Our central aim is to enrich and support the experience of every Solihull School pupil, so that their time with us fosters fulfilment, confidence and success as preparation for onward study, their future career, and a rewarding and happy adult life.

Growing up can present challenges and, at Solihull School we provide emotional, practical and spiritual support for our pupils in various ways to ensure they always feel supported. The school is committed to developing a climate of care amongst all members of the community and the central part of that commitment lies in care and support, on a personal level, for every pupil.

The Form Tutor

The Form Tutor is the central figure in a pupil’s life. Remaining with them throughout their time in Lower and Middle School, they will see the pupils at least twice a day; at registration in the morning and in the afternoon - and there are, on average, three form periods during the week. All students are assigned to a new Form Tutor in Sixth Form, to help those students joining the school for A Levels to make friends and settle into their new environment

The Form Tutor’s overall responsibility is to oversee the pupil’s academic progress and personal welfare. Whether that is checking the pupil’s planner to ensure that prep is being done or chatting with them about their interests and hobbies, Form Tutors get to know each pupil in many different ways. The Form Tutor will also be the focal point for information from subject teachers, including Merits, Demerits and Commendations and they will contact parents if there are matters which need discussion.

It is important that parents feel that the Form Tutor is the first person to contact, and parents should not be shy about doing so.

In different sections of the school, Form Tutors will have different responsibilities. For example, a Fourth Form Tutor will guide a pupil in options choices, an Upper Fifth Form Tutor will guide a pupil in A Level subject choices, and Upper Sixth Tutor will guide a pupil in university choices, in the writing of the UCAS personal statement and write a pupil’s UCAS reference. In each case, the Form Tutor will operate with the support of other specialists. If the Form Tutor has concerns about a pupil, they will raise these with the Head of Year or the Head of Section.

The Head of Year, Head of Section, Deputy Heads of Section and Pastoral Support Manager

There is a Head of Year attached to each year at Solihull. It is the Head of Year’s responsibility to oversee the progress of the whole year and support and guide Form Tutors with individual pupils and issues. 

The Heads of Section have overall responsibility for every aspect of the life of their sections, in academic, pastoral and organisational terms. They are involved in the more serious issues of discipline. They are the Head of the Lower School, Head of the Middle School, and Head of the Sixth Form, supported by Deputy Heads of Section. Heads of Section meet regularly with the Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral), in order to ensure continuity of approach across the school. The Pastoral Support Manager is also the Designated Safeguarding Lead and she is supported by Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads in all sections of the school.

School health centre and counselling support

The Form Tutor-led support system is only one part of the extensive  pastoral care network offered at Solihull School. In addition, there are other, trained members of staff, pupils and networks who are here as part of the support system. The school's Wellbeing and Personal Development curriculum is an instrumental part of our Pastoral support system. 

The Senior Nurse and School Nurse are responsible for the health of the pupils, but they also have a pastoral role and liaise closely with others in the pastoral care structure. The Nursing team is on duty from 08.30 am until 5.30 pm each school day. Anyone who is unwell is sent/taken to see them in the Surgery. They maintain records of treatment and notify form teachers when necessary. Only one of the Nursing team can send a pupil home for medical reasons and when a pupil is to be taken home, one of the Nurses will contact the parents. In the event of a pupil going to hospital, one of the Nurses or a member of staff will accompany the pupil and remain there until parents arrive. The Surgery is on the ground floor of School House and remains open throughout the school day.

Solihull School is also proud to offer wrap around counselling care to those in need. Post assessment, pupils are assigned to the most appropriate counsellor, at which point one of three forms of counselling is administered;

• Person-centred
• Art therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

In addition, our Chaplain, Reverend Rachel Hill-Brown, warmly welcomes pupils of all beliefs and none for discussions, advice and guidance.

Pupil leadership and support

The School Bench and the Middle School Bench are pupils in each section who are given responsibility to assist with the running of the school. They are often the first to be aware of the difficulties of individual pupils, and they may be able to help, or to bring such situations to the attention of staff. There are regular, separate meetings with the Deputy Head Pastoral and the Head of the relevant section to discuss issues relating to each section of the school.

Whole School Council and the Lower School, Middle School and Sixth Form Councils are bodies which involve a representative from each form. The meetings are organised and chaired by the elected Chair of each section and the agenda is based upon the concerns of the pupils. The Head of the relevant sections or the Deputy Head Pastoral attend these meetings.