Being the Good Shepherd

Never has pastoral care been as critical to education in schools as it is today. There is a critical need more than ever for a more caring, more considerate, more compassionate society. Poverty is not just about material deprivation. Adrift on a sea of uncertainty, many people today are grasping for a lifebelt of emotional and spiritual security to give them direction. All schools - whether secular or religious - would claim to have a commitment to pastoral care. It would be of value, therefore, for all those interested in the education of young people in schools, whether teachers, governors, parents, or students to re-examine the notion of pastoral care in a new light. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives and education of young people and their families, the importance of pastoral care has gained greater significance than ever before. Drawing on the model of the Good Shepherd, which is articulated in the Gospel of St John, this book makes a case for reflecting on a kinder and more humane value-related system of educational provision in the light of that account.