Pastoral Support

The Role of the House Team

Oxted School is a large school and the House system plays a key role in helping students feel part of a smaller community. Students will get a feeling of belonging through the opportunities they will be given to contribute and take part in House competitions.

The House system has existed at Oxted School since 1929 when the school first opened. Originally there were four Houses: Detillens, Foyles, Grants and Tenchleys. As Oxted’s success grew and the school became more popular a fifth House was needed and Stocketts was created in 1965.

The Pastoral System at Oxted School

The Pastoral system builds on the work of the Houses.  Each Year Group has a team that is focused on ensuring that all students make progress, are acknowledged for their positive contributions, attend regularly and know how to keep themselves safe. 

Each Year Team is made up of a Senior Pastoral Leader, one Deputy Pastoral Leader and a Pastoral Manager. The students are divided between the five Houses and have daily tutor sessions. Each Senior Pastoral Leader is responsible for keeping parents updated through bulletins and meetings.  Concerns about individual subjects should, in the first instance, be directed to your child's subject teacher. The first point of contact for pastoral issues should be your child's Form Tutor.

'Staff care about their pupils. The school has worked with determination to improve attendance and reduce exclusions'.

Ofsted, February 2022

At Oxted School, our aim is to help every student to 'work hard to be the best that they can be'. Students, parents and staff are all key stakeholders in ensuring good levels of progress.  In order to give the students the best possible start in their academic and employment careers, all stakeholders need to ensure that they meet their responsibilities.

Students should:

• attend school regularly and on time with appropriate equipment
• complete my homework and classwork as well as I can and do it on time
• wear the correct school uniform and be tidy in my appearance
• behave in a polite and helpful manner to adults and students, conforming to the school's required standards both in school and between home and school

Parents should:

• see that their child attends school regularly and punctually with appropriate equipment
• support their child in homework and coursework
• communicate with the school about any problems or concerns that might affect their child’s work or behaviour in school
• respond to school communications where necessary
• ensure that their child wears the correct school uniform
• support the school to ensure that their child behaves in an acceptable, positive and courteous manner to staff and students
• accept school sanctions should their child fail to conform to required standards as detailed above
• attend progress review evenings and discussions about their child’s progress

Oxted School will:

• contact parents if there is a problem with attendance, punctuality or equipment
• provide a balanced curriculum which meets children’s individual needs
• set appropriate homework that is marked regularly
• discuss with parents any problems or concerns that might affect their child’s work or behaviour in school
• provide regular communication to parents in the form of progress review evenings, effort reports and end of year reports
• keep parents informed of school activities through the Partnership Principal’s newsletters and letters home
• be open and welcoming to parents

'The school presents a calm and orderly environment which is conducive to learning. Pupils behave well. No low-level disruption was seen during the inspection. Pupils feel comfortable reporting any incidents of behaviour and harassment. They know they will be dealt with quickly and efficiently'.

Ofsted, February 2022