Stratford High School is committed to the belief that happy students learn best. All students are known, valued and cared about. The school has an extensive infrastructure to ensure that students receive all the care and guidance they need.

Values Statement:

At Stratford High School we value:

•  Respect for individual students
•  Respect for staff
•  Excellence and participation
•  An environment which fosters learning, high achievement, co-operation and a sense of belonging
•  An effective partnership between the school and community

Stratford acronym summarises these values as follows:

The school is divided into 24 forms – 6 belonging to each of the 4 Houses. The forms are arranged so that students from all levels ranging from Year 9 to Year 13 are present in each form. This means that peer guidance is also available in the twice daily meetings that forms have. The form is called after the teacher who is the Form Teacher and overall mentor for the group of students.

The Peer Support Programme at Stratford High School provides the opportunity for Year 13 students to work with small groups of Year 9 students attached to their form class, assisting them to make the transition from primary to high school as smoothly as possible.  The programme is run intensively during term one and each week a different theme is developed by way of discussion and interactive activities. Topics such as Orientation, Bullying, Homework, The Role of the Form Class, Friendships and Peer Pressure are covered.  The Year 13 students continue informal contact with their students throughout the year and encourage them to seek guidance and support when necessary.

The Guidance network consists of the Deputy Principal, Guidance Counsellor, Deans, Form teachers, Careers Adviser, Support teacher and Centre Supervisor. These people are especially concerned with pastoral care in the school and can give advice, help and care to students. It is important for all our students to feel valued, and if they experience difficulty in any area, and member of the Guidance Network will assist.

May 2008: Our first Poutama review happened during form time with all our students earlier this term. It was great to see a number of them having made significant progress toward completing at least one of their goals. Please continue to support and encourage them at home as they continue on their journey.

Events for this term include an assembly focusing on goals and another form time to assess progress. This term we will also be surveying a sample of students and parents on the Poutama process so far. We would value your input on ways to improve and make Poutama even more worthwhile for all involved.

"The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done"