School Counsellor

**Reference number**

BUC11811

**Contract type**

Permanent

**Working hours**

Part Time

**Level of DBS check required**

Enhanced with Barred List

**Date posted**

21 May 2024, 11 p.m.

**Application deadline**

19 Jun 2024

**Overview**:
**Salary details**:Bucks Pay Scale 4 (currently £29,477 - £31,645 pro-rata for term time plus Insets.)

**Contract type**:Permanent contract, term time only plus pro-rata Inset Days.

**Hours**:Part time, 08:30 - 16:30 (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday would be preferred but otherwise we can accommodate Monday, Tuesday and one other day)

**Closing date**:19 June 2024

**About us**:
Wycombe High School is an outstanding all girls' grammar school based in High Wycombe. Mental health and wellbeing are high on our agenda, for both students and staff, and we are proud to have been awarded the Mind Wellbeing Index Gold Award for 2022-2023 and the National Whole School Wellbeing Gold Award 2024. We have also been acknowledged by The Sunday Times Parent Power as ‘_Secondary School of the Year 2023’_.

We offer staff an Employee Assistance Programme, which is free, confidential and offers 24/7 counselling, plus medical, legal and financial advice. Other benefits of working at Wycombe High School include the Cycle to work scheme, subsidised onsite yoga classes, very generous employer pension contributions (22.8% employer contributions) and free onsite parking.

At Wycombe High School (Girls) we aim to develop our students’ ability to think independently, solve problems, communicate and live happy and fulfilling lives. We always remember that the young women who leave our school will help to shape the twenty first century.

**About the role**:
Wycombe High School is seeking to appoint a school counsellor who will be comfortable and experienced in employing and developing short-term therapeutic interventions to support and empower students, encouraging confidence, independence, reflection and resilience. This will either be delivered in one-to-one sessions or groups.

Our school counsellors work safely and ethically as part of the mental health and wellbeing team and manage disclosures and safeguarding issues appropriate to ensure students’ wellbeing and safety. They contribute to the whole school approach, delivering preventative work to all students.

**About you**:
We are looking for the right person to fill this vacancy; you are looking for the right school to work in. The characteristics that we are looking for include:
Level 4 Diploma in Counselling (or equivalent)

BACP registered member, or equivalent

Ability to liaise and refer with other local services including CAMHS

Ability to support the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing, and offer preventative workshops

Demonstrable understanding of the developmental, emotional, social and educational issues of children and young people

Ability to manage a case load of students each week

Knowledge of the Children’s Act and legislation pertaining to children

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Discretion and trustworthiness

A calming nature and the ability to comfort others

High tolerance, with the ability to understand different outlooks on situations

Committed to the ethos and values of Wycombe High School

**Other information**:

- Outline the experiences that you believe have prepared you for this post
- Describe the skills and strengths that you will bring to the school, paying particular attention to the person specification above.

**Wycombe High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All staff are required, before taking up post, to undertake a criminal record check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). HR will carry out an online search on shortlisted applicants.**

**_ This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:_**
- **_All unspent convictions and conditional cautions_**:

- **_All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020)._**

**_For further information on filtering please refer to _**_Nacro guidance_**_ and the _**_guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice_**_ (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’)._