Marling Student Support

Located at the heart of the school, our Pastoral Office is designed to be a safe and friendly space.

Our team of Student Support Assistants are on hand throughout the school day to offer support and guidance to worried or anxious pupils or to just lend a friendly ear if the day is not going as planned.

We offer an ‘open door’ policy where students can drop in to talk about any concerns or anxieties they may be experiencing. Equally, they may just need some ‘time out’ and a place to recharge without question or judgement.

For extra support, students may be offered weekly mentoring sessions. We also have a dedicated school counsellor and a school nurse who provides drop in sessions once a week.

Pastoral Support Structure

At Marling we are proud of the level of pastoral care we offer our students. As well as having access to our dedicated Student Support Assistants, every student has a Form Tutor who they check in with twice a day. The Form Tutor is the boys’ first point of contact in Year 7 and they remain with the same Tutor Groups throughout their school careers. This enables the boys to develop strong relationships with their peers which provides valuable support throughout the Key Stages.

Heads of Year provide an additional level of pastoral support as do the Heads of Key Stage, while our Head of Pastoral and Associate Headteacher, Glen Balmer, oversees the overall wellbeing of all Marling students.

SMSC - spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Part of the curriculum we offer includes education on Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of students. This is done through Life Skills lessons, assembly programmes and tutor group activities. We also support this work by inviting external agencies in to work with us on initiatives such as Sex Education and Healthy Relationships as well as Substance Misuse training.

Life Skills lessons incorporate Personal, Social, Health and Economic education along with Citizenship.

The aims of these lessons are to enable students to develop the knowledge and skills to be able to manage their lives now and in the future. They are designed to educate the students so that they can stay healthy and safe and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain. Many of the lessons will support the students so that they can make positive choices to improve their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Students will be involved in a range of activities such as discussion, debating, research, role play, the use of creative writing and art work.

In Years 7 and 8 the programme is delivered through two lessons per timetable cycle. In Year 9 there is one lesson per cycle as well as some collapsed timetable days to extend the learning into aspects of financial capability and career choices, as well as work on sex and relationship education and controlled substance misuse.

Topics covered throughout Key Stage 3 include the key concepts of:    

• Healthy lifestyles, including drugs and alcohol education
• Mental health
• Being ‘ManKind’ (challenging gender stereotypes)
• Careers
• Rights and responsibilities
• Healthy relationships
• Dementia
• Economic understanding

Students will also be encouraged to play their part as active citizens in the School and community. This is facilitated through such activities as contributions to form time and Student Council, involvement in charity fundraising events and litter-picking around the campus.

Websites

youngminds.org.uk: offers advice for young people and parents on a range of mental health issues. Includes a 24hr text service and a free parent helpline.

onyourmindglos.nhs.uk: offers young people in Gloucestershire mental health advice and support and where to find help locally and nationally.

ticplus.org.uk: based in Gloucestershire, Teens In Crisis offers online and face to face counselling, text and Freephone service for young people and families.

childline.org.uk: manned by trained counsellors, this site offers support 24 hours a day via email, phone or online chat.

thedoor.org.uk: Stroud-based charity that offers mentoring and youth sessions for young people aged 11-25, support with the transition from primary to secondary school and family support.

samaritans.org: national charity offering a free phone support 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts.

giveusashout.org: 24-hour text message support manned by trained crisis counsellors to help young people find space in times of crisis – send HELP to 85258.

themix.org.uk: national support service for young people who are going through difficult times, available via online chat, helpline or crisis messenger text message service.

winstonswish.org: offers support to children and young people following the death of a parent or sibling, through online chats, phone helpline, email and drop in sessions.

kidscape.org.uk: advice for parents, carers and young people who are facing bullying at school, home or work.

getsafeonline.org: tips on how to keep you and your child safe online.

parentzone.org.uk: experts in family digital life, offering insights into popular digital games and advice on parenting techniques.

papyrus-uk.org: young suicide prevention organisation.

kooth.com : Young people aged 11 to 18 living in Gloucestershire can access free anonymous counselling from qualified counsellors via an online mental wellbeing platform. Kooth is designed for young people experiencing issues with their emotional wellbeing, such as anxiety, low mood or stress. Counselling can be accessed through a drop-in service or booked sessions; there is no referral needed from a health professional, no waiting lists, and no criteria to meet to get support. As well as the option of online counselling, there is an online support network where young people can join friendly discussion boards to connect with others having similar experiences. They can access journals, goal trackers, and self-help articles with the option to contribute their own experiences or advice.

Apps

Calm Harm: uses various activities to help users to resist or manage the urge to self-harm.

Catch It: an online diary to help users understand and make sense of their mood.

Silvercloud: offers a range of supportive and interactive programmes to improve mental wellbeing.

Wellmind: NHS advice, tips and tools to help with stress, anxiety and depression.

Self-help for Anxiety Management (SAM): self-help and private reflection exercises to help manage anxiety.

Fear Tools: an anxiety aid to help you combat generalised anxiety disorder, phobias and social anxiety disorder.

Rise Up + Recover: an app for managing eating disorders and body image.

School nurse text service: get advice on health issues during working hours by texting 07507 333351.

Exams 2023

An Examinations Guide for parents and students can be found here.

Below is a timetable for exams scheduled for summer 2023.

Exams for Years 10 and 11 are shown in white.  Exams for Years 12 and 13 are shaded.

The final day for Year 11 in shool will be the 12th May.  The final day for Year 13 will be the 11th May.

Students are entered for external exams in February 2023.  They will be provided with a statement of entry to check, and these exams can all be seen on Edulink.

Students should be available for the contingency dates, should the exam boards need to reschedule any exams, which are 8th June (afternoon), 15th June (afternoon) and 28th June (all day).

There are official documents which your son/daughter will need to be aware of during the exam/mock periods. These will also be displayed outside the Examination Room.

Ofqual have produced information for candidates taking exams in summer 2023 including information on support, grading and contingency arrangements.  This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-letters-arrangements-for-exams-and-assessments-in-2023/letter-to-students

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) has produced information for candidates, which can be found here.

 REMINDER:

• All students must have clear pencil cases/bags and water bottles must be clear with NO labels.
• NO Phones/iPods/MP3s or watches of any kind in the exam room. 
• Covers on calculators must be removed.

Feeling unwell/accidents/injury etc:

• Please call the school immediately if you are ill or unable to get to the exam.
• If you feel unwell during the exam, inform an invigilator by raising your hand.
• If you are unfortunate enough to have a problem occur before or during the examination period i.e. family problems, accident, injury, illness, please let the Exams Office know as the school will do everything it can to help.
• Special Consideration may be requested from the Exam Boards if there is a problem. (A doctor’s note will be required)