Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care in the Prep School

Pastoral care at Abbot’s Hill Prep School is not an add-on — it is at the heart of everything we do. Our Prep School, located on the main school site in Hemel Hempstead, educates children in Years 3 to 6 (ages 7–11), and throughout those four years, every member of staff shares responsibility for the wellbeing and personal development of every child.

The result is a warm, genuinely inclusive community where pupils feel safe, known and supported — and where academic achievement and personal flourishing go hand in hand.

Our Pastoral Structure

In the Prep School, each child’s first point of pastoral contact is their Form Teacher, who builds a close, personal relationship with every pupil in their class over the course of the year. Form Teachers monitor academic progress and emotional wellbeing side by side, and meet regularly with the Prep Assistant Head (Pastoral), Mr Stephenson and the Deputy Head (Prep) Mrs Lopez Bernal to ensure that any concerns — however small — are picked up and responded to promptly.

All members of staff carry pastoral responsibility at Abbot’s Hill. This means that the relationships children build — with their Form Teacher, their subject specialists, the catering team, the support staff — are all part of a wider network of care that surrounds every pupil throughout their time in the Prep School.

The Clan System

Every pupil at Abbot’s Hill — from Reception right through to Year 11 — belongs to one of our three Clans: Cameron, MacDonald and Macneil. The Clan system has been part of the school since its earliest days, rooted in the Scottish heritage of our founders Miss Alice, Miss Katrine and Miss Mary Baird, who established the school in 1912.

Clans bring together pupils across all year groups, giving Prep children a natural connection to older and younger members of the school community. This cross-year structure fosters a genuine sense of belonging and encourages the kind of relationships — across age groups, across sections of the school — that make Abbot’s Hill feel like an extended family.

Clan points are awarded for excellent work and contributions, celebrated in whole-school assemblies, and Clan competitions throughout the year give every child the chance to participate and shine.

Clan Sport competitions in the Prep School include:

Years 3 and 4: Inter-Clan Dodgeball
Years 3–6: Inter-Clan Benchball and the annual Swimming Gala
Years 5 and 6: Inter-Clan Netball

Personal Development Education (PDE)

Our structured Personal Development Education (PDE) programme runs throughout the Prep School, giving children a regular, dedicated space to develop the social, emotional and life skills that underpin everything else they do.

The programme covers six key topics across the year:

Being Me in My World
Celebrating Differences
Dreams and Goals
Healthy Me
Relationships
Changing Me.

Each topic is delivered in an age-appropriate way, creating a safe environment for children to explore, discuss and reflect — building the resilience, self-awareness and empathy that will serve them throughout their lives and beyond Abbot’s Hill.

Learning Support

Our Learning Support Department provides tailored assistance for pupils with a range of learning differences, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and other needs. Support is provided in-class, in small groups or in individual sessions, depending on what best serves each child, and our team works closely with families and external specialists throughout.

The quality of our learning support provision was recognised with a Highly Commended award at the Muddy Stilettos Best Schools Awards 2025 — external recognition that reflects the care, expertise and genuine commitment of our team.

Find out more about Learning Support

Partnership with Parents

Strong pastoral care works best when school and home work together. At Abbot’s Hill Prep, we make it easy for families to stay closely involved in their child’s wellbeing and progress.

Parents are welcome to speak with Form Teachers before or after school for brief conversations. For longer discussions, we ask that you make an appointment. Our parents’ evenings and written reports (two of each per academic year) keep families informed of academic progress and pastoral matters throughout the year.

Through our partnership with Tooled Up Education – see below – parents also have access to an extensive library of evidence-based resources on parenting, education and family life — extending our support beyond the school gates and into your home.

Tooled Up Education

Through a strong partnership between home and school, support for each child’s learning is optimised. Parents are welcome to see staff before or after school for brief meetings. For longer discussions it is best to make an appointment.

Abbot’s Hill is proud to work in partnership with Tooled Up Education, an online digital library of evidence-based resources for parents and teachers on all aspects of parenting, education and family life. Founded by Dr Kathy Weston, the platform distils the best and most current research from around the world into practical, accessible resources.

All Abbot’s Hill parents have access to the full Tooled Up library, which includes articles, videos, worksheets, tips and podcasts, as part of our commitment to a genuine partnership between home and school. It is one of the ways we extend our pastoral care beyond the school gates and into family life.

Eating Well

Our in-house catering team prepares a wide range of freshly cooked, nutritious food each day. All pupils enjoy a choice of mid-morning snacks and a varied hot lunch menu designed to suit the needs and tastes of children across the Prep School. We cater for special diets including gluten-free, lactose intolerance, religious dietary requirements and other needs — please let us know at the point of registration.

An optional Breakfast Club is available from 7.45am — confirm for families who need early morning provision.

Medical Care and School Nursing Team

The health and physical wellbeing of every Prep pupil is in safe and experienced hands. Our school Surgery, located in the Main House and staffed by fully qualified School Nurses, provides medical care for pupils who are unwell during the school day and first aid for minor injuries.

Our nursing team works closely with the catering team to ensure that pupils with specific dietary requirements — including allergies, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance and other medical needs — are well looked after at every mealtime. Please inform us of any medical or dietary needs during the admissions process so that arrangements are in place from your child’s first day.

School Counsellor

Pupils in the Prep School have access to the School Counsellor and we would always seek permission from you for your child to access this service. The conversations remain confidential unless there is a safeguarding issue raised.

“In a busy school day, it matters enormously that every child feels known. I make it my business to understand what each of my pupils finds easy, what they find hard, what lights them up and what they might be quietly struggling with. That knowledge shapes everything — how I teach, how I stretch them, and how I support them. Academic success and personal wellbeing go hand in hand, and you really can’t have one without the other.”
Prep Form Teacher

Come and Visit Us

Come and visit us to get a taste of what Abbot's Hill can offer your child! We run Open Events throughout the year, and also welcome families into school throughout term time for private tours and meetings with the Head. Get in touch with our Admissions Team to book your chosen visit.

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