Supporting Our Students

SUPPORTING

OUR STUDENTS

HEAD OF YEAR 9

Mrs Sarah Noray, the Head of Year 9 has overall responsibility for overseeing student progress and welfare across Year 9; this also includes the options process for the students as they build towards their decision point. She has compiled, alongside the School’s Career Advisor, a series of activities and forums to help students discuss and reflect on their future and to make well-informed and mature decisions. Mrs Noray is supported by a strong and experienced team of six Year 9 Form Tutors who will work with the students, encouraging, supporting and guiding them throughout the Options process.

snoray@britishschool.sch.ae

CAREERS AND UNIVERSITY ADVISOR

Making the right option choices for GCSE is vital to ensure successful examination results, but can also have an impact on a student’s university choices. Mrs Gergana Hutchinson is our in-house, professionally qualified mathematics teacher and expert in careers and guidance. She will ensure that all students receive expert guidance in Year 9, so that students and parents can make informed decisions about the option choices at GCSE. Providing correct advice at this stage will help to confirm the students’ commitment and overall success at A Level and beyond. Mrs Hutchinson continues to work with our students at all stages of their school career and supports them in their university applications in Year 13.

ghutchinson@britishschool.sch.ae

COUNSELLING

We have an extremely robust pastoral system, with tutors and the Head of Year supporting students in all aspects of their social, emotional and personal wellbeing. There may be occasions when the pastoral team feel additional support is required and students will be given access to our full-time School Counsellor Mrs. Sharlane Scheepers. Students have the option to meet the Counsellor directly during ‘drop in’ sessions, where the Counsellor will explore the best avenue of support with the student.

sscheepers@britishschool.sch.ae

SUPPORTING

OUR STUDENTS

TUTOR GROUPS

Our Year 9 forms have a maximum of 23 students and each has a dedicated Form Tutor. The tutor engenders an inclusive community spirit, in which everyone is valued, reinforcing cultural diversity and empathy; with the safety and well-being of tutees at the forefront. Within form times students carry out a variety of activities including projects that offer the opportunity to develop skills in independent learning, group learning and presentation skills. They foster healthy peer relationships through team building games and receive guidance regarding the options process as well as personalised 1:1 support on target setting after each grade sheet. These tutors are also responsible for delivering the MELS elements of school life which is detailed below.

MORAL EDUCATION AND LIFE SKILLS (MELS)

Our aim is to develop every child so that they are willing and able to take responsibility for their own social, physical and mental health. Our MELS program contributes to the students' personal development by helping them build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions.

The children in our school come from a variety of backgrounds and we provide opportunities both in and outside of the classroom to share experiences and emotions. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own values and ideologies and consider them in respect to others and how they can live and work effectively in our BSAK community and beyond.

MELS involves common topics that run from Year 7 all the way to Year 13. These topics include Physical and Mental Health, Careers, Mindfulness, Living in the Wider World and Finance, Relationships and Study Skills. This allows students to develop skills in all these important areas and build upon them as they progress throughout the school. The programme also incorporates The United Arab Emirates’ Moral Education initiative. This seeks to equip students with the life skills needed to support sustainable long-term growth and the development of the UAE as a culturally rich, socially accepting and morally high standing nation. Within the framework of this programme students have the opportunity to take part in community projects that run inside school.

An effective MELS curriculum is a planned programme of learning that helps children and young people develop life skills and an aptitude to face every day and extraordinary situations with more confidence; it supports the academic learning and helps school to promote the social, moral, cultural and spiritual development of our students. A well developed and sustained programme ensures that students have the opportunities to develop qualities that they need to flourish as individuals, with friends and families and as members of a wider community and society. Students across the school are empowered to develop their skills in emotional intelligence, perseverance, self- management, self-respect, time-management, financial capability, risk taking and stress management, as well as conflict resolution. We inspire and challenge our students to become well-rounded individuals ready to progress to the next stage of their education and life beyond BSAK. Through dedicated support for each individual student, we invest in building future leaders. Educationalists recognise that many barriers to learning lie outside the classroom and that supporting children’s personal development and well-being impacts positively on standards of achievement in all subjects. (Every Child Matters – Nov 2005)