Main responsibilities
- Lead heads of year, form tutors or non-teaching pastoral staff.
- Apply the behaviour policy consistently, including support, sanctions and reintegration.
- Lead attendance support for pupils at risk of persistent absence, with the senior attendance champion.
- Pass safeguarding concerns to the DSL and support plans agreed with the DSL.
- Support pupils' mental health and wellbeing, with the senior mental health lead.
- Work with families and external agencies.
- Track pastoral data and report to senior leaders.
Statutory duties and official sources
The duties below belong to the school; pastoral leads carry them out under delegation. England.
- The headteacher must determine measures to promote good behaviour; DfE's behaviour guidance sets out expectations for culture, policy, support and sanctions. Source: DfE, Behaviour in schools (February 2024).
- Suspensions and permanent exclusions follow statutory guidance (updated July 2026). Source: DfE, School suspensions and permanent exclusions.
- The attendance policy should name day-to-day attendance contacts and staff for more detailed support, such as a head of year, pastoral lead or family liaison officer. Source: Working together to improve school attendance (July 2026), paragraph 24.
- All staff should know how to raise safeguarding concerns; the DSL should liaise with pastoral staff on safety and welfare. Source: KCSIE 2026, Part one and Annex B.
- Schools have powers to search, screen and confiscate under DfE guidance. Source: DfE, Searching, screening and confiscation.
- Mobile phones: KCSIE 2026 adds a section on mobile phone policy; DfE guidance on mobile phones applies. Source: KCSIE 2026, Part two; DfE, Mobile phones in schools.
Key dates in the school year (2026 to 2027, England)
- 1 September 2026: KCSIE 2026 in force.
- Weekly: attendance data review (daily data shared with DfE each Friday where required — Share your daily school attendance data).
- Census days (1 October 2026, 21 January 2027, 20 May 2027): census includes exclusions and attendance data (census dates).
Common challenges and good practice
- Boundary with the DSL. Pastoral staff support pupils, follow the child protection policy and speak to the DSL (or a deputy) about concerns. If the DSL or deputy is not available, this should not delay appropriate action; where a child is suffering or likely to suffer harm, a referral should be made immediately (KCSIE 2026, paragraphs 59, 61 and 65). Agree the handover point.
- Consistency. The behaviour guidance emphasises routines and consistent application of the policy.
- Support before sanctions for absence. The attendance guidance expects support to remove barriers before penalties.
Common questions
- Is a pastoral lead the same as the DSL? No, unless the school appoints them as DSL; KCSIE says the DSL should be an appropriate senior member of staff from the leadership team (KCSIE paragraph 127).
- Do pastoral leads need to be teachers? No law requires it; many schools appoint non-teaching pastoral managers.
