Welcome to radyr pastoral
Supporting Your Child: The Role of the Wellbeing and Pastoral Team
At Radyr Comprehensive School, the Pastoral and Wellbeing Team plays a vital role in ensuring every student feels safe, supported, and ready to learn. We work closely with students, families, and staff to promote a positive school experience and help young people thrive both emotionally and academically.
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What We Do:
Emotional and Mental Health Support
We provide a safe space for students to talk about their feelings and challenges. Our team offers one-to-one support, group interventions, and referrals to specialist services when needed. We focus on building resilience, confidence, and coping strategies.
Promoting Wellbeing
Through assemblies, workshops, and wellbeing activities, we encourage healthy habits, positive relationships, and self-care. We also celebrate achievements and promote kindness, inclusion, and respect across the school.
Pastoral Care
Each student is known and valued. Our pastoral staff monitor behaviour, friendships, and overall wellbeing; working proactively to prevent issues and respond quickly when concerns arise.
Encouraging Excellent Attendance
Excellent attendance is key to success. We work with students and families to understand barriers to attendance and offer support to overcome them. This includes regular check-ins, attendance mentoring, and celebrating improvements.
Working Together
We believe that strong partnerships with parents and carers are essential. If you ever have concerns about your child’s wellbeing, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can ensure your child feels happy, safe, and supported at school.
Meet our team
LOWER SCHOOL
The overarching aim of the Lower School Team is to provide every pupil with a positive start and a solid platform for future success. Through tailored pastoral care and academic guidance, we help students develop the right attitude towards learning, encouraging resilience, ambition, and a commitment to personal growth
UPPER SCHOOL
Our upper school team is dedicated to supporting pupils in key stage 4 as they navigate some of the most important and formative years of their education. We provide clear guidance, structured support and a strong focus on academic progress.
Year 9 team
Mrs Lowe- Wellbeing Officer- LoweL21@Hwbcymru.net
Mrs Gerke- Temporary Wellbeing Officer- GerkeJ6@Hwbcymru.net
Mrs Slade- Progress Leader- SladeK16@Hwbcymru.net
Year 10 team
Ms Bees- Wellbeing Officer- BeesH7@Hwbcymru.net
Ms Driscoll- Progress Leader- DriscollR5@Hwbcymru.net
Year 11 team
Ms Randell- Wellbeing Officer- RandellC2@Hwbcymru.net
Mr Thomas- Progress Leader- ThomasM1744@Hwbcymru.net
Class Charts & Attendance
Class Charts is a digital platform we use to centralise, monitor and analyse a wide range of pupil data. Pupils and parents have access to a pupils progress in real-time.
Internal provisions
At Radyr Compressive School, we are committed to supporting every student’s emotional wellbeing, mental health, and personal development. Our pastoral team offer a wide range of support tailored to individual needs.
Internal interventions and Additional Support:
Attendance Mentoring : helping students overcome barriers to regular attendance.
ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) Mentoring: supporting emotional regulation, self-esteem, and resilience.
Feelings of Funny Things: supporting emotional awareness and expression in an inclusive group based setting.
Talk About Teenagers: guiding students through the challenges of adolescence.
Peer Elevate: where trained sixth form students provide guidance and encouragement to our Year 7 students as they settle into their first year with us.
Young Carers: A whole school approach to identifying and supporting young people that have a caring role. We were the first school in South Wales to be award ‘Best Practice School’ for young carers. We provide a safe space, training opportunities and activities for young carers to have some respite as well as supporting the family unit.
Lego Therapy: A collaborative play-based intervention that encourages both verbal and nonverbal interaction. Has been beneficial for supporting pupils that can struggle with social communication and anxiety. The goal of the programme is to promote turn taking, eye contact, building relationships and developing.
Tree of Life: A creative, therapeutic intervention through narrative therapy. This intervention provides people with the opportunity to make sense of important parts of their lives and gives the opportunity to build on their personal strength and resilience.
Jett's Story
Oasis and Nurture
Oasis is a multi-purpose space that is versatile and welcoming. Oasis is used to support a diverse range of learners, in a wide variety of ways.
OASIS PROVISIONS
ALN Team
Supporting small groups in targeted intervention sessions. Focusing on emotional and academic studies.
Lunchtime and Breaktime
Oasis is open for all pupils during break and lunchtimes, to provide a safe and social space for pupil to come to if they are feeling isolated, or want to socialise with peers.
Quiet club
Offered to a small number of select pupils that find Oasis too stimulating at lunchtimes. Pupils are able to eat their food in a quiet classroom with a member of the ALN support team.
External specialists
We work closely with a number of specialists who attend on a regular basis to support and provide additional guidance for students with the following needs:
- Emotional Health and Wellbeing
- Autism
- Speech and Language
Nurture
Nurture is a quiet room in the school, that despite its small size, has a huge impact for our KS3 pupils that have challenges with transitioning to secondary school
Nurture is a safe space where a small number of selected pupils are able to access extra learning to support classroom topics, develop social skills and have some quiet time in the busy day.
The Cabin
Our cabin provision was established in 2024 to support pupils with school-based anxiety and non-attendance.
A small group of pupils are encouraged to attend as often as they feel able to. Pupils focus on achieving the qualifications that will allow them to move into post 16 pathways.
This provision is discreetly located on the edge of our school site, accessible with an alternative entrance to the main reception.
