Pastoral Manager in Southampton

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and highly motivated pastoral professional to join our team as Pastoral Manager. You will play a vital part in ensuring that all pupils are safe, supported, and able to thrive both academically and personally. As Pastoral Manager, you will lead and coordinate safeguarding, child protection, attendance, family engagement, and pastoral support across the school. Working closely with senior leaders, staff, families, and external agencies, you will ensure that vulnerable pupils receive timely and effective support while promoting a positive culture of wellbeing, inclusion, and high expectations. This is a rewarding opportunity for someone who is passionate about making a difference to the lives of children and families and who has the confidence and expertise to lead safeguarding and pastoral provision within a school environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Safeguarding and Child Protection
  • Take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the school.
  • Act as the first point of contact for safeguarding concerns raised by staff.
  • Refer cases of suspected abuse or neglect to appropriate external agencies.
  • Promote a safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe, listened to, and supported.
• Pastoral Support and Early Help
  • Identify vulnerable pupils and families and coordinate and lead appropriate support and interventions.
  • Lead on early help processes, including assessments and multi-agency planning.
  • Support parents and carers through regular meetings and “surgery” sessions.
  • Develop strategies to support families facing challenges, including emotional, behavioural, or social needs.
• Attendance and Inclusion
  • Monitor, track and analyse attendance data to identify concerns and trends.
  • Work with families to address barriers to attendance and improve outcomes.
  • Liaise with the Education Welfare Officer and external agencies regarding persistent absence.
  • Ensure attendance concerns are addressed as part of wider safeguarding and pastoral support.
• Parent and Family Engagement
  • Develop and implement a whole-school approach to parent partnership and engagement.
  • Build strong relationships with parents and carers to support pupil wellbeing and achievement.
  • Lead and coordinate parenting workshops, courses and support programmes.
  • Promote parental involvement in school life and maintain a register of parent volunteers.
• Multi-Agency Working
  • Act as the main point of contact for external agencies including social care, health, and police.
  • Attend and contribute to child protection conferences, CIN meetings, and other multi-agency forums.
  • Liaise effectively with external professionals to coordinate support for pupils and families.
• Training and Staff Support
  • Provide safeguarding training and updates for staff, including new starters, volunteers and students.
  • Offer guidance and advice to staff on managing safeguarding and pastoral concerns.
  • Support staff in making appropriate referrals and recording concerns.
• Policy, Leadership and Development
  • Lead on the review and implementation of safeguarding and pastoral policies.
  • Contribute to a whole-school vision for pastoral care and family engagement.
  • Promote a culture of inclusion, safeguarding, and high expectations for all pupils.
  • Lead and line manage other members of the pastoral team.

About You

• Knowledge & Understanding
  • Safeguarding and child protection legislation and procedures.
  • The role of parents and carers in supporting children’s development.
  • Early help processes and multi-agency working.
• Experience
  • Working with children and families in an educational or support setting.
  • Safeguarding and child protection casework.
  • Delivering support, training or workshops for parents or staff.
  • Experience supporting Looked After Children or Previously Looked After Children (desirable).
• Skills
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to build effective relationships with pupils, families, and professionals.
  • Strong organisational and record-keeping skills.
  • Ability to manage a varied workload and prioritise effectively.
  • Familiarity with school information management systems such as Arbor or CPOMS (desirable).
• Qualifications
  • Relevant Level 3 qualification (or equivalent) plus GCSE English and Maths.
  • Safeguarding / DSL training (or willingness to obtain).
  • Knowledge of or experience delivering structured programmes such as ELSA, Thrive, or Triple P (desirable).

Why Join us

• Competitive salary dependent on experience.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Free Enhanced DBS.
• Opportunities for further education and professional development.
• The opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children, young people, and their families.

How do I apply

To become our Pastoral Manager, simply click 'Apply now' and complete your application. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us at jobs@gatewaytrust.org. The Gateway Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment. We regularly review applications and reserve the right to close an advert early if we identify suitable candidates. To avoid disappointment, submit your application as soon as possible. The Gateway Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.