general info

Pastoral care

The commitment to the pastoral care of our students begins when a place is offered and accepted. Each pupil will have a form tutor and junior forms also have sixth-form prefects who assist with the running of the tutor group.The Pastoral Care of each Year group is overseen by a Head of Year. The School child protection officer is the Headmaster (a copy of the Child Protection Policy can be viewed here).

The induction programme for Year 7 students is seen as a year-long process. It begins with the allocation of Forms.

Allocation of Forms

When the boys are allocated to Forms, 11+ scores are used to achieve an academic balance between the classes. Where there are a number of boys transferring from the same school, the Head of Year 7 seeks advice from year 6 teachers to ensure the division of boys across the Forms promotes the ‘best’ combination of personalities; there is a chance to consolidate relationships, make new friends and enjoy a new start.

As we believe that one of the major changes the boys have to face is travelling from home to school, groups of boys who travel from the same direction are placed in the same Form.

Atwell	Hunt	Knott	Sebastian

Each boy belongs to one of four Houses of Atwell, Hunt, Knott and Sebastian, in which he takes part in games and competitions. All boys wear uniform; in the Junior Years the coloured edging to a boy’s blazer indicates his House.

At the New Parents evening we encourage parents to identify, through tutors, those whose son(s) will have the same transport requirements. On the induction afternoon boys are encouraged to meet those boys and exchange phone numbers. This is regularly followed with get-togethers arranged by parents in the summer holiday preceding entry to Skinners’.

New Year 7 Parents’ Evening

In June there is a chance to introduce parents to the school and establish the first step towards the Home-School partnership. Parents also have the opportunity to talk to year 7 Form Tutors about concerns, additional educational needs or just to make reassuring contact. During the second term a Year 7 Parent/Tutor evening is organised. This is an early chance for parents to meet with form tutors to establish that a successful transition has been made to life at Skinners’.

Visiting Feeder Schools 

As we have a large number of feeder schools (usually around 50) the Head of Year 7 visits as many boys as possible in the familiar surroundings of their primary schools. Visits usually last one hour, during which time the boys can ask any questions about Skinners’ and we can gather useful information from the year 6 class teachers to help us build on the success of the primary years.

Induction Afternoons

Induction afternoons take place in July. Boys are invited to attend one of these afternoons. The support of 6th Formers is used to guide the new boys round the site and talk them through life at Skinners’ with the emphasis on answering any questions from a student’s perspective. The boys meet their new Form Tutors. Apart from familiarisation with the school the most important purpose of this afternoon is to introduce the boys to each other. The 2013 entry induction afternoon is on Thursday 11 July 2013.

Transition Activities

Before the Autumn term officially begins, the year 7 boys spend a ‘normal’ day in school. This introduces them in a more formal way to life at Skinners’. They are able to experience registration, assembly, break and lunch-time arrangements, plus two lessons and a games’ afternoon, all without the additional pressure of the rest of the students on site. Form Prefects help the boys to feel comfortable during the day and to feel part of their new community. Mr Johnson, The Head of Year 7 is also introducing (safe) social networking 'Connect'  into the the range of transition activities.

Junior Form Prefects and Mentoring

Clubs and Activities

Boys are encouraged to join in a range of activities to help them gain the full benefit of their time at Skinners’. The programme of extra-curricular activities for Autumn provides a taster of the diverse range of clubs on offer: Christian Union, Debating, Quiz Clubs and Junior Choir are offered at lunchtime, with Rugby and Homework after school. Film, Art and Book clubs are new additions to the programme, as well as the regular Computing, Music and Maths clubs. We try to match the activities to the imagination of the boys.

In October of the first term, Year 7 are taken to Norfolk for three days of team building and a chance to see each other and their tutors, in a new way! Within the first year they also visit the Globe Theatre and have the chance to work with a professional poet. All of the activities will, we hope, challenge and enrich the lives of our students.

For a list of the Clubs & Societies for 2012-13 Academic Year click here

Junior years and beyond

Throughout a boy’s time at Skinners’ his academic and social progress will be carefully monitored and encouraged by his Form Tutor, with support co-ordinated by the Head of Year.

To sustain the level of pastoral care in the middle school, wherever possible, tutors and Heads of Year maintain their contact with their students for Years 9, 10 and 11. Boys benefit from the knowledge and understanding that develop during these keys stages.

During the final two years, a dedicated team of tutors led by the Head of Sixth Form (Mr Fleming) guide the students through their examinations, the university application process and career choices.

After seven years at Skinners’, support for the school continues with membership of the Old Skinners’ Society.

 

 

 

Sport

A full range of competitive fixtures is organised throughout the year with most matches taking place on a Saturday morning. Academy groups are organised for gifted and talented sportsmen. Coaching and training sessions occur on weekday evenings.

 

 MIDDLE SCHOOL EXTRA CURRICULAR PROGRAMME

In all these programmes, the initial commitment is for a period of two years.

...and further afield

For the more adventurous pupils (and staff!) trips to Morocco, Iceland, Namibia, Kyrgyzstan, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India (pictured below), Mexico, Mongolia and Belize have been organised in recent years.