The NLCS (Singapore) approach to nurturing scholars

When Mireia Bickley first took on the role of tutor at NLCS (Singapore), she quickly discovered that the position meant far more than taking morning attendance. Now, as Assistant Principal (Academic), she brings that same pastoral philosophy to her leadership of the school’s academic programmes.

“Most schools in the British system have a tutor who just registers students in the morning,” Bickley explains. “But at NLCS, being a tutor means being someone who sees the children for everything they do. It’s really their advocate.”

At NLCS (Singapore), our students’ success and wellbeing are underpinned by three interconnected pillars: enrichment, academic rigour, and pastoral. Remove one, and the others falter. Teachers are expected to be both academic experts and pastoral guides – a dual role that Bickley believes makes all the difference.

During her time as Head of Chemistry and tutor to ten students, she witnessed first-hand how knowing a child beyond their grades can transform their experience of school. One student arrived with a history of poor attendance from a previous school. Bickley suspected he simply hadn’t felt known or confident in an educational setting. Rather than focusing solely on academic performance, she made it her mission to understand him as a whole person – tracking not just his grades but his feelings, his interests, and his personal projects.

Pastoral care

“Slowly but surely, we were in a position where that student loved school,” she recalls. “Your tutor session in the morning feels different to a lesson. The tutor is there to listen, to make you feel valued, to let you have a bit of fun and relaxation.”

For parents, the tutor serves as the first point of contact. Whether the question concerns a calendar event or a complex academic matter, the tutor takes responsibility for finding answers. “Even if it’s a question I might not know, I’m the person who can run around the building and find that answer because I’m responsible for my students,” Bickley says.

This commitment to pastoral care now shapes her academic leadership. For Bickley, the pastoral and academic cannot be separated.

“It’s where the two meet that the magic happens,” she says. “If you are not looking after a student’s wellbeing, it’s almost impossible to allow them to flourish academically. We can’t allow our students to become scholars if we don’t know them, because we will never find their passions if we don’t.”

Want to hear the full conversation? You can listen to Mireia Bickley’s full interview on YouTube here.

North London Collegiate School (Singapore)
 130 Depot Road, Singapore, 109708

 +65 6989 3000
 [email protected]
 nlcssingapore.sg

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