Vertical tutor groups

Dainfern College has in place a vertical tutor group system: House-based groups of 10-12 students of mixed ages from Grade 8 to Grade 12 who meet once a week with their House Tutors. These smaller groups make pastoral care more meaningful and individualised.

Some of the benefits of vertical tutor groups include:

• Vertical tutoring systems counteract negative aspects of peer pressure and the most frequent form of reported bullying: peer bullying. Schools that operate a vertical system report a significant reduction in incidents of bullying.
• Students are able to gain greater individual attention and support.
• Students stay with the same tutor throughout their High School journey and the continuity of care within the tutor group means that students feel a sense of belonging and form a stronger connection with the tutor.
• A student’s experience of vertical tutoring is one of being part of a ‘family’, with older students looking out for and supporting younger students in the tutor group. Older students develop a more caring outlook as they watch out for younger students in their tutor group. They are able to help younger students with an understanding of school commitments, organisation, social and relationship issues, and even with homework! Younger students help to inform older students about their life and issues at school.
• Peer mentoring is easily organised within vertical tutoring, benefiting both the mentor and the mentee. Grade 8 students integrate into the life of the school quickly and in small, secure groups and all students benefit from getting to know one another across the school grades.

How do vertical tutor groups work in practice?

Each House has ten tutor groups with about 10-12 students in each group. Each group comprises two to three students from each of the grades, from Grade 8 to Grade 12. The students remain in the same tutor group for their whole High School career. Our Grade 8s thus come into an established caring system and are easily integrated into the life of the College with lots of support from older students. Grade 11 mentors and Grade 8 mentees are placed in the same tutor group. Students have the opportunity to interact with friends in their own grade during academic classes and breaks.

Please visit our House pages to see the Tutors for Griffin, Kraken and Phoenix.