The Primary Teacher's Responsibility for Pastoral Care

The following topics and issues are covered in this chapter:

• c
  the responsibilities of the class teacher for the welfare and protection of individual children;
• c
  primary school policies and structures for pastoral care;
• c
  attendance;
• c
  health and safety;
• c
  child protection;
• c
  physical contact with children;
• c
  health and its relationship to the child's learning;
• c
  children in care;
• c
  bullying; and
• c
  where sources of support can be found.

A concern for pastoral care is likely to permeate everything a teacher does in the primary classroom. Without a commitment by the teacher to the personal well-being of the children in their care, learning is at best greatly restricted and at worst fails to happen at all. For a primary school ...