Head of Prep School, Mrs Black, on the sense of belonging and why it matters.
How do we promote the sense of community in Prep School?
It is integrated with everything we do. In the Prep School, we operate in the main on a Class Teacher model; the relationship this allows for and the sense of belonging it generates with the teacher, with the class, and within the wider School is the central pillar of the approach. Core to the class community is the emphasis on it being a welcoming environment and modelling the behaviour we want to see from the pupils, scaffolding that community and ensuring it builds in the manner we would expect.
The Cokethorpe Characters – the alliteratively named animal characters used for the focus on the key learning attributes and introduction of morals and ethics in the Prep School – are another key aspect in representing our values and championing the importance of their place in our community and in life generally, and the teaching and interconnected half-termly themes that support their embedding.
To paint a broader canvas, there are so many teambuilding opportunities they partake in on a weekly basis and the philanthropic activities they are involved in that all feed into that sense of the School being bigger than any one individual. The emphasis is that the School is not here to serve them, they are part of the community within the School. That sense of service is also instilled through the way that we interact with one another and the actions that the children take – we do not just drop a pen on the floor and leave it there for someone else to pick up, nor do we leave one there if we happen to come across one.
Working with the wider community outside of school reinforces those messages further. Even playing matches against other schools is hugely important for our pupils’ sense of community and collective identity as a School but also getting along and competing in good spirit with others outside their immediate community. The Corinthian Partnership provides another similar though distinct opportunity. Whilst there are elements of competition, there is also a strong emphasis on collaboration between the pupils in the member schools; so much about preparing pupils well for life after school is the healthy balance between these two elements. Working with peers from other schools who they do not know is important, but so too is the ability to work alongside people from different generations. Spending time with people in one of the local care homes – Rosebank – is hugely beneficial, and the children start that process from Reception. It is a real pleasure for all involved because the benefits are felt by all the participants, regardless of age.
As a setting for younger children, that sense of community and collaboration across ages must come into play in preparations for life in Senior School. How do we prepare the pupils?
We are fortunate in being a through school because it means that we have excellent role models from the Senior School who are that bit closer in age than teachers and work with our pupils. The Sixth Form Tutor Partnering, where members of the Sixth Form join us for registration once per week, is something our pupils look forward to week-in, week-out. The inter-year connection is powerful and is not limited to those sessions – our pupils enjoy seeing the Sixth Form around School and the encouragement they receive from them and the relationship they build is a strong one.
They are aware of the setting and have that familiarity, and they are also familiar with the Senior School pupils and know that they are not this terrifying unknown entity! They are familiar with the teachers in the Senior School, both from around site and from working with those teachers at various points.
Even then there is still that element of going from being the big fish in their Prep School setting to being the little ones again as they go into First Form, and I think that is no bad thing. Where that is partly overcome is that they have seen those older pupils who have come up from the Prep School go through that same transition. We have a terrific pupil mentor scheme that aids the familiarisation of the new pupils with their adapted circumstances in the Senior School – and is something that makes a real difference for those joining Senior School from outside the Prep School too. Mrs Prior as Housemistress of Lower Head of Prep School, Mrs Black on the sense of belonging and why it matters. House and the role the House plays is another benefit as they integrate into the new wider community that they were always a part of, albeit in a different circumstance.
You mentioned before the Cokethorpe Characters, they are another continuity element of the wider community.
That is right. The Cokethorpe Characters are derived from our school values and they therefore have that continuity and understanding of the Leadership Traits. It is something that has been instilled in them from day one and is something that they themselves can lead on and help to ingratiate those pupils joining the Senior School from other schools with their new community, directly simulating those collaborative and leadership practices they have experienced and learned from throughout their time in the Prep School.
It all combines to mean that moving through to Senior School is something new and exciting for our pupils but is also something that should not be scary or cause for concern. Parents are, of course, a key part of the School community as well.
How has that dynamic changed in recent years, and does it alter as pupils move into the Senior School?
Since the start of the decade, with the global challenges that brought, the relationship with parents has had to get closer in terms of supporting one another and the pupils. Parents want to be involved – as they always have – but the remote learning has brought parents closer to the experiences of their children and there is an increased desire to support their children’s learning and development, perhaps in a more hands-on and collaborative way than we might have found universally before.
Part of the role of schools now is to support parents to be able to do that. Nothing that is said at parents evening should be a surprise to parents because we have direct and ongoing engagement, sharing data and progress, both academic and pastoral, those areas to work on, and so on. The world has changed so much, and I think that parents can sometimes feel a little bit at sea – as we all can – in terms of what they should be doing about their children’s mobile devices, their screen time or their activities at home, for example, and parents are increasingly reflecting on their parenting and welcome that collaboration, and the
reassurance of shared experience and expertise. Whereas perhaps ten years ago it would have been felt that schools should not be getting involved in parenting, that has shifted significantly. It is a sad reality that access and exposure to damaging materials is a reality from a younger age than it was in the past. There is the old adage it ‘takes a village to raise a child’ and it takes a community to protect them too.
As you said, parents are a key part of our community directly, too. In the recent Giving Week we held in School, which was all about community – giving back to our own community, to one another – part of the programme was given to children inviting their parents into School to share their work, and to talk about what they’re doing in School. We routinely have a very good attendance from parents for events like these, which means a lot to children at this age and is superb for their encouragement.
The nature of parents’ roles within the School community does shift as pupils move into Senior School. I think it is absolutely right and proper that, as children get older, they become more independent, and that they take more ownership of their own learning. But it is still important as a parent that we support our children through that. Open dialogue and accessibility between teachers and parents remains integral. The class teacher equivalent becomes a Tutor, and yet each of their subject teachers, despite teaching lots of pupils from different year groups, still knows my children really well, their progress, how they learn and what makes them tick. That sense of togetherness, of being known and belonging, remains deep rooted to our community environment in the Senior School.
One thing I have not touched on yet is the community dynamics of the Creative Arts, Sports matches and occasions, and the marvellous scope of events provided by the Cokethorpe Parents’ and Friends’ Association. In all of these, we have myriad examples of another key aspect of community for fostering that sense of belonging and togetherness. One such occasion was the recent Spring Concert which brought together every aspect of our community – pupils, staff, professional musicians, parents, and the local community – to perform together. It was a memorable occasion and a special bonding experience for all involved.
