British School Muscat

Pastoral Care provides personal and pastoral support as a core element of SEL at British School Muscat. It covers personal and social development and well-being, helping students build self-esteem, interact effectively with others, and participate in society. The school aims for a broad and balanced curriculum to support these aims, and the British School Overseas inspection notes that students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Learning Support complements SEL by addressing emotional/behavioural needs within a four-area framework and by monitoring progress with parental involvement. The school teaches in English and emphasizes inclusive support to enable all students to access the curriculum.

BSM Learning Support covers four areas of learning: speech and communication, cognition and learning, emotional/behavioural, and sensory and physical. Support is provided within the classroom and in separate specialist classes as required, and English is the language of instruction. The Learning Support team works with specialists including speech therapists, educational psychologists and occupational therapists in Oman and overseas. Pupils' progress is carefully monitored with consultation and feedback to parents. The school notes that it cannot provide one-to-one full-time support for any pupil and may not be able to support pupils with significant difficulties or complex needs. When considering admissions, where there is evidence of additional educational need, discussions and appropriate assessments are carried out before an offer is made, and individual learning needs should largely be met within the mainstream classroom.

English is the language of instruction at British School Muscat. The Learning Support team is highly experienced in supporting children who speak two or more languages. Pupils receive support both within the classroom and in separate specialist classes as necessary. The approach is inclusive, with multilingual learners supported within the mainstream and through targeted assistance as appropriate. For new entrants to English, the Admissions policy states that children will be immersed in English throughout their day, and may need time to adjust to using English socially and academically.

Mental health and wellbeing are addressed as part of the safeguarding framework at British School Muscat. If a staff member has concerns about a student's mental health, the concern is logged in CPOMS and escalated to the Safeguarding Team, which coordinates with the Pastoral Team to support the student via an Individual Support Plan. The Safeguarding Policy notes that the safeguarding and pastoral teams are supported by the school counsellor, Salma Ali, who can be contacted through the Primary or Senior School Office. The Wellbeing of pupils is supported through safeguarding processes and access to counselling where appropriate. The policy also provides a Wellbeing Button on the Student Portal to contact the pastoral care team.

British School Muscat is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils, with clear procedures in place to support children, families and staff. The Designated Safeguarding Persons (DSPs) at the school are: Saima Akhtar (Deputy Head of Primary School, Designated Safeguarding Lead), Robert Hughes (Deputy Head of Senior School, Designated Safeguarding Lead), Gemma O'Sullivan (Primary School Deputy DSL) and Chris Short (Senior School Deputy DSL). All staff receive safeguarding training on an annual basis. A member of the Board of Governors serves as safeguarding link between the school and the board. The Safeguarding Policy is dated September 2025 and is reviewed annually (next due September 2026).