Pastoral Care – Avenue Junior School

Here at AJS we actively support and promote the positive mental health and well-being of the children.

Click here for a summary of the pastoral support available to children to help maintain positive mental health and well-being.

Rosie Amies

I have been working at Avenue Junior School since the beginning of 2020 but have had links with this lovely school for much longer! I attended the school myself from the age of 5, (it was Avenue First School then) along with all of my siblings and my mum was even a School Governor.

Throughout my career I have strived to make a real difference to peoples' lives through public service. I previously worked for the Metropolitan Police and the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Board and then decided to train as a teacher because I really wanted to work directly with young people. As a teacher and a SENCO I endeavour to enable all children to realise their ambitions and do all that I can to remove any barriers to their success in school.

I believe it is really important to work collaboratively with parents, so I try to make myself available to discuss concerns as they arise and provide sign-posting to appropriate support. I also work closely with our Inclusion Champion, Pastoral Team, Parent Support Advisor and Safeguarding Team as well as different external agencies to help children reach their full potential.

I have completed lots of training to develop my knowledge and skills including a Post Graduate National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination, Neurodiversity: A Whole School approach to SEND, Understanding Behaviour to Support the Emotional & Learning Needs of Vulnerable Children and I am currently completing a National Leader in Mental Health course, leading to a Level 4 Certificate in Mental Health Aware Leadership.

Do get in touch if you ever have any questions for me and I'll do my best to answer them!

Louise Gibbs

MSA, Teaching Assistant, Pastoral Support, Medication Administrator

Avenue Junior School has been a part of my life for many years. My 3 grown up children and my step daughter attended the school and 2 of them also went to Recreation Road when it was called Heigham Park . My involvement in both schools began with volunteering in class , supporting on school trips and helping the PTA with fund raising events.

My employment at Avenue Junior began when I was called unexpectedly ( in 2008 when my youngest was in year 3 ) to help out with a lunch duty. I left that day being asked how many lunches a week I would be prepared to do ! In 2010 , I applied for a post as a TA which I was thrilled to be accepted for . This was initially part time but soon developed into full time . In this role I have worked in all year groups and supported all subjects . I have also had the privilege to work closely with a number of children with additional educational, physical and medical needs. In 2018 the opportunity arose to be part of the Pastoral team . I had often been asked to help out with nurture groups which I had really enjoyed doing , so I was excited to get the opportunity to apply and very pleased to be accepted.In my Pastoral capacity I worked alongside my colleague , Mr Leek , running our nurture group called “Connections .” The groups ran across the school in all year groups, but had to cease when Covid took hold due to the restriction of movement. Since September last year I have been running the group on my own , again across the school but with a fewer number of children. Sessions are tailored to the needs of the children in each group . The main aims are to encourage and promote self esteem and social and emotional literacy. Emphasis is placed on respect, good listening and trust , in order to create an environment where the children feel safe to share feelings, worries and tricky situations. A further role in my Pastoral capacity is spending time with individuals who need time one to one for a variety of reasons . I have attended a number of courses over the years the most recent being children and mental health , which was very interesting and will be very valuable . I am very proud to be part of Avenue Junior School and our Pastoral team . It is vital for children to be supported in their social and emotional wellbeing in order for them to have a positive experience in school and enable them to access the education they are entitled to successfully . Finally,the most recent addition to my list of roles is that of Medication Administrator. Alongside our SENDCO , I keep records and check expiry dates of medication regularly to ensure the health needs of our pupils are met . lgibbs@avenuejunior.org

PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies)

Art for Wellbeing

Our art wellbeing pastoral assistant is Cat Cator. Cat runs afternoon sessions for both small groups of children and for individuals.

The sessions vary widely in focus, depending on the needs of the group or individual. Sessions provide a nurturing 'safe space' where children can talk openly and establish a close relationship with a trusted adult.

