Health and Wellbeing

Pastoral care at Airthrie is centred around your child’s teacher who will look after the all-round academic, social and pastoral well-being of your child. With a high teacher-to-pupil ratio, our dedicated and caring staff are able to ensure that the classroom provides a nurturing, safe and happy learning environment whilst ensuring that your child’s individual needs are met.

The class teacher is the first point of contact for parents and we welcome parents to discuss any aspect of care or day-to-day issues with the class teacher as necessary, at all convenient times, ensuring that we are aware of any needs or concerns, no matter how small.

However, pastoral care is not limited to class teachers, as all teachers know our pupils and take a pastoral interest in their happiness and wellbeing. We believe each child is a valued and unique member of the community and that we are partners in your child’s care and development.

Our Pastoral Lead is Mr Matthew Medhurst, who conducts 1:1 sessions during the school day with pupils who require a little extra pastoral support. These sessions focus on any particular worries the children may have and provides them an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings in a secure forum. These sessions are arranged by parental permission beforehand and in agreement with the pupil.

Every child at Airthrie benefits from small class sizes and a home from home environment to help them thrive. Teachers carefully adapt tasks to match individual abilities and provide in-class support. 

If your child is facing barriers to learning, we take a highly responsive approach. We offer tailored classroom adaptations, 1:1 support from teaching assistants or qualified teachers, and specialist interventions. Currently, we provide support for:

• Speech and language needs
• Sensory needs
• Specific learning difficulty friendly teaching

We also offer some in-house specialist assessments and support you whilst you seek further assessment. During the admissions process you can meet our SENDCo, Mrs Honesty Walker, to discuss how we can meet your child's needs.

When children leave Dean Close Airthrie, one of the most frequent regrets is "What we will miss most of all is the food".  We pride ourselves on our home-cooked, healthy meals which are produced by our cooks at Dean Close Prep School using fresh and locally sourced ingredients. In this way we are able to cater easily for a child who has a specific dietary requirement for whatever reason. 

School lunches are an additional fee per term which will be added to your invoice.  Pupils are also able to bring their own packed lunch from home if they prefer.  

Parents whose children have food allergies or intolerances and have any questions concerning ingredients, should speak to a member of the catering team. If you have wish to discuss any specific dietary requirement, please speak to any member of staff who will ensure that your needs are met.  

Please note:    

We aim to provide a nut-free environment and therefore request that parents are mindful of this when sending snacks and packed lunches to School. 

Salads, soup and fresh fruit are available each day as an alternative. We encourage children to drink water only during the school day.