Family and House Guidance System at South Island School

“A high quality education starts with relationships.”

(The Council of Essential Schools’ handbook for 21st Century education)

 Our guidance system aims to ensure all students are known and are able to build relationships with peers and significant adults in a trusting environment in order to support them as learners. To do this effectively the school population is divided into three smaller groupings, which we have called ‘Families’.

Family Bauhinia is for students in Years 7, 8 & 9, ensuring that they have the best possible introduction to the school.  There are over 600 students in this family, supported by a leadership team of one Yr 7-9 Phase Leaders ( MYP Coordinator), a Head of Year 7, Head of Year 8, and Head of Year 9, 36 Tutors, a Prefect Team and a number of support staff.

Key aims of Family Bauhinia is to:

• learn as much as we can about incoming students and their PYP experience and to use that understanding to shape their learning with us

• continue to obtain the best possible personal picture of each individual child and to monitor, track and report academic and personal progress

• give Year 7 students the chance to mix with and learn from Year 8 students

• offer all the students a chance to take up leadership and personal development role

• manage learning choices and students' transfer into the next ‘family’

In Year 10, students change from gaving a Head of Year to having a Head of House. Similar to the Heads of Year, the major duties of the Head of House includes building strong relationships with every student within their care, leading a team of tutors and working proactievly with parents, guardians, students and staff to address any well-being issues which might arise as well as to help monitor academic achievement and coordinate support where needed.  

Key aims of our Years 10-13 House Family is to: 

• establish a really strong House and Family spirit that is both unique and consistent with the values of the School

• focus on charity work and CAS through meaningful and sustainable relationships

• advise and guide on each student’s personal study route and monitor, track and report academic and personal progress

• provide personal and high quality careers guidance from Year 10 onwards

• give younger students opportunities to mix with and learn from older peers

• establish family relationships with particular Houses so that brothers and sisters can be known together and parents build relationships with a single Head of House

• offer the best possible preparation, academically and emotionally, for students choosing and starting the Diploma programmes

• offer a warm and welcoming House for new students

• make sure that every child is known and known well

This supportive environment begins immediately upon entry to South Island School when each student joins their Tutor group.  The Tutor group is made up of 18/20 students and the Tutor and students remain together throughout years 7 to 13, helping to build trusting relationships, foster a group identity and promote long term and sustainable growth and development.

 Students are motivated to give their best through a sense of ownership and belonging. By building relationships between Heads of Houses, subject teachers, tutors and parents, we work together to ensure that students develop the knowledge, skills and understanding to be confident, successful and independent individuals and members of society.