Pastoral Support Assistant in Cambridge

The following information aims to provide potential candidates with a better understanding of the requirements for this role.

Location: Cambridge

Salary: £22,306 (FTE £32,647)

Working hours: 32.5 hours a week, term time only— will consider job share

Vacancy Type: Permanent

The Perse School Cambridge is one of the country’s leading independent co-educational day schools for children aged 3-18. Our aim is to be a leading employer of choice. This means we strive to be a school where staff say they are proud and excited to work, and feel valued, respected and motivated. We are committed to providing a very competitive salary and benefits scheme at the same time as offering a wide range of opportunities for personal and professional development. We want our staff to feel engaged and purposeful so that they, in turn, help pupils to be happy and successful.

Job Purpose

An interesting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and committed individual to join our pastoral team and help promote the welfare of our students. The main purpose of this role is to oversee a dedicated room that serves as a safe space for pupils who are unable to remain in their usual lessons or social areas due to their emotional state, or who would benefit from a short break from the normal school routine to reset and continue their day.

Responsibilities include providing one-to-one support for pupils who arrive throughout the day, assessing their needs, creating a calm and safe environment, and communicating effectively with the wider pastoral team. The role also involves liaising with the attendance officer, tutors and classroom teachers. This position complements the specialist support offered by the pastoral team, SEND team, senior tutors, emotional wellbeing support worker, counsellors and nurses on site. When the room is not in use by pupils, the successful candidate will assist with pastoral administration tasks.

Key Responsibilities

• Support students in crisis through listening and offering a calm and empathic response to the challenges they are facing, helping them to regulate their emotions.
• Develop effective and positive one-to-one working relationships with students requiring particular support to help them achieve goals. This may include signposting students to resources and support after discussion with the pastoral team.
• Collaborate with the pastoral team to ensure joined up thinking and support for students using the room more regularly.
• Maintain clear boundaries of what support can be offered, working with the Pastoral Team and Counsellors if more support is required.
• Liaise with the Safeguarding team where appropriate.
• Maintain up to date welfare records and records of interventions.
• Ensure the Wellbeing Room is maintained to a high standard, including monitoring and ordering resources (subject to sign-off by the Assistant Head of Pupil Welfare).
• Produce weekly attendance summaries and trends by year group for Heads of Year and compile termly summaries in addition to these. Where appropriate, be part of follow-up meetings, including APDRs.
• Support the Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Head (Pupil development and welfare) in following up on safeguarding file transfers and conducting pupil and parent surveys for tutor appraisal purposes.
• Supporting with pastoral tasks, such as uploading pastoral documents to school systems.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Applicants should have experience working with young people in any capacity (school, youth work, volunteering etc) and an interest in young people’s wellbeing and emotional regulation. No formal qualifications are required, but a willingness to undertake training in areas such as basic mental wellbeing or skills to support young people with their mental wellbeing would be an advantage.

Our ideal candidate would:

• Demonstrate competency in using ICT systems, such as Microsoft Office, effectively for communication, data management, and reporting.
• Be able to take initiative, identify tasks without being prompted, and work independently to achieve objectives.
• Be comfortable working with colleagues, contributing positively to team dynamics and shared goals.
• Possess clear and effective verbal and written communication skills suitable for engaging with staff and students.
• Possess some experience in supporting young people with their wellbeing or pastoral needs (specialist mental health training is not required).
• Be able to think critically and resolve issues efficiently.
• Maintain composure under pressure, respond thoughtfully to challenges, and demonstrate resilience in a dynamic environment.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for The Perse School, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 27th January at midday. Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.