Cat supports children with a wide variety of needs, including mental health, social communication, friendship problems, anxiety, emotional regulation, family breakup or bereavement.

The sessions can include:

sensory experiences and messy play
outdoor learning
art and craft projects
'Art start' sessions where parents and children work together on a project
siblings support group (for children with siblings who have complex or high needs SEN)
explicit teaching of social skills (e.g. active listening skills, turn taking, problem solving) through projects

If you wish to find out more, please contact the school SENCO.

Pets As Therapy (PAT)

Our lovely PAT dogs come into school once a week and the children read aloud to the dog for 15 minutes. Sessions are supported by a registered volunteer and a TA from the school.

Research shows that young people can become nervous and stressed when reading to others in a group. When reading to a PAT dog, they become less stressed, less self-conscious and more confident, as the dogs are non-judgmental. PAT dogs provide comfort, encourage positive social behaviours, enhance self-esteem, motivate speech and inspire young people to have fun when reading!

Children are selected by the class teachers in discussion with the SENCO and sessions usually run for half a term.

'Connections' Social/Emotional groups

'Connections' groups run every day in the afternoon. The sessions are run by Mr Leek and Ms Gibbs and they aim to support and develop well-being, self-esteem and to develop emotional literacy.

The sessions are fun and informal and there is a maximum group size of 10 (with 2 adults supporting). Emphasis is placed on respect and good listening and in every session the children are given the opportunity to share how they are feeling or any news they have with the group. Children can share any issues they may be struggling with, including dealing with changes, relationships, or difficult emotions such as anxiety and anger. Through a range of activities we aim to promote pro-social behaviours and develop qualities such as optimism, resilience, motivation and impulse control.

We focus on building strong and trusting relationships with the children so that they feel safe, valued and able to share their ideas and feelings.

Sessions also include a snack and a drink. We encourage good manners and a number of the children really like to help hand round the food and drink as well as helping to clear up! On occasions, our Year 6's act as 'Connections ambassadors' - they come and help to run the groups for the younger children.

Some of the groups have spent time doing activities outside in the small garden area and planting. We tend to tailor the activities to meet the needs of each group, once we know the children and their needs.

Our children said...

Yr 3 child "I can talk to Ms G and Mr L about stuff that is going on. It is a privilege to come."

Y3 child "Connections has really helped me with my feelings because I can talk about my feelings a little easier now and explain how I feel. I am a little more confident in approaching people to play with me."

Yr4 child "I now understand that all sorts of feelings are normal and Connections is helping me to deal with feelings I find tricky."

Yr 5 child "I really enjoyed our outside sessions, l feel happy and nice outside ."

Y5 child "Connections has helped me to understand better how to do the right thing and I have been in trouble less."

Yr 6 child "I am encouraged to be sensible and make the right choices.Doing this in a small group is reflected in class - most of the time!"

Y6 child "I like to talk about what makes me upset and I feel that in Connections I can do this, which is helpful to me. It is good to talk in a small group."

Parent comments...

Yr 3 children

"Y loves the toast! He sees the meetings as a real treat. He has talked beautifully at home about body language, emotions, and friendships - a positive experience. Thank you!"

Yr 4 children

"I have noticed X is more confident around adults and he is able state his needs more clearly."

Yr 4 children

"It has helped X's confidence and understanding in talking about his emotions and feelings."

Yr 5

"Y says it is a place where he can relax and get away from the pressure of everything. He finds school extremely demanding and overwhelming at times and Connections supports him with that."

Yr 5

"I have noticed that X has become calmer and has a better appreciation of the fact that someone else’s opinion may be different."

Teachers' comments
"X is now able to contribute in class and make relevant comments on the subject in hand."

Teachers' comments

"Y can now talk about his feelings and we are working on talking things through when there are issues with peers."

Teachers' comments

"There have been significant improvements in X's behaviour, resilience and attitude towards learning this term. X is becoming more reflective when things go wrong."