Pastoral Care | Epsom College
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Student wellbeing is our single biggest concern. We want you to be happy and well looked after. We want you to enjoy your time at Epsom, but we also want you to feel supported should you experience any bumps in the road.

Throughout your time at Epsom, you will be supported by an extensive network of staff who are responsible for your emotional and physical wellbeing. 

This network includes all of the teaching staff, the majority of whom are House tutors. The Houses each have a Housemaster or Housemistress, a Deputy Housemaster/Mistress, a Matron, and Tutors for every 8 or 9 pupils (with individual tutors in your Sixth Form).

Key pastoral staff have received Mental Health First Aid training, which is regularly updated as part of a wider programme of seminars, workshops and training on issues relating to teenage mental health.

Epsom's Houses

Your House becomes your second family. It’s a tight-knit community of young people who encourage, console, share and laugh together. 

All students are members of a House, whether they are day or boarding pupils. Each House is single-sex, and home to roughly 80 pupils, from Year 9 to Upper Sixth.

Each House is a physical building, offering a sense of sanctuary and community. Each one is led by a Housemaster or Housemistress, alongside their Deputy and the all-important Matron. There are also Tutors, who look after 8 or 9 pupils.

As a senior pupil, you will be expected to take on leadership roles and offer support and guidance to those in the junior years.

Learn more

National Awards for Student Wellbeing

In the past 12 months Epsom has scooped three major awards as a result of our focus on the mental health and wellbeing of pupils and staff.

Epsom College has been awarded ‘Gold Status’ for its outstanding whole-school approach to the mental health and wellbeing of its pupils, staff and wider community.

The Mental Health in School Award was established in 2017 by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools – part of Leeds Beckett University – and social enterprise Minds Ahead.

Following the Carnegie Award, judges at the annual Independent School of the Year Awards gave Epsom the top prize for its work on student wellbeing, and then crowned the College the overall Independent School of the Year.

“With an ethos of serve, share, and care, Epsom College provides a holistic personal approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing in their community and beyond,” said Tracy Shand, at the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools.

Over 1,000 schools have signed up to the award, with Epsom College one of just four UK boarding schools to achieve Gold Status.

“Epsom College demonstrated they are excelling in all the Mental Health Award competencies,” said Tracy, “with particular attention to the opportunities to lead and share their knowledge and experience both locally and globally.”

Structured Support

There are a lot of adults charged with the care and wellbeing of your child. In addition to the Housemaster/Housemistress (‘HMM’) and the Head of Year, your child will have a Form Tutor. Form Tutors register the pupils each morning and lead three weekly Wellbeing sessions, which include delivery of the College’s PSD programme (part of what was assessed by the Carnegie Centre, see above) and regular mindfulness sessions. PSD stands for Personal and Social Development.

The Form Tutor plays a pivotal role in our pastoral provision, they see pupils daily and monitor their wellbeing and ‘soft skills’ as much as their individual academic progress.

In conjunction with the Head of Year and the Housemaster/Housemistress (‘HMM’) , the Form Tutor will ensure that concerns about any aspect of school life can be dealt with appropriately and as quickly as possible.

These key staff are supported by a wider team at the College, including:

  • Two school counsellors, qualified child psychotherapists with NHS experience. Pupils can be referred through their form tutors or Head of Year
  • the College Chaplain, the Reverend Canon Andrew Haviland
  • the Assistant Head: Pupil Wellbeing & Designated Safeguarding Lead, Chris Filbey
  • the Second Master, Paul Williams
  • the Governor with overall responsibility for safeguarding and pupil welfare, John Hay.

Welcome to the Sixth Form