Care for the Individual
The pastoral system at Trent is designed to provide the highest quality of care to every individual.
At the heart of our Pastoral Care is 'respect'; we expect our pupils to have self-respect, to respect their environment, respect everyone within our community and to respect their school. All staff have high expectations of pupils at all times and always treat pupils with respect. This helps cultivate excellent relationships; a feature of Trent College life of which we are extremely proud.
Our care is also designed around the Every Child Matters Framework (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk) in order to safeguard the welfare of every member of our community. Directly supporting our core values, our pastoral care nurtures the academic ability, the emotional competence, confidence and integrity of every individual and enables them to fully benefit from their time at Trent, so they are prepared for a full, successful and purposeful role in the wider community.
The 3 Tiers within our School
In order to set our pupils different challenges at major stages of their education, we operate a 'three tier school'. This is Lower School (Years 7 & 8), Main School (Years 9, 10 & 11) and the Sixth Form (Years 12 & 13). The quality of care to the individual pupil is consistently high regardless of the tier. The organisation of the tier is designed around the needs of the specific year group. The three tiers have their own tutor teams, their own bases, their own heads of year, their own support teams and their own member of our Senior Leadership Team responsible for tier organisation and management.
Our main points of admission into Trent College reflect the tiered system, with entry at age 11, 13 and 16.
The Lower School (click here for the Lower School Handbook)
The aim in the Lower School is to provide a balanced education in a wide range of subjects, which are taught by specialists from each department. At the same time it is the intention to instil high personal standards within the pupils and to develop academic self-motivation and intellectual curiosity. Pupils discover their individual strengths and aptitudes, by their involvement in a wide range of activities. All pupils in Lower School enjoy a secure and structured environment, which consists of a fully supervised set of rooms that are their base for study, for leisure and for form time. The form classrooms are not used for teaching any academic lessons; these create a homely environment for pastoral time so pupils feel safe and secure throughout their two years in Lower School.
The Main School (click here for the Main School Handbook)
Our pupils make a natural progression into the Main School and face different challenges and opportunities which will allow them to develop those essential personal qualities that will make them successful leaders of the future. In Main School the aim is to build upon the key areas developed in the Lower School, before specialising in nine GCSE subjects. Careful guidance is given to ensure that the pupils select a sensible balance and to take account of the possible effect on careers. Pupils entering Main School are allocated a tutor who will help steer them through the eventful three years culminating in their successful completion of their GCSEs. Pupils quickly adapt to their smaller tutor groups (maximum size of 12) and the additional independence they are trusted with.
The Sixth Form (click here for the Sixth Form Handbook)
It is hoped that at this stage of their education the students will consolidate the School's overall academic aims of developing self-motivation, intellectual curiosity and high personal standards. In Sixth Form our pupils become 'students', dress in suits and are seen as the role models for all others within our community. At the start of Year 12 students are allocated a new tutor who will guide them through their two years in Sixth Form. Sixth Form students occupy significant leadership roles as prefects, running activities, organising events, supporting others with their learning and in enjoying life at Trent. Central to the philosophy of education in the Sixth Form is the principle that we must challenge and support each individual student to do their very best, across academic and non academic pursuits. The measure of our success is how well prepared our students are for life beyond Trent, and this focus on developing the potential of the individual offers the best results in terms of choice for our students when they leave Trent College. The university and careers advice we give to students is a very strong and successful feature of the Sixth Form. This advice and guidance is a significant part of the tutor - tutee relationship.