Pastoral Care

As a boarding school, we see the pastoral care and needs of our children as central to their success and personal development. Although we are a large school, we preserve the caring atmosphere of a small one.

Our Group Tutors and Heads of Year ensure pupil wellbeing is at the centre of their regular meetings, so that the circumstances of each child are known and acted on if necessary. In addition to this, the Deputy Head (Pastoral), Director of Boarding and Head are fully involved with all aspects of the children's daily lives. Our boarding pupils enjoy extremely high standards of pastoral care, with all boarding staff working together to ensure that children's individual needs are met.

There are four main areas of pastoral care that are provided to every pupil:

Emotional

Emotional wellbeing is crucial for our children to feel settled and happy. Group Tutors and Heads of Year are the first point of contact at all times, although our school counsellor is available for children and parents at times of particular need. Our Medical Centre can also be a safe haven, if time out is required. PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education) classes complement our philosophy of teaching the whole child.

Social

There is an inclusive atmosphere and a strong community spirit at Millfield Prep. For boarders, houseparents are vital to the happy and secure environment within the houses. Sporting houses play a role in including every child and promoting a team spirit, whatever their age or ability. In lessons children work towards HMCs (Head's Commendations) and a house point system for good work or behaviour in and around the school, which also gets fed into the house shield competition. Our Year 8 Pastoral Monitors are trained in skills of listening, advising and supporting their peers and younger children, and act as positive role models. This fosters a sense of community across the ages, helps the children to appreciate looking after each other and gives a sense of family to those living away from home.

Intellectual

The academic welfare and rigour of the children is of paramount importance to our school. We try to stretch and motivate the children in all areas by a broad whole school approach, such as hosting extension and enrichment evenings which are open to all pupils. The care of the boarding community is vital for sustaining academic standards and motivation away from home. Group tutors are the first point of contact for academic support and they help set up timetables, additional activities, monitor prep, track grades and achievements and are parents' first line of contact for queries or problems with regards to their child’s progress.

Physical

The Director of Sport and Head of Games have a good overview of all our pupils' sporting commitments, and support and advise them to help pupils get the best from each activity. Those children who have particularly heavy sporting demands can be overseen with an individual programme. The school helps to maintain a balance and takes the health and welfare of every child very seriously, whilst still nurturing their talents.

Food

Prep pupils waiting to be served in the dining hall

Prep pupils waiting to be seated in the dining hall

Food

Millfield’s catering company, Chartwells, provide healthy, nutritious and appetising food for pupils to support their busy and active lifestyles.

We take pride in maximising the choice and variety available every day using fresh, locally and ethically sourced produce. Through variety and nutritional balance, we strive to meet the needs of every pupil, which in turn allows them to excel.

Eat to Excel

Eat to excel is the community that we are building in the dining hall and at the Prep School, the Macronauts are here to help with this! The Macronauts are a group of superheroes who educate and guide the pupils in making brilliantly balanced plates of food. Superhero labels and activities are displayed on the serveries to help meal plating, whilst interactive resource cards on the tables in the dining hall expands the pupil’s nutritional knowledge.

Whether you are a musician, artist, mathematician, writer, actor, singer, athlete or scientist, everyone needs to eat to excel and fuel their success with tasty and nutritious food.

Learn more about Eat to Excel here.

Breakfast

Every day, there is a variety of tropical fruits, toast, yoghurt, cereal counter and porridge as well as a daily changing hot counter.

Lunch

A mixture of both traditional and innovative hot dishes with meats, vegetarian and vegan options accompanied with fresh seasonal vegetables, and carefully selected side dishes.
There is an extensive salad bar, with a range of both super food composites and more flexible build your own items, all can be finished with delicious homemade dressings.
Freshly baked bread and daily changing soup counter.
A vast array of both hot and cold desserts including seasonal crumbles, sponges and mousses.
Fresh fruit.
Pop up taster tables, themed lunches and theatre cooking appear through the school year.

Supper

This is a more relaxed and informal style of service, which allows the pupils time to unwind and enjoy the food at their own pace. The food selection is similar to that of lunch time, but with occasional twists such as themed nights and indulgent treat nights.

Food Quality and Traceability

We take pride in using the highest possible quality ingredients sourced from respected suppliers. Regular audits are carried out on our suppliers to ensure animal welfare, traceability and ethical farming methods are practised.

Allergens

Millfield adheres to the 2014 EU regulations, which require the identification of specific allergens in food. The regulations are designed to improve the nutritional and allergen information provided to pupils, helping them to make informed choices.

