Pastoral Care

Transition through school can present many challenges for young people which can bring on stress, anxiety, depression or relationship problems with those around them.

 

The school-based counselling services offer support to young people faced with difficult life experiences and is available throughout DBS schools.

 

Secondary Pastoral Structure

 

 

Safeguarding

DBS fully recognises its responsibilities towards child protection and safeguarding children and that we have an active role in protecting our students from harm and promoting their welfare.

 

We recognise that we may be the only stable, secure and predictable element in the lives of children at risk, and so we endeavour to maintain an environment where students can feel secure, are encouraged to talk and are listened to.

 

We aim to ensure that students can be supported through a school-wide ethos that promotes a positive, supportive and secure environment, valuing students’ independence, feelings and individuality.

 

If you are concerned about anything in primary related to Safeguarding or Child Protection, please contact the following people.

 

Primary

 

 

Secondary

 

 

Counselling at DBS

How can school-based counselling help young people?

School-based counselling can help young people deal with a range of personal problems.

 

• Family breakdown
• Body image / self-confidence
• Relationships
• Violence, anger & aggression
• Exam stress
• Depression / anxiety
• Illness

 

The service aims to help students by:

 

• Providing support to build resilience
• Developing new coping skills and strategies
• Making better sense of relationships
• Helping to manage change and transitions
• Providing a space to explore various life experiences and challenges.

 

The Wellbeing Counselling Service at Doha British School

The Wellbeing Counselling Team plays an important role in providing relevant interventions to promote and support students personal, social and emotional well-being. This ultimately helps students to develop the mindsets and behaviours needed to achieve their academic goals as well as future success in later life.

These are the number of ways in which the Wellbeing Counselling Team can support children here at Doha British School.

 

Preventive

The service is intended to be preventative in nature by identifying prevailing themes, and anticipating the needs of our students. It takes into account the developmental stages the children are going through as they grow, and how the issues associated with this may impact their experiences in school. The Wellbeing Counsellors provide 1:1 support to students and run small groups with the aim of providing students the tools and skills needed to function at their best and build their resilience.

 

Family Support

The Wellbeing Counselling Team supports DBS families too. We offer a number of Parent Information Sessions and ‘Coffee with the Counsellor Mornings’ throughout the academic year. This is to provide opportunities for a Parent and/or Guardian to meet with the Wellbeing Counsellors, and discuss any queries relating to the Wellbeing Counselling Service at DBS.
The Wellbeing Counsellors would also seek to work collaboratively with Parents and Caregivers with respect to a student’s welfare, and in ensuring a student’s ongoing safety. This would happen through regular communication, parental meetings and considering whether an agreed upon wellbeing plan is necessary to best support your child.

 

Teacher Collaboration

The Wellbeing Counselling Team works supportively with teachers to offer advice, guidance and support if there is a barrier identified to a child’s learning. Where a child may avoid a situation they are finding difficult to cope with at school, alongside the child’s teacher, the Wellbeing Counsellor would seek to ensure that the child is empowered to be more likely to tolerate being in class, and help them feel safe and ready to learn. A variety of strategies can be considered to help a child continue to progress and overcome any challenges they may face.

 

Referral to the wellbeing service at DBS

All parents can refer their child to the Wellbeing Counselling Service here at Doha British School. This can be done by telephone or email or you may prefer to speak to your child’s class teacher, House Leader or a member of the Pastoral Team.

 

Wellbeing Counsellors Contact:

Jennifer.Mcclelland@dohabrtishschool.com

Tel. (+974) 4019 8039

Nadira.Ibrahim@dohabritishschool.com

Tel. (+974) 4019 8051

 

Indirect services

If it is felt that your child may benefit from support from an external service, the Wellbeing Counsellor would explore this further with their Parent or Guardian. Currently in Doha, families can access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMH’s) through Sidra and Hamad.

 

Get in touch with our team or contact any of the pastoral team for support and advice.

 

 

SEND

Our approach is based on the ‘Graduated Approach’ set out in the SEN Code of Practice (2015). This is the practice of putting in place suitable SEN provision and then keeping it under review, with staff and parents working together, to always achieve effective support for a child.

 

At DBS we believe in and practice participation for all. For us, the student and their family are at the heart of all we do.

 

We believe that all adults and students should participate in learning and we celebrate all members of our school community.

 

We celebrate an inclusive culture in our school and aim always to be as responsive as possible to the diverse backgrounds of our students, their interests, experience, knowledge and skills.

 

Tiered System

At DBS we follow a tiered system of support, identifying student need through assessment and conversation and putting in place, with support of parents, the right level of support needed to maximise each day.

 

Get in touch

If you wish to discuss any SEN needs with the school, please contact Fatema Khan (SENDCo)