The Form Tutor is, ordinarily, the most important pastoral support for any student. As the Form Tutor ‘travels alongside’ the student for his six years in Belvedere, he/she has a key role in supporting the ongoing development of the student and in adapting to his changing needs throughout his time in school. The primary pastoral responsibility of a form tutor in the College is to build a relationship of care, both individually and collectively, with their form class. Their presence as a class teacher further facilitates this task. Their instinct should be that of a parent or concerned mentor – challenging them significantly in the private forum and their greatest supporter in the public one. Certainly, the committed tutor is in a privileged position to play an essential role within the pastoral care structure. The form tutor must endeavour to develop an appropriate class spirit that is conducive to a positive learning environment.

In Belvedere College S.J. the form tutor takes their form on at least one class trip per year. The form tutor must also develop a sense of pride in the working environment of the form and in their own appearance and monitor the progress of each individual in the class in every area of school life. The form tutor monitors the academic progress of the individual student and the form as a whole. They work with the students individually to help them set realistic targets of performance both in class and in examinations. The form tutor writes a report to accompany results following Christmas and summer examinations. They gather information from the students’ different teachers, as well as the relevant year head, assistant deputy principal and deputy principal about their progress in particular subjects, co-curricular activities and any other reality in their lives.

The form tutor structure attempts to incarnate the College’s desire that each student is known, cared for and brought to his full potential in the many dimensions of his being. Certainly, the form tutor is the primary, and potentially the most powerful, point of contact between the individual student and the institution of the College and will remain with their form for the whole of a student’s life in the College. The role of the Form Tutor is outlined in the Role of the Form Tutor document.