Middle School

Radford places considerable emphasis upon pastoral care. The College is an orderly place, where good manners are observed and where self-discipline and individual responsibility are emphasized. The relationship between staff and students is based on mutual respect.
In order for each student to enjoy a sense of belonging and connectedness as well as enjoying opportunities to be themselves at their best, the College has developed the following aims to foster personal and social development. Each student will:

develop self-esteem and confidence;
learn self-discipline and accept responsibility for their actions;
participate confidently in group and team activities;
become active members of the local and wider community; and
be able to adapt to the challenges of a changing world.

Pastoral Care in the Middle School

Pastoral care in Middle School (Years 5-7) is within the tutor group. The tutor is the main point of contact between the parents and the School . Parents who wish to discuss matters relating to the progress of their child should contact the tutor in the first instance, unless the matter is relatively straight forward and can be dealt with by the student’s teacher.

Years 5 and 6 Structure

Radford College currently has three Year 5 classes and three Year 6 classes. All six classes are situated on the lower level of the Middle School classroom block on the northern side of the Middle School quadrangle. Year 5 occupy the three classrooms to the west of the College (adjacent to the Mackinnon Oval) and Year 6 occupy the three rooms to the east (at the Library end). There are 72 students in each year group with class sizes of 24 (this may vary marginally under special circumstances).

Each student has a tutor and the classes are named using the initials of the appropriate tutor eg: 5NEB, 6MOD.

Year 7 Structure

Radford College has seven Year 7 classes. The classes are named with the initials of the tutor, eg: 7PH, and are situated on the upper level of the Middle School classroom block on the northern side of the quadrangle, plus one classroom on the southern side. There are 176 students in Year 7 with 25/26 students in each class (this may vary marginally under special circumstances).

The students develop a strong sense of unity. School prefects and/or students from the Senior School visit tutor groups in the Middle School each week and they become mentors to Year 7. It is expected that Year 7 students, guided by Year 12 Prefects, will develop a strong desire to serve, to lead and to be strong role models to students in Years 5 and 6.

Sporting Houses

The student body is divided into eight houses with approximately 120 students in each House. These Houses are called Acacia, Banksia, Boronia, Huon, Jarrah, Karri, Kurrajong and Wandoo after Australian native plants.

Students are allocated to a sporting House to which they belong for the duration of their lives at Radford College, with family members normally allocated to the same House. The House Masters and House Mistresses are responsible for the administration of the House, assisted by House Captains and Vice Captains elected by students.

The eight Houses compete annually in the four major competitions: Swimming, Cross-Country, Athletics and the Bishop's Cup, which is held on Foundation Day each year.

The Role of:

1. Tutor

The Tutor is the student's counsellor, friend, conscience and mentor. The Tutor:

monitors attendance, conduct, appearance, homework and progress;
counsels (advises/motivates) students regarding program choices, progress and general welfare;
consults subject teachers on individual student progress, conduct and welfare;
communicates with home regarding student programs, performance, welfare, problems, etc.;
advises Principal, Deputy Principal and Year Coordinator on problems and special circumstances with respect to individual students; and
refers students to Principal, Deputy Principal and Year Coordinator for further action.

2. Year Coordinator

The Year Coordinator oversees the entire year group. It is their job to develop positive morale in the teachers and students in the year level and to foster and maintain an atmosphere of genuine pastoral care of all the students.

3. Tutor Group

Tutor groups meet every day for 15 minutes. Each student has a tutor and the classes are named using the initials of the appropriate tutor eg: 5DJF, 6NEB. The tutor teaches their tutor group for at least one academic subject.

Daily administration tasks include checking of homework diaries and discussion about happenings each day. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls in each tutor group. Tutor group time is a time for the tutor and students to form a relationship of trust and friendship with each other. Students develop a strong sense of unity.

Selected senior students visit tutor groups in the Middle School each week and they are expected to become mentors and strong role models for students in Years 5 and 6.

4. Prefects

The prefects at Radford stand as a clear example of what the School represents. They are the student leaders and act as role models for all students. They have a lot to do with the middle school students. They are involved in the Year 7 orientation program, and are an integral part of Year 7 Camp. They also visit Years 5-7 Tutor Groups once per week and provide advice and assistance to the younger students.

5. Counsellors

School Counsellors work to provide accessible and professional psychological services to young people in schools. The Radford School Counsellor is a qualified psychologist and has a special interest in young people and their issues.

People seeing the School Counsellor can expect a confidential service. The kind of issues a School Counsellor might help with include:

relationships with friends or family
peer pressure
self-esteem
stress management
learning issues
if you are feeling overly sad or anxious
if you have questions about sexuality
drug involvement

Camps, Retreats and Programs

The College believes that there is much to be gained, socially and educationally from a well-organised program of Outdoor Education. There are many available models to choose from and Radford has opted for an introductory program in Year 7 and a more extensive program in Year 9. Opportunities for outdoor activities and adventure learning are also provided in the cocurricular program.

Year 7 Camp

The main aim of the camp is to allow students to socialise with other students, staff members and their Tutors and Prefects in a relaxed 'out-of-school' situation. To facilitate this, students are divided into small groups in which they participate in a variety of activities. These activities include bushwalking, abseiling, canoeing, horse-riding, rafting and camping.

Dormitory style accommodation is provided but all students spend one night sleeping in tents. All meals are provided, and students are expected to perform meal duty at least twice during the camp.

Year 5 Camp

"Get Set" Program

This program involves the matching of senior students with middle school students to assist them with organisation, motivation and coordination of schoolwork. The senior mentors undergo a training program at the beginning of the year and are then matched to a junior student in need of support. The two meet once per week during tutor period.