What is Pastoral Care in Schools?

Pastoral care in schools is the support put in place for pupils' wellbeing, behaviour, and personal development, alongside their academic learning. You'll also hear it called pastoral support – it means the same thing. 

A child who's anxious, hungry, or worried about a friendship won't learn well, however good the lesson or teaching. Those are the kinds of problems that pastoral care tries to solve, so that all students can get the most out of their schooling.

Key Takeaways

• Pastoral care in schools is the support for pupils' emotional, social, and mental wellbeing and personal development, beyond academic teaching.

• It's a whole-school responsibility, shared by form tutors, pastoral leads, and every member of staff.

• It covers mental health, behaviour, attendance, safeguarding, and transitions between years and schools.

• Strong pastoral care is linked to better wellbeing, behaviour, and attainment, and it underpins Ofsted's view of personal development.

What is pastoral care in schools?

Pastoral care is everything a school does to look after its students as individuals, beyond their academics. It covers emotional, social, and mental wellbeing, as well as the personal development that helps young people grow into confident, capable adults.

Pastoral care overlaps with safeguarding, but it goes further. Safeguarding protects pupils from harm, while pastoral care also actively builds wellbeing, belonging, and resilience.

The terms "pastoral care" and "pastoral support" are used interchangeably. Whichever your school uses, the aim is the same: pupils who feel safe, settled, and ready to learn (opens in a new tab).

What does pastoral care include? Examples and initiatives

Pastoral care covers a wide range of support, woven through the school day. The exact mix varies, but most schools combine several of the following.

• Wellbeing and mental health support, including counselling and mentoring

• Behaviour and attendance monitoring and intervention

• PSHE lessons and social and emotional learning

• Transition support between year groups and schools

• Form or tutor time, where pupils check in with a familiar adult

In practice, these show up as everyday initiatives. Think one-to-one check-ins, buddy and peer-support systems, safe spaces for anxious pupils, breakfast clubs, wellbeing assemblies, and the inclusion of student voices through councils and surveys.

Who provides pastoral care in schools?

Pastoral care isn't just the job of one person in the school; the entire staff are committed. Pupils also benefit most when every adult plays a part.

That said, some roles carry specific pastoral responsibilities. Form tutors are usually the first point of contact, supported by a head of year, pastoral leads and managers, the designated safeguarding lead, and school counsellors.

Delivering good pastoral care takes a lot of energy from staff, so it works best when teachers are supported to look after their own wellbeing too. You can't pour from an empty cup.

Why is pastoral care important?

Pastoral care matters because wellbeing and learning are tied together. A pupil who feels supported is more likely to attend, behave well, and engage with their work (opens in a new tab).

The need has grown, too. With around one in five children and young people now thought to have a probable mental health condition (opens in a new tab), schools are often the first place a struggling child is noticed. Strong pastoral systems help staff to spot problems early and act.

The payoff is real. Good pastoral care is linked to better attendance, fewer behaviour issues, stronger belonging, and improved attainment. It also builds the life skills, resilience, and relationship capacities that exams cannot measure.

Pastoral care vs safeguarding and SEND

These three overlap, which can cause confusion, so it helps to define them. Pastoral care is the broad, everyday support for wellbeing and personal development.

Safeguarding is the legal duty to protect pupils from harm and abuse. It sits inside the wider pastoral picture, but it's narrower and more tightly regulated. SEND support addresses specific special educational needs and disabilities, often led by a SENDCo.

Ofsted inspectors look at how these join up. Pastoral care feeds directly into Ofsted's personal development judgements, which assess how well a school supports pupils to become happy, confident young people.

Pastoral care in primary vs secondary schools

The principles are the same across school stages, but the structure changes. In primary schools, one class teacher usually knows each child well, so pastoral care runs through daily routines, trust, and a focus on social skills and emotional literacy.

Secondary schools are bigger and more fragmented, so pastoral care is more formal. Pupils belong to a tutor group or house, with form tutors and heads of year coordinating support. There’s a sharper focus on mental health, friendships, and managing exam stress.

The pastoral care at both phases shares the same goal. Every pupil should have at least one adult who knows them well and will notice when something's wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifications do you need to work in pastoral care?

There are no mandatory qualifications. Teachers move into pastoral roles with their existing teaching qualifications, while pastoral support staff often come from youth work, welfare, or teaching-assistant backgrounds. Safeguarding training is essential, though, and many staff take a relevant Level 3 or counselling qualification to strengthen their practice.

What is a pastoral care policy?

A pastoral care policy is the document that sets out how a school supports pupil wellbeing, who is responsible, and how concerns are handled. It sits alongside the school's wider policies and procedures and safeguarding documents, and staff are expected to know and follow it.

How can a school improve its pastoral care?

Start by listening to pupils more fully through surveys and meetings, then train all staff to spot and respond to distress signals. Strong systems for regulating pupil behaviour, attendance, and transition stages help, as does working with outside professionals. Consistency matters most, since pupils need to trust that support will always be there.

Pastoral care is what turns a school from a place pupils learn academically into a place where they feel known and supported. Get it right, and better behaviour, attendance, and grades tend to follow.

Save My Exams supports that work with exam-board-specific resources, that help pupils feel calmer and more prepared at exam time. Explore the Save My Exams teachers hub to find out more.

References 

Pastoral care: a whole-school approach to creating the ethos of wellbeing that culminates in better engagement and improved academic achievement of learners | BERA (opens in a new tab)

NHS England: One in five children and young people had a probable mental disorder in 2023 (opens in a new tab)