Personal Tutor

This role is a key part of our Hair & Beauty and Early Years, Health & Social Team, and we welcome applications from individuals interested in flexible hours or different contract sizes.

The Personal Tutor role is crucial in raising learners' attendance and achievement, developing their personal, social, and employability skills, and increasing progression to higher levels of study and employment.

The core elements of the role include:

• Delivering the cross-college Thrive tutorial programme.
• Monitoring and tracking attendance of learners.
• Monitoring and tracking progress through target setting and supporting learners to achieve their full potential and progression to their next steps.

Transition of new learners:

• Participating in the design and delivery of curriculum-specific induction.
• Assisting students during induction to facilitate a smooth transition, ensuring learners are well-informed and prepared for the demands of their programme of study.
• Encouraging the development of a positive group identity amongst students and a sense of belonging to the College and their course group.

THRIVE Group Tutorial Delivery:

• Embracing the ethos of the THRIVE tutorial programme by delivering engaging, motivational, and inspiring sessions, encouraging debate and discussion in a safe environment.
• Differentiating resources to meet the needs of learners for each group.
• Recording the delivery of THRIVE Group Tutorial sessions on ProMonitor.

THRIVE 1:1 Tutorial Support:

• Supporting and directing learners to identify online resources to complete independently to personalise their THRIVE programme.
• Recording the participation of THRIVE 1:1 online sessions on ProMonitor.
• Undertaking regular progress reviews with learners to complete an Individual Learning Plan and record progress and outcomes.
• Collaborating with CRQ Leaders, PLCs, and curriculum staff to set aspirational SMART targets.
• Utilising College reports to monitor and track academic progress, removing barriers to learning to enable learners to achieve their full potential.
• Utilising College reports to monitor and track attendance, identifying those who are vulnerable and at risk.
• Providing feedback and support to students to enable them to improve grades and performance and encourage them to develop personal, social, and employability skills.
• Supporting learners in developing digital and study skills to enhance and promote independent and collaborative learning.
• Referring and signposting students to internal services such as Wellbeing, Support 4 Success, Careers, and Student Finance.
• Reporting and safeguarding concerns immediately, following the College safeguarding process.
• Maintaining accurate student records to inform others of potential issues, difficulties, and support requirements by creating comments and setting a risk rating to each learner.
• Promoting Student Standards and positive behaviour and challenging unacceptable behaviour.
• Collaborating with CRQ leader and curriculum staff to engage and support learners following disciplinary processes and actions.

Supporting Vulnerable learners:

• Acting as an advocate for vulnerable student groups, such as Looked After Children, Care leavers, young carers, young parents, children known to social care, and those with an EHCP.
• Liaising with support departments (Wellbeing, Support 4 Success, Student Finance, Careers) to support vulnerable groups and provide information on attendance, progression, and wellbeing to support external meetings.
• Attending regular caseload meetings with the Wellbeing Team to support learners' attendance, progression, and wellbeing, relaying relevant information to curriculum teams to achieve the best outcomes for the learner.

Support of Curriculum:

• Supporting curriculum delivery, including collecting details of learners' prior achievements, supporting the completion of assessments and diagnostics, and ensuring timely follow-up and intervention for learners at risk.
• Liaising with curriculum and support staff to compile and produce progress reports.
• Communicating with parents and carers in relation to learners' attendance and progress.
• Liaising with curriculum to support students with UCAS application processes, including reviewing personal statements, writing references, and ensuring students' applications are completed by set deadlines.
• Supporting curriculum staff with student interviews, parents' evenings, open events, and any other activities to showcase and promote the curriculum area.
• Working as an integral part of a curriculum staff team, within College Directorates, and undertaking any other responsibilities related to curriculum delivery.

Cross-College Activities:

• Supporting the embedding of the Learner Voice Involvement Strategy by coordinating the election of Student Representatives.
• Ensuring that individuals and all groups of learners have the opportunity to share their views on the College's provision and provide feedback on teaching, learning, and assessment in the context of their programme of study.
• Supporting the completion of Student Representative feedback and participation at training and learner voice events.
• Supporting the completion of College surveys to meet College Key Performance Indicators (RARAPA, Arrivals, Satisfaction, and any additional surveys in year).
• Supporting the Student Experience Team to engage learners in enrichment activities and Health and Wellbeing Campaigns.
• Supporting the delivery of the Careers Strategy by working closely with the Work Experience Team, Careers Team, and Curriculum Teams to ensure all learners acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to manage their learning and career progression.

