Pastoral Care in the Junior School

Class Teachers: 

At the heart of our pastoral care system are Class Teachers, who build strong relationships with their students and families. They provide personalised guidance, monitor well-being and progress, and serve as the first point of contact for both academic and emotional support. This close connection ensures that each child feels known and cared for every day. 

Specialist Support: 

For additional needs, students benefit from a range of specialist services: 

• Emotional Guidance Counsellor: Helping students navigate challenges like anxiety, friendships, and confidence, promoting resilience and emotional well-being. 
• Learning Support Professionals: Offering tailored strategies to support students academically, ensuring every child can fully engage with the curriculum. 
• Health Centre: Providing immediate care for medical needs and promoting health and well-being across the school. 

Our pastoral care is led by the Junior School Principal, supported by the Heads of First and Lower School. Together, they ensure a cohesive approach to well-being, working collaboratively with Class Teachers, specialist staff, and families to provide tailored support when needed. 

By maintaining a clear focus on the well-being of every child, the leadership team creates an environment where students feel safe, confident, and ready to embrace challenges. 

The PSE curriculum is a cornerstone of our pastoral care approach, equipping students with essential life skills to navigate their academic and social worlds. Through engaging and age-appropriate lessons, students learn about well-being, relationships, and personal responsibility. This curriculum supports emotional growth, builds resilience, and encourages empathy, preparing students for the complexities of life both in and beyond school. 

At NLCS (Singapore) Junior School, pastoral care is about more than support—it’s about empowerment. By fostering strong relationships, providing personalised guidance, and nurturing well-being, we ensure that every child feels confident, cared for, and capable of achieving their best.

We provide a balanced, nurturing environment where academic ambition meets personalised pastoral support. Our teachers guide and support students daily, the positive relationships formed ensure that teachers know the children in their care and can provide individualised support if and when needed.

The school prioritises pastoral care to ensure the children have a clear understanding of our expectations. The First School Special Words and the Lower School Spirit act as our guide to reinforcing these expectations as well as encouraging children to make choices that represent the ‘best version of themselves'.

All the adults who interact with the children on a regular basis are responsible for the pastoral care of the students. We have a restorative approach to pastoral care and understand that positive relationships are the foundation to a strong pastoral approach at school. We work with children to ensure they are empowered to act accordingly and recognise that mistakes are part of a child’s development.

The PSE curriculum introduces and develops children’s understanding of these values and class teachers deliver PSE lessons each week. The First School Special Words and the Lower School Spirit both embody the desirable characteristics that these two phase identities strive to embed in the young people. Children are encouraged to take risks, reflect and celebrate each other’s achievements within a caring environment, so that they become ‘the best versions of themselves’.

Each Junior School class at NLCS (Singapore) is intentionally small to ensure personalised learning.

Pre-KG: Up to 20 students, supported by a teacher, a teaching assistant, and an assistant teacher.

KG2 & Grade 1: Up to 20 students, led by a teacher and an assistant teacher.

Grades 2–5: Up to 24 students, with a teacher and a teaching assistant, with the Grades 4 and 5 teaching assistants supporting two classes.

Students spend time outdoors daily for play, PEH and structured exploration. Morning and lunchtime breaks total around 45 minutes, with additional outdoor learning integrated into early years and science topics when relevant to the learning.

There are times when some children require a more individualised approach. On these occasions, members of our Individual Needs team (including the School Counsellor) will support a child.

Teachers closely observe each student’s emotional and academic progress, referring to the pastoral and learning-support teams when additional guidance or intervention is needed.

Yes. Selected students may receive extended English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, following an individual assessment. This tailored programme strengthens language skills and confidence for students new to English-medium learning.

There are 2 programmes to support our English Language Learners such as our EAL support and Extended EAL programme. EAL support is provided by the EAL team who work with children in small groups or individually. Sometimes this support takes place in the child’s classroom and sometimes the child might work 1:1 in an EAL classroom. There is no additional charge for this support.

Extended EAL is delivered both in the school day and after school. Support in the school day is delivered in a similar way to EAL support. However, children on the Extended EAL programme are expected to attend additional classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3.15pm-4.15pm. There is an additional charge for this provision.

We are responsive to any unkind behaviour from children. We work with children and parents to ensure that we focus on repairing relationships and addressing any harm caused. Our approach is restorative, recognising that children may make inappropriate choices, and using these moments as valuable learning opportunities. All reports of bullying are thoroughly investigated and if a child is found to have engaged in bullying behaviours, appropriate consequences are discussed and implemented.

New students are warmly welcomed by their class teacher, who assigns the new student a buddy. Children who join our school at the start of the school year have an opportunity to meet their class teacher prior to the start of term. Our PSE programme teaches the children the importance of friendship, belonging and community.

Parents are active partners in pastoral care. Teachers work with parents to ensure children are supported at school. Various events during the year highlight the importance of this partnership. These events include: Settling In meetings, Parent Teacher Conferences, Parent Workshops and Celebrations of Learning.

Transitions between year groups are well planned, to ensure the children cope with changes with resilience and positivity. All returning children meet their new class teacher at the end of the School Year. There is a Transition Programme for the children moving from the First School to the Lower School. This programme introduces the children to the additional specialist subjects and the Lower School learning spaces.

There is a well planned Transition Programme for the children moving from the First School to the Lower School. This programme introduces the children to the additional specialist subjects and the Lower School learning spaces.

The Pastoral leaders in the Lower School work closely with the Middle School Pastoral leads to ensure a smooth transition from the Junior School to the Senior School. Students are involved in transition events and in Term 3 attend lessons in the Senior School during the Grade 5 Transition Week.