Thomas’s has a multi-layered approach to pastoral care. Form teachers, pastoral year leaders, school nurses and counsellors in each school provide guidance and understanding, whilst class time, assemblies and lessons create opportunities to connect with, understand and support our pupils.
The curriculum covers life skills, strategies and knowledge to help our pupils make a positive contribution to the world, whilst supporting their physical and mental health and wellbeing.
We work with agencies and professionals supporting our pupils and their parents through an extensive programme of talks and workshops about many aspects of wellbeing.
Sport nurtures growth, independence and resilience, as well as fairness, respect and sportsmanship. We encourage and foster a love of sport and an understanding of the long term benefits of physical activity and the opportunities it provides.
Our teachers and coaches are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and motivated and aim to lay firm foundations for our pupils and students to lead healthy, active lives.
We teach our children to become physically confident, developing health and fitness in an environment in which they feel safe and valued. We want to ensure that pupils compete in and enjoy every aspect of sport, relishing both participation and competition.
At Thomas’s we work hard to maintain a robust culture of safeguarding, where every single employee understands their essential role and responsibility in creating a safe environment for our pupils. All recruitment follows a thorough and detailed process and staff receive extensive training throughout their time with us. Our commitment to safeguarding permeates every aspect of school life and we have created a culture of vigilance within which staff are well prepared to identify the signs of a child in need.
Each school has its own Designated Safeguarding Lead and a team of highly experienced and qualified individuals who make up a wider committee of safeguarding professionals. The schools follow all government guidance and ensure that safeguarding is a part of our everyday duty of care for and supervision of the children.
At Thomas’s, we are committed to ensuring that our pupils receive not only a wholesome, nutritious and balanced meal each day but also a delicious one. Lunch for the whole school community is cooked by a team of chefs, who enjoy discussing the choices on offer with the children each day and work with even the fussiest eaters to find something they would enjoy eating.
The children can choose from a range of lunch dishes, as well as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and every effort is made to minimise sugar and salt consumption. The day’s menu can include anything from chicken and chorizo jambalaya or pepper crusted salmon with garlic chickpeas to lentil and carrot soup with garlic dough balls.
Our chefs will accommodate any allergy, exclusion diet, food intolerance and religious requirement, along with pupils’ natural likes and dislikes. Nuts are never brought into school.
Pupils regularly sample international cuisines, celebrate Nepal Day and have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, occasionally inviting special guests to join them for lunch.