Additional Duties:

• Contributing to College self-assessment processes.
• Attending internal and external staff development events and taking responsibility for own professional development.
• Undertaking such other duties as are reasonably allocated either permanently or from time to time.
• Acting as an exam invigilator as required.
• Completing First Aid qualification and acting as a duty first aider as required.
• Operating/conducting all HR tasks and functions within the principles of GDPR.

Conditions of Service:

The appointment is subject to the Conditions of Service for Business Support Staff.

All successful applicants will undergo the following checks:

• Enhanced DBS.
• 2 x References, one of which must be your current or most recent employer.
• Qualification validation check.

Salary:

The salary range for this post is from £23,194 to £25,240 per annum pro rata. Your starting salary will be dependent upon your qualifications and experience. Once you have successfully passed your probationary period, your salary will increase within the salary band on an annual incremental basis, until you reach the top of the salary scale.

Hours of Work:

The hours of work are currently based on 29.6 hours per week, 52 weeks per annum.

Annual Leave:

The post carries 25 annual leave days, plus eight public bank holidays plus a further five concessionary days as 'leave to be taken at the Principal's discretion'.

After 2 years continuous service, your annual leave entitlement will increase to 30 days per annum.

Please note that only in exceptional circumstances, with your Directors permission, will staff be able to take more than 3 consecutive weeks of leave in any leave year.

Pension Scheme:

The College operates an occupational pension scheme, namely the 'Local Government Pension Scheme'.

Probationary Period:

All newly appointed staff have to serve a 9 month probationary period. During the probationary period, you will have to complete the Corporate staff induction, a Teaching and Learning Induction session if you deliver learning, and additional mandatory courses on Equality & Diversity, Keeping Children safe in Education, Safeguarding Training, Prevent, GDPR, Cyber Security, and Health & Safety training session. Failure to complete these will prevent you from successfully completing your probation.

References:

All candidates must have 2 satisfactory references.

Location:

The successful applicant will be based at Redditch but may be required to work at other locations from time to time.

Validation of Qualifications:

The College will undertake qualification validation by writing to the appropriate educational institute. Only those qualifications which are essential for the post will be followed up.

Contractual Requirement to Obtain a Qualification:

If you are required to obtain a qualification as a contractual requirement, the College reviews its CPD budget on an annual basis regarding availability of funds and cannot therefore guarantee that newly appointed staff will receive either part or full funding for the course fees. However, student loan facilities are available.

Maths and English:

All staff are required to have a minimum level 2 qualification in both English and Maths. If you are not already in receipt of one or both of these qualifications, you will be expected to obtain it (them) during your employment at the College.

Safeguarding:

The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All newly appointed staff will be required to undertake safeguarding training during their probationary period.

Heart of Worcestershire College adheres to the Department of Education's guidance on 'Keeping children safe in Education'. As part of your induction, you will be required to read and understand part 1 of this document.

Online Checks:

Candidates shortlisted for interview and then subsequently become successful in the recruitment process and prior to a formal offer of employment being made will be subject to online checks being carried out by a neutral party not directly involved in the recruitment process. Consent for these checks was requested at application stage.

Disclosure & Barring Check:

All successful applicants will be required to complete and pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service check. The costs of this check will be deducted from the applicants' first salary payment from the College. The College adheres to the DBS Code of Practice and has policies covering the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders and the Secure Storage, Handling, Use, Retention, and Disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure Information. Copies of these are available on request.

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders:

The College is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff, or users of its services, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability, or offending background.

As an organisation, we use the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) to assess the suitability of all prospective appointments. We undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

Applicants/employees are required to declare any pending criminal prosecutions they may have as well as any spent criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings as defined under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. The only exception to this requirement is that applicants/employees do not need to disclose any 'protected' cautions or convictions as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013.

Please read the 'Guidance Note to applicants on disclosing information about cautions and convictions in their application' document before you complete your application form.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of any offences.

Training:

All successful applicants will be required to undertake all mandatory training and update sessions and any appropriate training and development as required, including Health and Safety.

Smoking Policy:

HoW College is a Smoke-Free environment from the effects of direct/indirect contact with smoking, including using the following:

• Cigarettes
• E-cigarettes
• Vaporisers
• Pipe smoking
• Cigars
• And all other associated smoking products