Supporting the development of pupils’ learning and well-being through support from the Pastoral Hub and Learning Hub
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Information about the school
Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is a Welsh-medium secondary school that is situated in the city of Wrexham and serves the wide catchment area of the county of Wrexham. There are 857 pupils on roll, including 79 in the sixth form. Eighty per cent (80%) of pupils come from non-Welsh-speaking homes and 20% are eligible for free school meals. The school is a proud, welcoming community where staff convey their passion for the ability for each individual to achieve their potential and ambition and to develop to become happy, confident, independent and responsible members of society.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
Over recent years, the school has seen an increase in the number of pupils who need well-being support. In response to this, the ‘Pastoral Hub’ was established in 2019 to ensure a central place for pupils to drop in for support with any pastoral issue, whether it be a physical or mental health problem or a social or emotional problem. Following the pandemic, the need for such support was seen to have increased and the Pastoral Hub was developed further, for example by appointing a second well-being officer who is also responsible for supporting parents. As a result of the pandemic, the demand for academic support and intervention for pupils also increased; therefore, the second hub was established, namely the ‘Learning Hub’, to provide support for pupils with their schoolwork. Between them, both hubs ensure support and care for all pupils who need additional help, whatever the nature or scale of the problem.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
The Pastoral Hub has a team of staff, including the Assistant Headteacher – Well-being and Behaviour, the heads of years 7-11, two well-being officers, a physical and mental first aid officer and an administrative officer. Between them, they work together to ensure care and guidance for all pupils. Support includes one-to-one sessions for the most vulnerable pupils, drop-in sessions, group sessions and support sessions from external agencies.
The Learning Hub is a haven where pupils of all ages can come to work. There is space for whole classes in the centre of the hub and around the edges there are work pods of various sizes that are ideal for independent study, intervention groups, educational workshops and lunchtime clubs. The Learning Hub team includes the Assistant Headteacher – Teaching and Learning, the Assistant Headteacher – Progress, two progress co-ordinators, two learning mentors and the additional learning needs co-ordinator. Through the Learning Hub website, pupils can self-refer for general or subject-specific academic support. Staff and parents can refer pupils in the same way and in the Learning Hub team meets on a weekly basis to discuss the referrals and organise appropriate intervention. This can include mentoring sessions, intervention from a specific department or support to catch up with missed work. Alongside the hub, the Learning Hub website was established, which includes a wealth of resources to support pupils with their schoolwork and encourage independent learning. It also includes a section for parents that provides guidance on supporting children and a section for teachers to share good practice in terms of teaching and learning.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The work of the Pastoral Hub contributes to ensuring that pupils have healthy attitudes to learning and that they treat each other with respect. The support that is given to the most vulnerable pupils means that all pupils succeed in continuing with their education until the end of Year 11. In addition to creating a timetable tailored to the individual’s circumstances, the support and guidance provided to pupils with profound behavioural difficulties is one of the reasons why the school has not had to exclude any pupils permanently since the Pastoral Hub was established. The school’s attendance rate is consistently above the national percentage.
Since being established, the Learning Hub has dealt with hundreds of referrals from pupils, staff and parents and this has led to clear academic progress in the case of several pupils. Some pupils have seen subject-specific progress following intervention, while others have made general progress following mentoring sessions. The Learning Hub has developed to be an effective learning centre, with workshops and clubs – several of which have been organised by learners themselves – providing rich learning experiences for pupils of all ages and abilities. Between the hub and the purposeful website, the school is able to place an increasing emphasis on nurturing independent learners.
How have you shared your good practice?
Recognising the work of the Pastoral Hub as good practice led to establishing a second hub at the school, namely the Learning Hub. Leaders now work together to ensure that good practice in one hub influences the effectiveness of the other. For example, the Learning Hub website, which includes an abundance of resources to support learning and a simple referral form to be used by learners, staff and parents, has been identified as good practice that the Pastoral Hub can emulate. Pupils and parents have the opportunities to visit both hubs during open evenings. The school website includes a great deal of information and a link to the Learning Hub website and we are currently creating a similar website for the Pastoral Hub. The school welcomes visitors from other learning organisations to come and see both hubs in action.