At John Ruskin we want to ensure that we are able to offer children the emotional support they need to face life’s challenges and achieve their full potential.

Alongside the curriculum focus on wellbeing, we also have a Pupil Development Centre and a counselling service, provided by Child in Time, to support our children’s development.

Pupil Development Centre

The overall purpose of the Pupil Development Centre is to promote the emotional development of the whole school community. By dealing with issues such as raising self esteem, improving social skills and managing negative feelings, the hope is to give children strategies to manage a more positive approach to learning. This term, Snzejana Metikos will be focusing on supporting children to manage the transition back to school. Please do let us know if you feel your child needs support with this.

The Pupil Development Centre offers group and individual sessions to pupils who are in need of support with the social and emotional aspects of learning, school life or their home life.

Principles, Beliefs, Understandings
The centre is not a place of punishment. It is a welcoming place for all the children.

We believe that the work of the Centre represents an essential element of school life that promotes learning, emotional and social capability, and self esteem.

We believe that everything the child does makes sense and we have to make sense of it, which means suspending judgement for certain periods.

We believe that the child is essentially good and wants to do the right thing.

We believe that emotional and social needs are significant barriers to learning.

Pupil Development Centre – School Policy 2020

Child in Time Counselling

This counselling service provides a qualified therapist, Nadia Sheltawy, who provides children with a professional and safe space to be heard. The children meet Nadia weekly for an agreed period of time in a dedicated therapy room.

Please see Miss Tayton or Mrs Brooks if you feel this is a service your child would benefit from.