Pastoral Support Officer

**Support Staff Job Outline and Person Specification**

**Position Title**

**Pastoral Support Officer and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead**

**Location**

Okehampton College

**Reporting to**

Associate Vice Principal

**Job Term**

Permanent

**Hours**

(37 hours per week/41 weeks per annum)

(term time, non pupil days and 1 weeks Summer School)

**Work Pattern**

Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 4.30pm

Friday 8.30am to 4.00pm

**Grade**

Grade D

**Organisation**

Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust

**Effective date of JD**

As soon as possible

There are 17 schools within Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, 3 secondary and 14 primary schools.

On appointment, your main place of work will be at Okehampton College but you may be required to work at any other premises occupied by the Employer or any of the Employer’s Academies within Devon as directed by the Employer.

This job description is not a comprehensive definition of the post. Discussions will take place on a regular basis to clarify individual responsibilities within the general framework and character of the post as identified below.

**Job Purpose**:

- To support Heads of Year in their role with all pastoral issues in the school in order to support student achievement and attainment.
- To ensure stability for the students with continued presence to provide emotional, practical and safeguarding support in order that the students can fulfil their maximum potential.
- To work with school staff and other agencies to provide additional support to children who need help to overcome barriers to learning, targeting help to those children who need it most.
- To work within and reinforce all school policies related to the welfare and progress of children.

**Main duties and responsibilities**:

- To support students who show lack of motivation; disaffection; poor attendance; emotional difficulties; behavioural difficulties; and unsupportive parental/carer attitudes to learning, including being a named key worker for students.
- To work in partnership with other agencies under the direction of the Heads of Year, Assistant Principals or SENDCo depending on the issue.
- To engage and support in processes including Early Help, graduated response and any other support mechanisms for students.
- To develop positive relationships with students and their families to support student welfare and progress.
- To be a named Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
- Liaise with DSL’s in triaging and prioritising cases.
- To deal in a timely way with any incidents including bullying, ensuring all information is gathered and triaged, recorded and actioned as appropriate.
- As directed to collect data and compile reports for Head of Years and External Agencies.
- To follow the direction of the Student Progress Leaders within school to support and develop pastoral systems.
- To support DSL, tutors and Heads of Year with the PEP (Personal Educational Plan) data and information process for Children in Care.
- To support the DSL to prepare for the PEP meeting that the DSL will be attending.
- To attend weekly lunchtime and monthly afterschool pastoral meetings.
- To support the effective transfer of pupil information within school and across schools.
- To join in training opportunities with teachers and other staff as provided and where appropriate in order to support their daily practice.

**Safeguarding**:

- Day to day operations regarding safeguarding procedures
- To support the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
- To respond swiftly and efficiently to safeguarding concerns
- To ensure that all actions are recorded.
- To inform a parent/carer that their child has been/may have been harmed
- To liaise with external agencies, maintaining a dialogue regarding concerns/referrals that have been made
- To negotiate with and inform parents/carers of events and future actions for the care of their children
- To engage parents/carers into Early Help systems.
- To negotiate with a troubled/injured child
- To accompany, if necessary, a child to hospital

**Supervision and Management**

The Pastoral Support Officer will contribute to the work of tutors and Heads of Year and oversee their work in relation to the welfare of individual students. The post holder will also contribute to the deployment of other support staff through referrals and professional discussions.

**Creativity and Innovation**

The jobholder will be required to daily manage problems and issues presented to them by pupils, parents and members of staff, in resolving pastoral, safeguarding and behavioural issues.

Students present themselves with a variety of needs, such as needing treatment of first aid, child protection issues, issues within families, issues within class, bullying, curriculum issues, issues outside of school. The job holder is required to help resolve these issues by liaising with parents, teachers, the Designated Safeguarding Lead, multi agencies such as social services and the police.

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