Pastoral Life
Giving students the self-belief they need to achieve their best is what Seaford is all about, and our world class pastoral care is something we are hugely proud of.
Every student is known and valued, given attention and respect, and the support they need when they need it. It’s important to us that students have options when they need support, whether it’s simply a chat with their Tutor, our Chaplain, or some counselling.
All boarding houses have experienced Houseparents who develop close relationships with their students, providing practical assistance as well as emotional support. At Seaford, we very much believe in open and regular communication with parents, and we have a very full team, with resident assistants and additional assistants to support each Houseparent to deliver the best care possible.
We have No.46 (formerly known as the Pink House), dedicated to counselling and emotional support for our students, located right in the centre of the campus. The staff there provide a listening ear over a cup of tea whenever a student needs them. Students can ask to be excused from lessons, and teachers will let the team at No.46 know that the student is on their way.
We have also enlisted the help of Max and Frank, who support the Pastoral Care Team and has had a lot of success in helping students to open up and relax. Students visit Max and Frank for a stroke or a dog walk.
In the Prep School, we also now have a dedicated No.46 Prep room, separate to No.46, so there’s somewhere easily accessible within the Prep School for students needing advice and support.
Seaford hosted a Wellbeing and Building Resilience Conference to share best practice with other Leaders in Education.
Becca Randell, an expert in children's mental health, talks about the whole school approach that Seaford has to support wellbeing and emotional resilience at our Student Wellbeing Conference.
The College has an on-site medical centre, with a resident School nurse and access to a local GP, who is available on a daily basis by appointment. The College also has its own Chaplain, and offers counselling, along with members of the School’s Peer Mentoring Team.
Seaford College has a dedicated Learning Support Centre, where dyslexic students receive the very best encouragement and support, using the latest teaching methods, and the College prides itself on drawing the best out of each and every student. Seaford is a mainstream school that provides for dyslexic students better than any other school of its type.
A good Houseparent is there for their students, no matter what else is going on in their own lives, treats all students as individuals, and can inspire them to do things they never thought they could. A Houseparent provides the vital link between the students’ needs, the parents’ expectations, and the School’s expectations."
Matthew Pitteway, Head of Boarding
The pastoral team are great. At other schools it always felt as if you were getting on a train and if you fell off you were just left behind, whereas here that isn’t the case."
Joseph Hill
Pastoral care at Seaford is ‘unbelievable,’ said a parent, as she described the extraordinary level of kindness and understanding from the School when facing family tragedy."
Good Schools Guide
