Student Support Officer (SSO)

Salary Scale Level 7

Actual salary £27,135 (FTE salary £31,022)

37 hours per week Termtime + INSET

(8.00am-4.00pm Monday-Thursday; 8.00am-3.30pm Friday with 30-minute lunch break)

The Directors are seeking to appoint someone with experience of working with young people to work within the school’s pastoral team in providing a complementary service to the school in addressing the pastoral needs of students within Key Stage 4. The SSO will liaise with students, staff, parents and external agencies when needed to support students’ progress within the academy and their attitude to school life.

St Thomas More Catholic Academy is an 11-18 mixed Catholic comprehensive school with 1143 students on roll which has an excellent reputation throughout the area.

The post is for 37 hours per week during term time plus INSET.

Applications are warmly welcomed from all denominations.

Purpose of the Post

To be responsible for providing pastoral care for a designated year providing support and assistance to the Head of Key Stage and the wider Pastoral team. The SSO will liaise with students, staff, parents and external agencies when needed to support students’ progress within the academy and their attitude to school life.

Principal duties and responsibilities

·         To provide pastoral care, support and guidance for students within the year group

·        To support the wellbeing of individual students, by developing approaches based on existing good practice in managing and support students with emotional and behavioural difficulties

·        Working alongside parents in helping them to support the work of the school in improving individual students’ progress, attitude to learning and behaviour whilst ensuring that there are effective lines of communication operating between school and home

·        Work directly with individuals or groups to raise self-esteem and confidence of students with a view to improve personal and social skills

·         To support the Head of Key Stage in monitoring academy performance, behaviour and attendance data and intervening as required

·        Working with all staff to promote the effective use of behaviour management strategies

·        Support parents and students by liaising with identified outside agencies

·         Mentoring on a 1:1 basis and supporting work with small groups of students within a year group

·         Working within a pastoral team to support whole school pastoral care

·        Promoting and encouraging programmes of study support in school

·        Completing duties and patrols in line with behaviour policy

·        Maintaining contact with students who are given suspensions due to behaviour issues and supporting their re-integration

This is not a complete statement of all duties – the postholder will be expected to complete other duties reasonably required by Head of Key Stage.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  This School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.