Pastoral Tutor Time

Pastoral Tutor Time is an extremely important time of the School day. It is an enriching and enjoyable session, which tends to be less formal when compared to a usual academic lesson. These lessons set the tone for the day and ensure the boys are prepared for everything.

During Tutor Time, our boys are involved in various different activities which have a wide range of benefits for all ages; from building confidence by presenting to the class, contributing to in-depth discussions or learning new games. All of which are prepared in a way to enable the boys to develop a new skill and broaden their knowledge.

Tutor Time doesn’t just create a calm environment for the boys, it also brings groups together and creates strong friendships, as well as encouraging comradery. It’s important for the boys to have a ‘base’ at school and a trusted point of contact if they happen to experience difficulty throughout the day, and their Tutor Groups create that environment for them.

We have highlighted below a few of the activities that have been happening during Tutor Time throughout this term:

In Mrs Rowland’s class, our boys have been learning about mindfulness during their morning Tutor Time. Following the morning announcements and after taking the register, the boys practise 5 to 10 minutes of relaxation, focusing on their headspace. It’s a brilliant exercise for the boys to do before the busy day ahead.

Headspace is the mindfulness program the boys have been using the last couple of years. It offers a wide variety of mindfulness sessions, as well as animations that discuss the mindfulness ethos. The idea is to learn how to be fully present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgment.

In Mr Langley’s Tutor Time, there is a range of activities that happen throughout the week. On a Monday, the boys watch Newsround to get a sense of what is going on around the world. They will also have an ‘Image of the Day’ displayed on the board for the boys to discuss. This promotes conversation with the boys, getting them to speak about different topics and opens their minds to the world around them.

Our boys are also set presentation tasks, of which individuals choose a topic to present back to the class every Tuesday. Preparing presentation documents and presenting these in front of an audience gives the boys a chance to hone their abilities and share some of their interests and passions from outside of school – this is a great way for boys to learn more about each other and to develop confidence.

Thursday and Friday is when the games begin! Mr Langley really enjoys teaching the boys new games, including Jungle Speed, Zombie Dice, Love Letter & Pass the Pigs.

In Mr Walker’s Tutor Time sessions, Tuesdays are set aside for quiet reading. This really gives the boys a chance to wind down and have some quiet time. On Friday afternoons they are greeted by a general knowledge quiz, which includes news that has taken place throughout that week.

Recently, Mr Walker has introduced  “Capture Go”, a simplified version of the classic strategy game of ‘Go’. They divide into teams for this and the first team to surround and capture their opponents’ stone or stones is the winner. The games are very quick, but some of the strategies that make ‘Go’ such a compelling game are also required – ‘Capture Go’ is one of those games that takes seconds to learn but is a lot more complicated than you think!

Tutor Times are packed full of fun, fascinating facts, current affairs, discussions, games & friendship. Tutor Times are a wonderful addition to the boys life at The Beacon.