Revolve
Our alternative provision, developed in response to the changing needs of our school community. Revolve offers a tailored environment that focuses on academic progress and emotional well-being.
Revolve provision
Specialist staff
Staff have a wide range of experience in additional learning needs, mental health and behaviour support.
Tailored Curriculum
Revolve has a custom tailored curriculum that is accessible to all students.
Outcomes
Students leave with a clear pathway forward. Having developed resilience, confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.
External Interventions
To complement our in-school support, we also work with a wide range of highly skilled external agencies to ensure students receive the help they need, when they need it.
External interventions and Additional Support
The Emotional Health and Wellbeing Team
This team provides targeted support for students experiencing emotional or mental health challenges. They offer one-to-one sessions, group work, and strategies to help students build resilience and manage stress effectively.
The Youth Service
Through the Youth Service, trained peer mentors are available across all key stages. These mentors offer relatable guidance, promote positive relationships, and help students navigate challenges both in and out of school.
School-Based Counsellors
Our counsellors provide confidential, professional support for students dealing with personal, emotional, or social issues. They create a safe space where students can talk openly and receive guidance tailored to their needs.
Our School-Based Careers Adviser
Located on-site, our Careers Adviser helps students explore future pathways, whether academic, vocational, or employment-based. They offer personalised advice, CV support, interview preparation, and access to work experience opportunities.
The School Nurse
The nurse supports students with physical health concerns, chronic conditions, and general wellbeing.
Our Educational Psychologist
This specialist works with students who may need additional support with learning, behaviour, or emotional development. They conduct assessments, provide strategies for staff and families, and contribute to tailored intervention plans.
celebrating success
At Radyr Comprehensive School, we believe that every achievement—big or small—deserves to be recognised. Whether it's a moment of brilliance in a single lesson or consistent effort across an entire academic year, we are proud to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and talents of all our pupils.
Daily Recognition
Every day, our staff award Achievement Points through Class Charts to recognise excellent effort, positive behaviour, and academic success. These points build up over time and contribute to both individual and form group rewards.
Half-Termly Celebrations
At the end of each half term, we host Celebration Assemblies to highlight outstanding contributions. Pupils receive certificates for a range of achievements, and forms compete for exciting group rewards.
Termly Reward Trips
To mark the end of each term, we organise Reward Trips for pupils who have consistently demonstrated positive attitudes and behaviours. These have included festive visits to Winter Wonderland and thrilling days out at theme parks in the summer.
Annual Awards Evening
Our school year culminates in a prestigious Awards Evening, where we celebrate exceptional achievements across all areas of school life. Pupils are honoured with trophies, certificates, and Amazon vouchers, recognising their academic excellence, personal growth, and contributions to the school community.
Celebrating the Whole Child
We are committed to recognising not just academic success, but also the many ways our pupils shine outside the classroom—in sports, the arts, leadership, and community involvement. Every pupil has the opportunity to be celebrated for who they are and what they bring to our school.
Testimonials
Willow's story
Cabin testimonial
"I think The Cabin was really good to help me re-enter school. It gave me the opportunity to do my GCSEs in a non-stressful environment. I was able to readjust to a classroom setting - before I actually returned. It gave me flexibility - so that is I was having a bad day -I didn't feel pressured to be okay. It helped me to develop friendships and social skills to progress in life. I used to have panic attacks before school, and argue with my parents about school, but now I am able to just come in - and me and my parents get on much better. Sometimes, I even feel happy to come - and I don't feel like crying every day."
Cabin provision
Parent of current student who accesses The Cabin
The cabin has been nothing short of transformative for our daughter. As parents of a neurodiverse child with ASD and severe social anxiety, we watched her struggle profoundly with school attendance. In year 9, she was unable to attend at all - the thought of entering the school environment was simply too overwhelming.
The cabin offered her a lifeline. It became a safe and nurturing space where she could begin to re-engage with school on her own terms. Initially, she stayed until lunchtime, but by the end of the year, she gained enough confidence to leave the Cabin, explore parts of the school site, and even sit five year 10 exams - something we never imagined possible just a year earlier.
Our daughter is now beginning to take small steps toward building friendships with peers, something that once felt completely out of reach. Now a month into year 11 she is attending some lessons and sometimes making it through the whole day. We are incredibly grateful for the care, patience and support that have helped her begin to reclaim her education.
What makes the cabin so special is its flexibility and understanding... Every step is supported, and every student's need is met wherever they are on their journey. The consistent staff, the gentle encouragement and the excellent communication between home and school have made all the difference.
We are incredibly grateful for the care, patience, and support that have helped her begin to reclaim her education.
Revolve testimonial
"When I was 15, I hated school. I moved from another school, leaving my friends and a place I was comfortable and familiar with. Moving to Radyr Comprehensive, I was angry I was there. At times I was rude, defiant, and always clashed with teachers. I refused to do my work, didn’t listen to instructions, and skipped lessons whenever I could. I was in constant trouble, whether that was for truancy, vaping, or getting into arguments with staff and even other students. I was so close to being permanently excluded.
That changed when I joined Revolve in June 2022. From the very beginning, it felt like a completely different environment. Slowly, I began to change. The staff helped me manage my behaviour, and I stopped getting into the constant arguments and incidents that used to happen all the time.
I started to mature and focus, and I actually wanted to do well. Revolve gave me the chance to prove myself, and I did, I left with 14 qualifications, most at Level 2, with good grades that I never thought I’d achieve."
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