TUTOR - CURRICULUM INTRODUCTION STATEMENT OF INTENTAt Helston Community College we believe that the tutorial sessions are a highly valuable time within the school day. Tutors are among the first people to see students each day and are with them throughout their five years of secondary schooling. Tutors play a vital role in supporting students with their attendance, academic progress and development of character. Tutorial times have a structured programme which allow students to engage in discussion and wellbeing activities that support the academic and personal development curriculum within school. Tutors deliver daily sessions every morning in their dedicated tutor rooms. The sessions throughout the week are designed to develop literacy and general knowledge, build cultural capital, foster positive mental health and well-being and celebrate personal and academic progress. LITERACY WITHIN TUTORIALSReading is a key part of the curriculum and is given dedicated time in tutor times. Year 7-10 read three times per for 20 minutes as part of the College Reader Programme. NUMERACY WITHIN TUTORIALSHaving transferrable numeracy skills and rapid recall of key number facts helps students across a range of subjects and in their future lives. To support the work they complete in their Mathematics lessons, students in Year 7-9 will complete a range of numeracy activities once a week during tutor time. CULTURAL CAPITAL WITHIN TUTORIALS‘Cultural capital’ can be described as the knowledge and skills that can help to improve children's life chances: it is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success. Children arrive at school having already had very different experiences and opportunities. This means that settings and providers are able to make a big difference to the lives of children by helping them to increase their awareness of cultural capital. The following is a list of activities designed to enhance our students’ ability to be successful in the world and to build knowledge that will help them to access more of the curriculum, make more connections across the curriculum and become more aware of the wider issues in our world.
- Exposure to the news / current issues / what is happening in the world
- Debates on topical issues that improve the oracy skills of our students
- Exposure to a wider vocabulary
- Exposure to a range of topics that might not be covered in the curriculum
- Exposure to a range of careers / career pathways
- Learning about Fundamental British Values: Democracy, the Rule of Law, Mutual Respect, Tolerance and Individual Liberty
ASSEMBLIESAssemblies are an integral part of the tutor programme and are used to complement the tutor sessions which are delivered daily. Assembly formats and topics throughout the year are used to keep students up-to-date with school policies, school events, health and wellbeing and other calendar-related topics.
Sessions throughout the year include celebration Assemblies at the end of each term and the academic year which celebrate the successes of students’ attendance, academic progress and extra-curricular progress.
Assemblies also cover key safeguarding messages addressing online safety, gaming, Anti-Bullying and ‘County Lines’, as well as others which may arise throughout the year.
Cultural Capital is also a key part of the assembly programme: events that take place throughout the year are a reflection of what happens in the global society that we live in. These sessions are also closely linked to Fundamental British Values such as Democracy and the Rule of Law.
Outside providers such as the Police and colleges also deliver events which are timetabled throughout the year depending on the school’s focus areas. These topics may vary from year to year and are a reflection of the needs of the students at Helston Community College .
