentiality should never be promised, you have a legal obligation to share any concerns that involve a child being harmed or at risk of harm
  • The student's welfare is paramount.
  • The designated member of staff for Child Protection issues is Joss Glossop – Director of Student Performance.
  • If the concern relates to the conduct of another member of staff this must be reported to the Principal or the Director of Student Performance

Where to get further information and advice:

Remember - Never feel worried to share a concern.

It is always better to share a concern and find out later that there was nothing to worry about than not to share a concern and find out later that a child has suffered.

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