Pastoral Care

For The Pleasant Valley School Pastoral care is a whole-school approach to creating the ethos of wellbeing that culminates in better engagement and improved academic achievement of learners.

The PVS provides a distinctive educational environment that enables students to grow not only in intellectual capacities, but also in other dimensions of their being. New students to the school are chosen on the basis of character, talent and academic ability. This creates an atmosphere conducive to innovative teaching and a rich range of learning. The emphasis in Classes 9th onwards shifts towards an in-depth preparation of students to meet the academic requirements of the prescribed syllabi. While developing the students' intellectual faculties, there is a conscious effort towards creating a wider awareness of the world and giving space for the development of the aesthetic, moral and emotional dimensions. Our hope is that students passing out from The Pleasant Valley School would grow into self-aware, sensitive and responsible human beings who remain life-long learners.

The greatest strengths of the school spring from the quality of the human relationships throughout the community and the sense of companionship which supports the well being prospects for the boys and girls. The full boarding environment encourages a deep sense of community and helps to develop friendships that will be sustained and, in turn, be sustaining in life beyond the school. The Four Houses provide a superb system of pastoral care promoting individual and academic confidence. Highlanders come to appreciate the creative tension between independence and interdependence and they do so with dynamic effervescence and an obvious sense of fun.

The chance to live and work alongside people from vastly varied backgrounds and states in India and from countries abroad is an enriching experience. Boys work with teachers, other members of the adult community and with other boys in ways that go beyond the traditional relationship imposed by the classroom or laboratory.

The boarding houses at PVS provide the bedrock upon which supported independence and youthful fellowship can be built. Boys and Girls learn to treat each other and all members of the community with kindness, sensitivity and respect.

Houses are staffed by teams of adults who work generously to sustain and uphold the health and happiness of young people in their care. We work in partnership with parents, based upon agreed values which support the well-being of the boys. Housemasters are supported by Matrons, Wardens and Tutors. Each pupil meets regularly with his/her Tutor, who provides guidance on all matters related to their development. Houses vary in character, composition and location but they all share the central ethos of our PVS community.

Members of the teaching staff, who live in staff quarters within the sprawling Boys Hostel, act as house-parents. Life in the houses is meant to develop the values of co-operation, self-restraint, and sharing. The interaction between teachers and students outside the classroom is considered a very important part of living and learning at PVS. In this ambience, students generally relate to each other in a friendly and accepting manner, with younger ones not afraid of the older ones. We like to think of the school community in terms of a large, extended family.

For The Pleasant Valley School Pastoral care in education means a whole-school strategic and operational approach to foster an atmosphere that is conducive for learning and promotes tolerance, resilience, fairness and equal opportunities for all, with due regard for protected characteristics. Such an approach to pastoral care eliminates inequality, discrimination and other hindrances to learning, to create an ethos that culminates in engagement and academic achievement of learners. Therefore, effective pastoral :

improves students’ confidence;

fosters an orderly atmosphere in which all students can access opportunities, and enhance their academic achievements;

promotes tolerance, especially in students and teachers with due regard for protected characteristics;

subdues inequality;

teaches respect for self and others

The Pleasant Valley School is divided into four houses—Himalaya, Nilagiri, Siwalik and Vindhya. The houses compete with each other at activities such as cricket, cross country running, debating and many other activities. The school aims to groom the students into well-developed personalities -refined, disciplined, possessing high moral values, capable of feeling at home in an intellectual environment and capable of contributing positively to society.

The House System is designed to embody the values and ethos of the school and is an integral part of our school community. The objective of the house system at PVS is to provide every student with:

• a sense of belonging
• positive role models from within their peer group
• a sense of achievement outside the classroom
• fun and excitement through competition
• curiosity and creativity
• leadership
• individual and collective responsibility
• the development of communication skills, flexibility and resilience

The pastoral life in the school revolves around the House system. Every student is assigned to a House on joining the school. Each House supervised by a Housemaster, usually a senior faculty member, who is assisted by a Resident tutor, matron and a group of tutors working around the clock. The Housemaster being in charge of the house oversees the all-round development of the student.

Each student is assigned to a House tutor, who acts as a local parent as well as the tutor. As a tutor, he/she is responsible for the students’ achievement in academics, sports or activities or any other co- curricular activity. For almost anything the tutor is the first point of contact for the student.

At PVS students are encouraged to lead and shoulder responsibilities as well as develop a healthy competition among themselves. Inter – House competitions in sports and other activities are an important part of this learning process. The House Captain and House Vice – Captain helps the Housemaster in running the House smoothly.

Today's children are born at a time when the use of technology is the new normal. To cater to such a generation, present-day schools have a critical need to adapt teaching and assessing styles commensurate with the new generation's style of receptiveness and learning. The Pleasant Valley School is investing heavily in developing and implementing technical standards that will engage and excite the learners of tomorrow.

From its inception The Pleasant Valley School has been a leader in technology education locally. At PVS, technology is instrumental in fostering new ways of creating, thinking, expressing and learning.

The flexibility of our building design is complemented by Information Age technology which is a learning tool for the student, and a teaching tool to the teacher and the curriculum. This flexibility is particularly valuable within the classroom or laboratory where seating plans and furniture distribution change constantly to reflect the multiple needs of the curriculum.