Sally Power
Published: 1996
Total Pages: 184
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One of the most widespread changes in secondary schools over the last thirty years has been the expansion and formalization of pastoral care. However, despite the considerable personnel resources invested in it, this tends to be a neglected area of curriculum theory and research. Through an empirically based analysis of pastoral care in the comprehensive school, this book looks at the history and discourse of pastoral care. Using data from two case-study schools, it explores the tense relationship between the pastoral and academic dimensions, and the significance of this tension for the educational identities of staff and pupils. In particular, it considers whether pastoral interventions empower students or represent more subtle forms of social control. In conclusion, the implications of recent reforms for the future of pastoral care within the comprehensive school are assessed.