Pastoral Overview

The following information summarises the purpose and functions of the Pastoral System at TBGS and provides a brief overview of the range of rewards and sanctions available to support that system.

TBGS has a House system where each studentbelongs to one of the following houses:

  

BLAKE       DAVYS      FROBISHER    GILBERT    HAWKINS     RALEGH

 

The House system contributes to the dictum that happy children thrive.

Each House is very special, giving a unique blend of personal support and encouragement.

Each House has its own particular character formed around the leadership and membership.

Essentially, it is the purpose of the House system to care for the welfare of every individual child.

The House system will provide for continuity of pastoral care.

The House system fosters greater involvement in the life of the school.

The House system enriches the school’s sporting and cultural life.

The House system develops a greater sense of community.

The House system provides boys with greater opportunities to take responsibility and develop qualities of leadership.

The House system thus fosters the strong sense of belonging with care for the under-privileged and develops a sense of public awareness.

 

The House Championship

 

This is a fiercely contested competition with an equal balance of academic and non-academic performance.  On the academic side, both the effort grades and commendations students receive each term contribute to their House performance.  There are sporting competitions in football, rugby, cricket, athletics, swimming, hockey, tennis, badminton, basketball and cross-country running.  There are also competitions in chess, mathematics, creative writing, music and a general knowledge quiz.

 

Home/School contact

If you wish to contact school with a query or information with regard to your son his tutor is the first point of contact.  The tutor will keep the Head of House informed and in more serious issues the Head of House and/or Mr Lawrence (Deputy Head), Mr Penford (Deputy Head) or Mr Reshad (Pastoral Support Tutor) will also be involved.

 

 

Rewards

 

 

The expectation is that the students at TBGS are well-motivated and work hard but whilst this is the ‘norm’ it is important to recognise and celebrate their achievements and successes.  To this end we have a range of rewards available to students.

 

 

Student of the Week: 

 Each week a student is selected to be the student of the week.  This may be awarded for an exceptional academic or sporting performance or may be as the result of a particularly worthy charitable activity or a major contribution to an extra curricular activity either in or out of school.  The student receives a certificate and £10.

 

Commendations are presented at any time during the year and are earned in a variety of ways (high quality piece of coursework, a string of top grades, a significant improvement in a subject area etc.). Each subject department will have its own policy for the award of such commendations. The criteria need not necessarily be academic.

 

Commendation certificates are awarded on reaching certain milestones:

 

      Bronze for 5 commendations

      Silver for 15 commendations

      Gold for 30 commendations

Platinum for 60 commendations

A Centurion award for 100 commendations

 

Commendation Pens are awarded to students who receive commendations in five different subjects with an “executive” pen awarded for ten different subjects.

 

Certificates of Merit for effort are awarded to any student who repeatedly receives excellent effort grades.

 

Certificates of Merit for Subjects are presented towards the end of the academic year in any subject where consistently high marks have been scored.

 

Colours - full and half colours are awarded during the year to students who have achieved a consistently high standard of performance and attitude in a particular sport or extra-curricular activity.

 

Prizes for both academic and non-academic achievements are awarded for presentation at the School’s annual Speech Day

 

 

Sanctions

 

All school rules and regulations can be summarised in a single sentence which has become the Torquay Boys’ Grammar School Code of Conduct devised by boys working in Student Council. The Code simply requires that:

 

Boys should engage in sensible and responsible behaviour where all individuals and property are treated with consideration and respect.

 

Whilst not wishing to have a long list of rules clearly all students need to be aware of the School’s expectations and the consequences of failing to meet them.  At all times we will endeavour to ensure sanctions are fair, immediate and consistent and communicated to relevant staff and parents. 

 

Uniform

 

If a student is wearing incorrect uniform or is poorly presented, he or she will be referred to the tutor or Head of House.

 

Homework

 

A student who is late with homework twice in a half term for a particular subject will receive a ‘Homework Default’ and a letter home.  Three defaults in a term will result in a Saturday detention.

 

Classroom Misbehaviour

 

A student will be given a ‘Yellow Card’ for persistent disruption to a lesson and will be removed from that lesson.  Three yellow cards in a term will result in a Saturday detention.

 

After School Detentions (ASDT) may be given for a number of reasons eg failure to do homework, repeatedly being late to registration or lessons, being off site without permission, smoking, use of bad language witnessed by a member of staff (swearing at a member of staff is more serious and a student will be sent home in such circumstances) or for other instances of inappropriate behaviour.  Three ASDT’s for behavioural issues in a term will result in a Saturday detention.

 

Mobile Phones

 

We would ask that mobile phones are not seen or heard during the school day.  If they are, they will be confiscated for a week and kept in the school office, although a parent may collect the phone from school earlier than this if they so choose.  If a parent needs to contact a student with a message they should ring reception on 01803 615501.  Although there is a payphone in school in exceptional circumstances a student may be allowed to use a mobile to contact home but they should seek permission first.

 

Chewing gum

 

Chewing gum should not be brought into school as it inevitably gets stuck underneath desks or trodden into carpets and repeated offenders are likely to be given an ASDT.

The Anti-Bullying Code

 

Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is committed to an active policy where a high premium is placed upon good behaviour and respect for individuals and property. We are a school which unashamedly discourages anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Through extensive student participation via the Student Council in identifying areas of ASB within the school, a basic definition of bullying has been agreed. It reads as follows:-

“Bullying is a conscious desire to hurt, threaten, upset, provoke or frighten someone”.

 

It is a basic entitlement of all children within the school that they receive their education free from such instances of unpleasant behaviour as depicted above. Not only are pupils encouraged to treat others as well as they would expect to be treated themselves, they are also urged to actively safeguard the rights of others. The School’s agreed policy on Bullying is no more than an extension of its commitment to equality of opportunity. Pupils, parents and staff are agreed that ASB, be it physical or non-physical, should not be tolerated at TBGS. The School’s policy is positive rather than punitive where an awareness of the issues involved is sought and is based on the active co-operation and trust between staff and pupils. “Victims” will always be given every possible support and whilst “bullies” will not be allowed to feel comfortable in our midst, where possible, the opportunity will be taken to try to “turn a bully around”.

 

 

The School, through the Student Council, has devised its own “ABC”  - Anti-Bullying Code

 

 

 

The Anti-Bullying Code is displayed prominently in all classrooms and each tutor group has spent time with its tutor considering its implications. Tutorial time and assemblies are given over to looking carefully at the issue and all boys are aware of their responsibilities.