Pastoral Care

At Abingdon, our vision is to foster a culture where mental and physical health are proactively integrated into the fabric of a student’s everyday life. We are committed to building an inclusive community that values and empowers every student to navigate modern challenges with resilience and informed confidence.

Led by our Head of Wellbeing, we deliver a high-quality Personal Development Education (PDE) programme that addresses complex topics, from digital safety and consent to emotional wellbeing and healthy relationships, enabling pupils to make safe, healthy and informed decisions.

All of our teaching staff are trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid and we maintain a robust and equitable support system where individualised care plans and expert guidance provide a secure foundation for all students.

Our commitment to pastoral excellence includes a robust, on site professional counselling service. Overseen by the Head of Wellbeing, our team of school counsellors works alongside the House system to provide an extra layer of specialist support. We empower our students to take agency over their own mental health by offering a self-referral system, allowing them to book appointments independently. This ensures that help is always accessible, confidential, and integrated into the school day.

All Abingdon staff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the physical and emotional welfare of students, both within and outside school. This involves protection from significant physical or emotional harm and ensuring the satisfactory development and growth of each individual.

Staff follow the school’s Child Protection Guidelines, which are in line with the Department for Education’s (DfE) and Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP) practice and procedures.

The School’s Child Protection policy can be downloaded from the School’s policy page.

Online Safety and Digital Citizenship are an important part of keeping children safe. At Abingdon, we have extensive security measures in place in school, which are monitored to help safeguard our students from potential dangers or unsuitable material. Any online incidents are recorded and managed. Online Safety and Digital Citizenship are taught to all students, explaining and demonstrating how to stay safe and behave appropriately online. It is made very clear to all students how online activity can have offline consequences and can affect their wellbeing and future employability.

The School’s anti-bullying, safeguarding, ICT and social media policies offer procedures and advice on all aspects of eSafety.

We acknowledge that we can only be successful in keeping children safe online if we work with parents to ensure the Online Safety and Digital Citizenship message is consistent. It is important that parents speak to their children about how they can keep safe and behave appropriately online.

Additional guidance and resources are available to parents via:

• NSPCC advice
• DfE Advice
• CEOPS

Within Abingdon:

• Designated Safeguarding team at [email protected]
• Tutors
• Heads of Section
• The Chaplain, or another member of the Chaplaincy team
• Health Centre staff
• School Counsellors, available at [email protected]
• Whisper

Wider Community:

• Childline 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk
• Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) 0345 050 7666
• Ofsted 0300 123 1231 or [email protected]
• Office of the Children’s Commissioner 0800 528 0731 or [email protected]
• NSPCC Helpline to support potential victims of sexual harassment or abuse in education: 0800 136 663 or [email protected]
• Primary Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 01235 547170
• Oxfordshire Social Services Dept. 01865 79534
• CEOP Report Centre

At Abingdon, Personal Development Education (PDE) is the proactive heartbeat of our pastoral care. Our approach moves beyond simple compliance; we provide a research-led, carefully sequenced journey that equips students with the resilience and agency they need to thrive in a complex, modern world.

Our curriculum is built upon the PERMA model (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement), ensuring that wellbeing is taught as a skill that can be developed over time. By delivering age-appropriate content before students encounter specific risks, we move from a reactive model of support to one of empowered prevention.

PDE is woven into the fabric of school life through dedicated lesson time and specialist events:

• Lower School: students begin with our ‘Be More Griffen’ programme, taught in dedicated fortnightly lessons that focus on character, healthy habits, and social transition.
• Middle School: in the Third and Fourth Year, students engage in fortnightly PSHCE lessons to explore more complex social and personal themes. This is supported by intensive RSE Days in the Third and Fifth Year, which feature workshops with specialist healthcare professionals and immersive Theatre in Education companies.
• Sixth Form: our Sixth Form students follow an advanced PDE programme, alongside a high-level lecture series. This curriculum covers essential transitions to adulthood, including law and ethics, addictive behaviours, communicating consent, and financial management. Supported by specialist Sixth Form tutors, students are encouraged to refine the study skills and wellbeing habits necessary for life beyond school.

In addition to formal lessons, PSHCE themes are integrated into tutor time. These smaller group settings allow for regular reflection on vital topics such as online safety, anti-bullying, mental health awareness and inclusion.

PDE is delivered by a team of skilled staff and external specialists, ensuring that sensitive topics—from digital ethics and AI to healthy relationships—are handled with professional nuance. As Abingdon transitions to a co-educational environment, we constantly refine our teaching based on student feedback and the latest statutory guidance ensuring every student feels represented, safe, and prepared for adult life.

We believe that the most effective education happens when school and home work in harmony. We are committed to complete transparency with our parent community, offering regular webinars and access to our curriculum materials. This partnership ensures that the vital conversations started in our classrooms are supported and continued at home.

For more information, please contact the Head of Wellbeing.

At Abingdon, Relationships & Sex Education (RSE) is a multidisciplinary journey taught within PSHCE, Biology, and Philosophy & Theology, as well as through our lecture series and specialist RSE days in Third and Fifth Year. It is built on the principle that knowledge is the best form of protection. Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure students are equipped with the skills to navigate different life experiences in a positive way before they occur. This method, supported by both internal specialists and external experts, empowers our students to develop healthy, respectful relationships while understanding the legal and ethical nuances of the modern world. We operate with complete transparency, working in partnership with parents to ensure our teaching is inclusive, age-appropriate, and provides a secure foundation for adult life.

Our RSE curriculum is structured around six core pillars that evolve in complexity as students move through the school:

• Anti-bullying & DEI: moving from basic kindness to becoming an Upstander who actively promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Values & Pleasure: exploring personal values and fostering positive, respectful messaging around intimacy.
• Consent: developing a nuanced understanding of the law and the communication skills required for healthy boundaries.
• AI Education: navigating the ethics, safety, and impact of AI on relationships and self-image.
• PERMA Wellbeing: using the evidence-based model of Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement.
• Media Literacy: identifying mis/disinformation and deepfakes to ensure students can access accurate support.

For more information about our RSE curriculum, please contact the Head of Wellbeing.

Telephone: 01235 849061
Duty mobile: 07748591057
[email protected]

Opening hours, term time:

• Monday to Friday 08:00 – 18:00
• Saturday 09:00 – 17:00

Our Health Centre is staffed by an experienced and caring team of health care professionals. Situated in Whitefield, they look after unwell or injured day students until their parents/carers are able to collect them; and our boarding community.

Health Centre
Whitefield
18 Park Crescent
Abingdon
OX14 1DD

Forms and guidelines:

• RFU guidelines for return to play following a concussion
• MenACWY vaccination