The tutorial system at Dean Close is designed to ensure that each pupil has an adult who takes a particular interest in them, both academically and in terms of their wider well-being.
Every Lower School pupil has a tutor who is a member of the staff team in their House. They meet in a tutorial group once a week to discuss issues of personal, social and health education, or to improve their study skills. Each pupil also has an individual tutorial each week in which academic progress is discussed and their overall programme is monitored.
In the Sixth Form, pupils choose their own tutors. This is a crucial time with impending choices about careers and university options and tutors work closely with their tutees, supporting them as they make these crucial decisions. They often choose a member of staff who has tutored them in the Lower School, or who teaches a subject in which they are particularly interested. While emphasis is still academic, a Sixth Form tutor will often become a confidante at School and a friend for life.
PHSE is delivered by a small group of specialist teachers in mixed groups to encourage discussions between different genders and Houses.