Welcome to Dawlish College.
It continues to be an absolute privilege to be the Headteacher at Dawlish College – the staff and students are second to none and take all of life’s challenges in their stride. Despite current uncertainties as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to hold onto our core purpose in all that we do. Behind all of the decisions taken and measures put in place sits the balance between keeping staff and students safe whilst also providing them with a varied and exciting school experience.
Dawlish College is a vibrant and exciting place to be, where we have the highest expectations of staff and students alike and seek to provide challenge at every available opportunity. As a small school, we have a very proud record of holistic support, care and individual attention: the happiness and well-being of our students is of paramount importance and is a vital foundation for their growth and development. Our college has an atmosphere of creativity and positivity that is generated by the provision of excellent opportunities for every individual thereby maximising the outcomes and improving the life chances of the young people in our care.
As a parent myself, I understand that you want your child to be inspired, supported and challenged to be the best version of themselves within an environment that knows them and values them as an individual. Thank you for entrusting me with the care and education of your child, present or future, and I look forward to unlocking their ambitions as I get to know them and work closely with you.
S Banks
Headteacher
“Bullying is rare. Pupils know whom to go to if they need to discuss any concerns and are confident that these will be dealt with sensitively and effectively” - Oftsed 2016
Your happiness and well-being is really important to us and is a vital foundation for your growth and development. We are fortunate to have a highly experienced team of pastoral staff who are always on hand to work with and support you. However, we all care about your well-being and so you are free to work with and ask for the support of any member of staff. If there is someone that you get along with and feel comfortable with then they will always be willing to help and advise you.
However, there are some key places and people that it is important you are aware of for times when you may be finding life a bit tough and need a shoulder to lean on.
Everyone in Years 7 to 10 has a tutor and their role is to have an overview of your life at College. As they see you every day you will probably build a close relationship with them quite quickly. They are an important adult in your life and they see themselves very much as a parent during the College day: Which is why they will nag you about uniform and late homework as well as praise your good effort and positive attributes!
This can be found at the front of the College and is where all student-focussed services and support can be found: Student Welfare Officers, Student Intervention Officer, Student Support staff, counsellor and first aid. This area is manned all day and is a good place to start if you need help quickly.
These staff are here to work with you on a short to medium term basis to iron out any difficulties that you may have in College. Most of these tend to be about friendship issues and temporary difficulties at home. If you don’t feel that your tutor can help you or you can’t find them then these are the next people to ask for help: Mrs Donohue (Yrs 7 and 8), Mrs Friend (Yrs 9-11).
Sometimes adolescence can be tough and life throws more at you than you feel able to handle. If this happens we have specialist practitioners who are able to access a range of additional help and support for you. Your tutor or one of the student welfare officers will organise this for you if needed. The most important thing to know is that you are never on your own.