Since October 2021, the introduction of Natasha Law has come into effect meaning all prepacked made in house items now have an itemised ingredient’s list with allergens clearly highlighted.

Our online menu planning software allows us to manage the provision of allergen information accurately as live ingredient information is available at the touch of a button.

In Good Hands

We have collaborated with the world renowned nannies from Norland College to train all of our catering managers in working with very young children. The training course enables our managers to experience a meal service through the eyes of young children, in order to help serve them better. This has had a hugely positive impact on the already high levels of care in the dining hall.

Healthcare

The Medical Centre at Millfield Prep is a modern, purpose-built unit, with a waiting area, large treatment room, doctor’s consulting room and office. There are two en-suite bedrooms, each with two beds. The medical centre is staffed by three registered nurses. The school doctor, a partner at the Glastonbury Surgery, comes to see pupils for appointments four times a week.

The role of the Medical Centre is to oversee the health and welfare of all pupils, helping them to participate as fully as possible in school life. All boarders must be registered with the school doctor, who will be responsible for their medical care. A female doctor is available on request. We undertake a routine health screening on all new boarding pupils.

A chartered paediatric physiotherapist from the senior school runs a private clinic on site. Contact details for the physio can be obtained from the Medical Centre.

The school nurses are on duty from 8.00am-6.00pm, Monday to Friday, (8.00am-5.00pm Saturdays). We operate an “open door” policy, so pupils have access to healthcare at all times during the school day. When the centre is unattended, there is a voicemail facility for messages. At night and weekends, an out of hours service is available for houseparents.

If a pupil becomes unwell in school hours, they can be looked after in the Medical Centre until they can go home or to their boarding house. Boarders who are unwell are cared for in their boarding houses, by their houseparents or a day matron, supervised by the medical team, who can visit the pupil in house if needed. Sometimes it is necessary for children to be sent home or to their guardians until recovered.

In the event of an emergency, staff will make every reasonable effort to contact parents or legal guardians before permitting treatment to proceed, as advised by the medical authorities present.

Boarders should stay registered with their home dentist and have their routine dental checks in the school holidays. Emergency treatment can be provided by a local dental practice.

If your child has a significant illness, injury, or new medication started when at home, please inform the Medical Centre, so we can be sure they have continued and appropriate healthcare on their return and to maintain their health records. If your child needs to bring any medications to school, please ensure they are all in English and labelled with the child’s name and instructions for taking. Medicines, including non-prescription medicines, should always be handed in to the houseparents or the medical centre for safety.

Please feel free to contact the school nurses.

Phone 01458 837503 or email - prepmedical@millfieldschool.com

PSHEE

PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)

Millfield Prep has always strived to give children an all-round education, believing passionately that education is about developing the whole human being. In Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PHSEE), pupils will learn about the world in which they live, giving them the chance to learn vital life skills and develop into young adults.

In Years 3 to 5, PSHEE is integrated within the curriculum and delivered by class teachers. Alongside this are weekly Circle Times, which focus on emotional wellbeing and relationships. Class teachers also deliver relationship and sex education as discreet lessons.

Pupils in Years 6, 7 and 8 attend a weekly PSHEE lesson, experiencing a programme of learning opportunities designed to help young people grow as responsible individuals and members of the school and wider community. They will develop knowledge and skills to live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives and to reflect upon their beliefs and opinions, as well as listen to and evaluate the values and attitudes of others.

The PSHEE curriculum raises issues of diversity and equality and reinforces respect for others. It promotes empathy, inclusion, aspiration, emotional wellbeing and resilience, as part of a whole school approach in preventing mental health issues in young people.

Subjects covered include personal identity and transitions, healthy lifestyles, keeping safe, peer pressure, rights and responsibilities, valuing difference, healthy relationships online, relationships and sex, economic wellbeing, democracy and British institutions and values.

PSHEE supports our pupils to recognise and manage risk by increasing their knowledge of substance misuse and online safety, identifying the difference between unhealthy and healthy relationships, managing peer pressure and discussing and evaluating the emotional and physical changes and challenges of adolescence.

Religion & Spiritual Life

At Millfield Prep, we foster a spirit of understanding and tolerance of all faiths. Although assemblies are Christian, in their nature they focus on those ideas and values which are held in common by the world's great religions and also to those of no faith: love, kindness, compassion, care for our environment, understanding of the world around us, love of ourselves and others.

Assembly for the whole school is held on Monday morning. We have a Carol Service in Wells Cathedral and whole school services for Harvest, Remembrance Day, Easter and our Leavers’ Service.