In this programme, we turn the spotlight on the pastoral work carried out by the team of sixty-five support staff at Swanshurst School in Birmingham.
Swanshurst is a multi-ethnic all-girls' school with 1800 pupils, located in a suburb of Birmingham near Edgbaston Cricket Club.
Headteacher Elaine Kenney outlines the philosophy that underpins the ethos of the school and says that the school is "one unit... a family, there to help one another at times of trouble, strife and even tragedy."
And in support of this, the caretaker and site manager of the school, Derek Jones, tells a moving story of how all the students and staff helped him through a desperately difficult time when he lost his wife, son and three grandchildren in a terrible car crash.
The programme focuses on the role of the learning mentors, school nurse and parent link workers as they deal with:
- Sickness
- Absenteeism
- Exam pressure
