Pastoral Care

Looking After Your Child

Abbot’s Hill is proud of its reputation for exceptional standards of pastoral care and inclusivity. Throughout the school, positive relationships and a strong sense of community underpin the outstanding academic and personal development of our pupils.

In the Prep School, the sense of being part of an extended family and caring community, coupled with the care and dedication of the staff means that pupils are provided with an environment in which individuality and relationships are nurtured. Excellent relationships with every member of the community are encouraged as pupils learn to interact with not only their peers, but those older and younger than themselves.

The pastoral structure of the school enables class teachers to draw on the expertise of the Head of Year and wider pastoral team to ensure that your child’s needs are met. All members of the school have a pastoral responsibility and develop strong relationships with the child.

In this warm and supportive environment, pupils thrive, embracing new challenges and responsibilities. Our pastoral care equips pupils with the foundations required to move on with confidence.

Clan System

The Clan (House) system develops a strong sense of belonging, facilitating encouragement, support, interaction and community spirit. Every pupil and member of staff is a member of one of our three Clans, Cameron, MacDonald and Macneil. The Clans at Abbot’s Hill provide a wide range of possibilities for pupils to work across a diverse age range; pupils come together as part of their clan from Reception to Year 11 to participate in meetings, competitions, working and playing collaboratively. The Clan System has been in place since the early days of the school, in recognition of the Scottish roots of our founders Miss Katrine, Miss Alice and Miss Mary Baird.

Clan points, acknowledged and celebrated in assemblies, are awarded for excellent work and contributions, and the various Clan competitions provide a host of diverse opportunities for everyone to participate and shine.

Clan Sport

Pupils take part in Clan competitions throughout the year including –

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

Personal Development Education (PDE)

PDE and Class Time Activities help prepare our pupils for transition throughout the school and beyond. The programme is divided into six key topics: Being Me in My World, Celebrating Differences, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me, therefore allowing age- appropriate content to be delivered and discussed in a safe environment.

Parent Partnership

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 collaborate with Tooled Up Education. This is an online digital library of evidence-based resources, for parents and teachers, on all aspects of parenting, education and family life. The founder, Dr Kathy Weston has collated the best and most up to date research from around the world and distilled it into usable resources. Parents have access to the entire library of articles, videos, tips to try, worksheets and podcasts.

Eating Well

A wide range of nutritious food, home-cooked by our in-house Catering Team is provided for pupils; an optional Breakfast Club is available whilst all pupils have a choice of mid-morning snacks and a varied lunch menu suited to the needs and tastes of all pupils. We cater for special diets such as gluten-free, or lactose-intolerant and the Head Chef and Catering Manager work closely with the School Nursing Team in the school’s Medical Centre to ensure that pupils with specific needs are well looked after.

Surgery and School Nurses

Our Surgery, located in the Main House and staffed by fully qualified School Nurses, provides medical care to Prep and Senior pupils who may be unwell during the school day, and also provides first aid for minor injuries.

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

Book a Visit

There are many ways to get a taste of life at Abbot’s Hill – whatever you choose, you can be sure of a warm welcome. We are very proud of everything that goes on each day in our classrooms, outside in the 76 acres of parkland and through our extensive co-curricular programme, and our pupils are always keen to meet prospective families and chat about their experiences at school. We know that our pupils are our very best ambassadors!

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