Learning Mentor Pastoral and Behaviour Specialist in Dunstable

We are looking to recruit an experienced and committed Learning Mentor – Pastoral and Behaviour Specialist to join our wonderful school that believes young people deserve the very best quality of education. We are seeking someone with very high expectations who loves working with young people and is ambitious to see them achieve. At Houstone, our values of Integrity, Ambition, Excellence are underpinned by very high expectations and drive in everything that we do. We have a powerful culture which is warm but strict, based on clear routines, systems, and structures. As a result, our staff enjoy their roles with impeccable behaviour in lessons and hardworking, highly motivated pupils.

Joining Houstone School as a Learning Mentor – Pastoral and Behaviour Specialist is a fantastic opportunity to be part of our story – providing transformational experiences for thousands of pupils, developing our staff to be the very best they can be, and influencing the wider system by demonstrating first‑hand what is achievable. Our trust is known for its ‘no excuses, can‑do’ culture that seeks to prepare all its pupils to have the opportunity of a pathway to university. If you are passionate about helping all pupils, regardless of background, to achieve this, then this could be the role for you.

Key Duties

• To be responsible for providing one‑to‑one or group support to pupils with Social, Emotional or Mental Health Needs.
• Provide on‑call support to respond to behavioural incidents, pupil welfare concerns, and urgent matters during school hours, ensuring timely intervention and adherence to school policies and wellbeing procedures.
• To be responsible for the effective administration and organisation of behaviour systems within school (e.g. daily corrections and behaviour points).
• To oversee and carry out innovative and effective behaviour intervention programmes in line with Houstone’s ethos of high expectations.

The successful candidate will have:

• Recent and effective experience of tutoring/mentoring/managing pupils with challenging behaviours.
• Experience of working with children with SEND and EAL.
• At least C grade or equivalent in English and Maths GCSE and Level 3 qualification.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with students, staff, and parents.
• Experience of working with outside agencies who support pupils with social, emotional or mental health needs.
• Experience of data input/monitoring and analysis.
• Confident IT user.
• Proactive and flexible approach to work, with the ability to adapt to different situations and challenges.
• Empathy, patience, and a genuine passion for working with children and young people.
• Ability to deal with challenging behaviours and be able to motivate and encourage pupils.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritise effectively.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of safeguarding.

Job Specifics

• Start date: asap
• Salary: AS 11‑15 FTE £28,451‑£30,334. Actual pro‑rata salary £24,689‑£26,324
• Job role: Permanent, Full time, Term time + 5 INSET days, 39 weeks per year, 37 hours per week
• Working Hours: Monday‑Thursday 8.15am‑4.15pm and Friday leaving at 3.45pm with 30 minutes for lunch

The Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the deadline date.

We believe in the safeguarding and welfare of children and expect all staff to share this view. The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer.