INCLUSION & PASTORAL SUPPORT
Bottisham Village College is an inclusive school, with a significant number of students with a range of additional needs.
Inclusion and Pastoral Support at Bottisham Village College
Bottisham Village College is an inclusive school. We welcome students with a wide range of needs and abilities, and we are proud of the care and attention each young person receives during their time with us.
Inclusion
The Assistant Principal for Wellbeing and Inclusion leads our Inclusion team, who work alongside teachers to support students in lessons and beyond. Teaching assistants help students make progress in their learning and include fully with their peers.
Where a student needs additional support, we work closely with families to understand their needs and to plan provision. This may include support with literacy and numeracy, study and homework, communication, sensory and physical needs, social and emotional resilience, and life skills. Provision is reviewed regularly and adjusted as needs change. The Learning Support base is a hub for small group work and quiet study during lessons and at break and lunch times, with a range of resources to support learning.
For the small number of students who are unable to access mainstream education, we work with the Local Authority’s Education Inclusion Officer to plan alternative provision so that every child has a suitable curriculum.
Pastoral Care
We take care to build positive relationships with students and families. Form tutors in each year group work together as a team led by a Head of Learning and an Assistant Head of Learning, supported by a dedicated non-teaching pastoral support worker for the year group. The Heads of Learning report to a member of the College Leadership Team. Together they hold an overview of every student’s wellbeing — their attendance, behaviour and progress — and form close links with parents and carers. Where it helps, Heads of Learning and members of the Leadership Team work with outside agencies to coordinate the right support.
Our pastoral support workers help students with the practical and emotional parts of school life — from transitions and organisation to a difficult day that needs talking through. Where more targeted support is needed, we draw on a range of in-school and partnership provision, including counselling and evidence-based social and emotional interventions.
Young Carers
We are committed to supporting young carers at Bottisham Village College. A young carer is a child or young person under 18 who helps to look after someone in their family — perhaps a parent, sibling or grandparent — who has a physical illness or disability, a mental health condition, a substance misuse issue, or a long-term health or neurodiverse condition. Caring might mean helping with practical tasks at home, providing physical care, or offering emotional support.
Around one in five young people will be a young carer at some point during their school years, and many do not see themselves in that way: caring is simply part of family life. We want all our young carers to know that we recognise what they do, that we are here to support them, and that asking for help is not a sign that anything is wrong at home.
Our Young Carers Champion, Jo Carter, is the main point of contact for young carers and their families. Jo works alongside tutors, pastoral staff and our partners at Centre 33 to make sure young carers are known, supported and able to thrive at school. Support is tailored to the individual and reviewed regularly, and may include adjustments to school routines where caring responsibilities make this necessary.
If your child helps to look after someone at home — even in small ways — please let us know. Telling us means we can offer the right support, keep an eye on things, and respond quickly if your child needs extra help. Information is held in confidence and shared only with the staff who need to know to provide support.
To get in touch, please contact Jo Carter at [INSERT EMAIL] or speak to your child’s tutor or Head of Learning. More information about young carers is available from Centre 33 at www.centre33.org.uk.
Working with Partners
We work closely with the Bottisham, Burwell and Soham District Team, who offer a range of support services for children, young people and families across the area. They support students with attendance, with personal and social development, and with social or emotional needs, and can connect families with further services when needed. Our local police prevention team also work alongside families and the school to help young people navigate difficult situations safely.
Safeguarding
We are committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment in which children are respected and valued.
Parents and carers should know that the law requires all college staff to pass on information that gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare, including risk from neglect, or physical, emotional or sexual abuse. Staff will seek to discuss any concerns with the parent or carer, and routinely inform them of any referrals to outside agencies. In exceptional circumstances, a referral may be made without the family’s knowledge — for example, where such a discussion would put the child at increased risk of significant harm.
In line with local information sharing protocols, we ensure that information is shared securely and sensitively, and only where it is necessary and proportionate to make sure that children and young people are safe and receive the right service.
The college will seek advice from Social Care where there is reasonable cause to suspect a child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Occasionally, concerns are passed on which are later shown to be unfounded. Parents and carers will appreciate that the member of staff with responsibility for child protection — our Designated Safeguarding Lead — is carrying out their duties in accordance with the law and acting in the best interests of all children.
Relationships and Sex Education
Relationships and Sex Education is provided in line with the policy agreed by the governors and is taught throughout the college as part of the Science and PSHE curriculum. Our aim is to support students to become well-informed young adults who are sensitive to others and who take responsibility for their own lives.