Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care

Ballymoney High School is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and well-being of all our pupils - making sure they are protected from harm and given the information they need to protect themselves. We work closely with parents, external agencies and the local community to fulfil this role and we take this responsibility very seriously.

Full details of our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies can be found in the Policies section.

Our Safeguarding Team are:

  • Designated Teacher for Child Protection and Head of Student Support: Mrs K Blair

  • Deputy Designated Teacher for Child Protection and Vice Principal: Mr D Watson

  • Principal: Mr J Bingham

  • Designated Governor for Child Protection: Mrs J Reid

Anti-Bullying

We believe that bullying has no place in our school.  Bullying includes (but is not limited to) the repeated use of any verbal, written or electronic communication, any other act, or any combination of those by a pupil or a group of pupils against another pupil or group of pupils, with the intention of causing physical or emotional harm to that pupil or group of pupils. ‘Act’ includes omission.   We believe that all pupils whatever their race, culture, gender, faith, sexual orientation, physical or intellectual abilities have the right to:

  • a safe and secure environment at school

  • concentrate on their educational progress without fear of others


We promote an environment which promotes respect for others and where all members of the school are encouraged to contribute to a caring ethos.

All pupils are encouraged to speak to a member of staff if they are being made to feel uncomfortable at school or if they witness this happening to others.  We have a wide range of means available for students to pass on concerns outside of speaking to their Head of Year.  These include a designated pupil self-referral box, an online ‘Speak Out Safely’ form accessible via the school website and dedicated weekly drop-in sessions with the school counsellors. We encourage parents/ guardians to let us know if there is a problem that is making their child/ children unhappy. Bullying cannot be dealt with if the school is unaware of the problem.

(See the full Anti-Bullying policy for further information.)

Positive Behaviour Management

At Ballymoney High School we aim to promote a well-ordered and inclusive learning environment promoting self-esteem, self-discipline and positive relationships based on mutual respect. We have well established Positive Behaviour Management policies and procedures with a fundamentally restorative basis. These are designed to ensure equality and fairness for all promoting a culture of praise and encouragement in which all pupils can achieve. Our whole school reward system encourages pupils to gain credits for the positive choices they make.

 

If issues arise where pupils make negative choices regarding their behaviour or application we have a range of early intervention strategies including target setting and mentoring designed to bring about more long-term change through restorative means.   All of our procedures are based on promoting a positive relationship with parents and carers to strengthen Home-School links and develop a shared approach.