Pastoral Care: Some Reflections and a Re-statement

Turning Conflict into Co-operation: An Ecosystemic Approach to Interpersonal Conflict and its Relevance to Pastoral Care in Schools

“…Effective pastoral care in schools involves creating the conditions whereby each pupil can reach a standard of academic attainment which is commensurate with his/her abilities, while at the same time fulfilling pupils' affective needs (Galloway, 1985). Best (1989) suggests that of importance equally to the pupil's academic and affective needs is the need for 'control'. 'Control' can be seen in terms of the responsibilities which individuals have to one another within a community, and therefore as integral to developing a sense of citizenship.…”

Academic care, classroom pedagogy and the house group teacher: ‘making hope practical’ in uncertain times

“…By an 'ethic of care' I am referring to an inclusive culture that can be infused holistically throughout a school. In this sense it transcends any notion of the old pastoral-academic divide (Best, 1989;Lang, 1989). These terms are no longer mutually exclusive but rather form part of a DNA sequence that codifies the very lifeblood of a school.…”

Review Symposium

“…Having said this, I suspect that few researchers or practitioners would wish to tie the concept of pastoral care as exclusively to the curriculum as Power does. Rather, most would see the work of the school as a number of distinct but related dimensions of which the curriculum is one and care, control and administration are others (Best et al, 1983). What this might mean for the activities which can be said to constitute pastoral care and personal and social education has been discussed in a number of papers from some of the most influential theorists in the field.…”

“…What this might mean for the activities which can be said to constitute pastoral care and personal and social education has been discussed in a number of papers from some of the most influential theorists in the field. Thus, for example, Watkins (1985) distinguishes between pastoral casework, the pastoral curriculum and pastoral management and in perhaps the most comprehensive statement currently available, Best (1989) offers a model in which teachers and others engaging in pastoral care are seen as contributing to educating the whole person through activities which focus upon the needs of the individual as child (casework), pupil (curriculum), citizen (control) and member of staff (management). I was surprised to find so little discussion of these and related issues and no mention of such texts in Sally Power's book.…”