PCGPP_Module

Pastoral Care, Guidance Principles and Practice (15 Credit)

The terms pastoral care and guidance encompass a wide range of educational provision including structured systems of personal support for pupils in secondary and tertiary education sectors, pastoral care in the primary school, personal and social development and counselling approaches in educational settings.

The module forms part of a programme designed to enhance professionalism in all areas of pupil support. It should enable participants to identify and meet the personal support needs of pupils/students in a developmental way and to familiarise themselves with and reflect critically on theory, principles, provision and practice.

The educational philosophy advocated is holistic and student-centred, recognising the importance of the affective as well as the cognitive domain. Pastoral support linked to personal and social development is therefore recognised as vital if the potential of the whole individual is to be developed.

Increasingly all teachers/lecturers are being challenged to view work in these afore mentioned areas as a meaningful part of their responsibilities. They may be subject specialists or already involved as pastoral support tutors. In this role they will be working closely with promoted pupil support/guidance staff, parents and other support agencies and involved in a variety of pastoral care/guidance related activities.

The module is offered to all who wish to enhance knowledge and skills in this area in order to advance their professionalism in working with young people. This includes class room teachers, existing principal teachers, faculty heads and senior managers.

The module covers aspects of all areas below

• key educational philosophy and theories which have influenced the establishment of pastoral care/ guidance in schools and colleges;

• personal support and the National Guidance Review document ‘Happy Safe and Achieving their Potential’;

• ethos and the 'caring community';

• clarification of attitudes and values;

• guidance principles, policies and practices - meeting the developmental needs of pupils/students;

• the guidance entitlement;

• whole school/college approaches to guidance;

• pastoral care systems;

• guidance systems, roles and responsibilities;

• integrated community schools;

• the home-school partnership;

• child protection and inter-departmental/inter-agency working;

• case studies;

• quality assurance and development planning;

• self-evaluation