A Community of Care
In most secondary schools, students are grouped ‘horizontally’ into tutor classes made up of students in the same year level. At Strathallan, the vertical system mixes students from years 7 and 8, and years 9 to 13 in a single tutor class. Overseen by four dedicated House Deans, it is a structure that ensures every student feels known, supported and challenged as they move from year 7 through to year 13.
Starting secondary school can be an anxious time for many students. But by joining a tutor group where the majority of students are already familiar with the school and its systems, those new to the school can feel more settled from day one and gain a better understanding of the school’s culture.
At Strathallan, students in years 7 and 8 are grouped together to help them transition from a primary to a college setting and allow the Dean to design a programme tailored for their specific needs. Year 9 students then join their year 10-13 peers in what has proved to be a very powerful tutor group structure.
Divisions that can exist between students of different age groups are broken down as they team up to compete in tutor quiz and jump jam, or to create a costume for wearable arts. The vertical structure also provides opportunities for senior students to take on a mentoring role. At the start of each academic year, students in years 12 and 13 lead their tutor group in icebreaker activities, and throughout the year they are called on to give advice on exam revision and course planning. But more than this, the older students in each tutor group are a familiar face around campus – a wave at the school gate, a smile in the cafeteria, a cheer on athletics day. New students therefore feel welcome, supported and connected, all of which creates a friendlier atmosphere and builds a community of care. And the fact that siblings are placed in the same tutor group reinforces the sense of familiarity and connectedness.
Continuity and Stability
The continuity provided by a vertical tutor group structure strengthens this connectedness. Not only do students build relationships with each other, they also build a more meaningful relationship with their tutor. As do their parents.
Students remain with the same tutor from year 9 to year 13, which means the tutor gets to know the student and their family extremely well over five years. Students feel more comfortable approaching their tutor for guidance and support, and for parents, the tutor becomes the main point of contact from the day their child starts college until the day they graduate.
A Long-Term View
The House Deans provide another tier of support. Each Dean oversees the cluster of tutor groups in their house so, like the tutor, the Dean also has a ‘five-year view’. This allows the Dean to track a student’s academic progress and pastoral wellbeing, monitoring trends and anomalies, and intervening and providing support where necessary. It’s this long-term oversight that prevents students from falling through the cracks and ensures a consistent approach to meeting a student’s social and learning needs.
Marc Richardson is Angus House Dean and has seen the impact he can have on a student’s entire school journey. “Having a House Dean allows for a more holistic relationship with the student and the student's family,” he says. “We get to know the entire family and build those trust relationships that are such an integral part of pastoral care at Strathallan.”
A Family Community
The vertical tutor group goes beyond the traditional model of a single year-level tutor class that changes each year. Instead, it acts as a small family unit promoting relationship-building and a sense of connection, something that Deputy Principal, Chay Carter, regards as a real strength of the vertical structure.
“A key difference at Strathallan is its strong sense of family community, and vertical tutor groups play a significant role in creating this,” she says. “Vertical groups foster a sense of leadership responsibility in our senior students and give junior students older role models to look up to. The difference can be tangibly seen on a fine day at lunchtime when our senior students and junior students connect together over games in the quad as one Strathallan family.”
It’s a structure that ensures every student at Strathallan receives personalised pastoral care and focused academic tracking, establishing the solid foundation they need to thrive from year 7 through to graduation.
Research shows that when students feel part of a school community, they are more motivated to learn and therefore are more likely to perform better academically. At ACG Strathallan, this is achieved not only through co-curricular events and activities that bring students of all year levels together to compete, have fun or fundraise. A vertical tutor system in the college has also proved fundamental to enhancing each student’s sense of belonging, setting them up for success both socially and academically.
