FORM TUTOR

Most members of staff are asked to act as Form Tutors. The role of Form Tutor is vital to the efficient running of the school, successful pastoral care and the delivery of the PD programme. Tutors are accountable to the Year Heads.

The Form Tutor should be the first person to whom a student will turn to for help or advice, although it may sometimes be necessary to refer the matter to the Year Head, Head of School, Deputy Head or, through them, even to an outside agency. It is through regular daily contact that unobtrusive care is exercised.

It is accepted that the Form tutor role could expand to fill any amount of extra time a teacher has. The job description is written in such a way as to express those aspects of the job that must be done, those one would expect a good professional to carry out, and those which denote excellent performance.

The main functions are as follows:

Essential / Expected / Extension

A COMMUNICATION

1. Registration / Registers are a legal document that we have a duty to take and maintain accurately therefore registers must be marked accurately and daily. Reasons for absence must be collected and recorded on the weekly OMR sheet. / Patterns of lateness and absence are recognised and Year Heads notified of background information. Tutors initiate standard letters. / Action is taken to remedy problems relating to lateness and absence.
2. Daily Communication / Communicating with parents regularly and accurately helps parents help the school therefore we must ensure that letters to parents are distributed and recorded in student planners. Returns should be collected and disseminated or passed on. Register notices give essential last minute messages and along with messages from staff briefing should be read out or passed on to the tutor group. / Matters arising from any returns from parents are discussed with Year Heads. / In consultation with Year Head, action is taken on problems and queries.
3. Form Tutor meetings. / Form Tutor meeting ensure that all students have access to the same quality of pastoral care. Attendance is essential if we are to work as an effective team.. / Tutor supports Year Head with constructive criticism. / In conjunction with Year Head, Tutor takes active role in initiating new developments or shouldering responsibility for maintenance of whole year tasks.
  1. Contacts with parents and other
outside agencies. / Our Behaviour Management Policy relies on all staff recording on “Report Cards” the “progress” students are making towards achieving targets set. The Form Tutor has the vital role of checking daily the progress students are making and praising and supporting students.. / In conjunction with Year Head, Tutor arranges to meet parents over matters of concern and in appropriate cases attends meetings of external agencies. / Tutor, after liaison with Year Head, takes responsibility for meeting with parents and outside agencies, reports back and helps whole pastoral team (Head, Dep., Head of School, Year Head) in decision making process.
Essential continued. / Expected continued. / Extension continued.

B ASSESSMENT

1. Reports and Monitoring. / Professional checking of reports and monitoring information to ensure accurate quality information goes home. Reports and monitoring discussed with students and targets are set for the future. / Working with individual students and parents on action plans, usually in the form of personal achievement / or report forms.
2. References, special reports and
Records of Achievement. / To prepare references, testimonials, reports to outside agencies and the like, as required. / Gather information from students and other parties which does not appear on formal reports / monitoring. Advice given to students in constructing personal statements and portfolio of achievements. / Thorough knowledge of all students in the form. In depth picture of both their academic abilities and out of school activities and interests. All students producing quality R. of A. documents.

3. Rewards

/ Tutor gives ongoing feedback / praise in recognition of achievements / Tutor encourages students to complete rewards section in student planners. / In conjunction with Year Head, tutor is involved in promoting schemes to reward achievement in the year group

C ETHOS

1. Assemblies. / Assembly is attended and form group is supervised into Hall. / Tutor subsequently reinforces whole school or year group issues referred to. / Tutor takes responsibility in absence of Year Head for student dismissal. Takes proactive role in follow up to whole school issues raised. Involvement in extended celebrations for year group.
2. Discipline and uniform. / Students not in uniform, or breaking Code of Conduct, are given Cause for Concern slips and referred to Head of Year if incidents are regular. / All form groups are in correct uniform and Code of Conduct is adhered to by vast majority, without regular use of sanctions. / Form group all perfectly attired and sanctions are not necessary to maintain full adherence to Code of Conduct.
3. Checking student planners. / Student Planners are checked and signed weekly. Action is initiated, in conjunction with HOD, Head of Year or relevant subject tutor over any parental comment. / Organisational problems are dealt with: students helped to fill in planners and agreed action taken with Head of Year. / Homework problems are dealt with in liaison with subject tutor, H.O.D. parent and Head of Year or Learning Support Department. Remedial actions are instigated.
D. CITIZENSHIP / PD programme is delivered (Yr. 7) or supported in Yrs 8-13 thorough reference to issues being discussed Tutor is supportive of whole school events / Tutor gives support to whole school events.
Feedback given on PD curriculum / Active promotion of / participation in whole school citizenship events.
Proactive role in rewriting PD materials.

Notes:

1.The above responsibilities are subject to the general duties and responsibilities contained in the statement of Conditions of Employment.

2This job description allocates duties and responsibilities but does not direct the particular amount of time to be spent on carrying them out and no part of it may be so construed. In allocating time to the performance of duties and responsibilities, the post-holder must use Directed Time in accordance with the school’s published Time Policy.

3.This job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post. It will be reviewed at least once each year and it may be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the holder of the post.

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