Pastoral Support Officer – Secondary School – Plymouth

Start Date: As soon as possible
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: Paid to scale

A welcoming and well-established secondary school in Plymouth is looking to appoint a committed and approachable Pastoral Support Officer to join its student support team on a full-time, permanent basis. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working directly with young people and wants to play an important role in supporting their academic progress, wellbeing, attendance, behaviour and wider development.

The successful candidate will become an important point of contact for students who may require additional guidance, encouragement or practical support during their time at school. Working closely with teachers, pastoral leaders, families and other members of the support team, you will help ensure students feel safe, understood and able to engage positively with school life.

The school is looking for someone who is calm, reliable and confident when working with young people. You should be able to establish positive relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries and expectations.

School Information

This is a well-established secondary school serving students across Key Stages 3 and 4. The school places considerable importance on creating a positive environment where students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning, develop confidence and make good choices.

Staff work collaboratively across academic and pastoral teams, with strong communication between teachers, heads of year, safeguarding colleagues and support staff. The successful applicant will join a team that understands that strong pastoral provision is an essential part of successful education.

The school has a clear focus on attendance, behaviour, inclusion and student wellbeing. Pastoral staff are expected to know their students well and respond appropriately when concerns arise.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with students on a daily basis, helping them overcome barriers that may affect their engagement with education.

Pastoral Team

The Pastoral Support Officer will work as part of a wider pastoral structure, supporting students and assisting pastoral leaders with the day-to-day management of student welfare.

You will build effective relationships with students and become a trusted adult within the school. You may work with students experiencing difficulties with attendance, behaviour, organisation, friendships, confidence, motivation or engagement.

The role will involve regular communication with teachers and other support colleagues, ensuring relevant concerns are identified and addressed promptly.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day pastoral support to students across the school.

• Build positive, professional relationships with students and encourage them to make constructive choices.

• Identify students who may require additional pastoral intervention.

• Support students experiencing difficulties with attendance, behaviour, engagement or organisation.

• Work alongside Heads of Year and other pastoral leaders to implement appropriate support strategies.

• Monitor student progress from a pastoral perspective and contribute to review meetings where appropriate.

• Help students develop confidence, resilience and independence.

• Encourage students to take responsibility for their behaviour and learning.

• Support students returning to lessons following incidents or periods of absence.

• Communicate appropriately with parents and carers regarding pastoral concerns.

• Maintain accurate records of pastoral interventions and student contact.

• Contribute to meetings concerning individual students.

• Work closely with teaching staff to ensure pastoral concerns are communicated effectively.

• Assist with student supervision around the school.

• Support the school’s attendance and behaviour procedures.

• Recognise when concerns need to be escalated to a senior member of staff.

• Follow school policies relating to safeguarding, confidentiality, behaviour and student welfare.

• Contribute to a positive and inclusive school environment.

• Support students in developing appropriate social and emotional skills.

• Help students overcome barriers to successful participation in school life.

Experience and Requirements

The school is looking for someone with previous experience working with young people, ideally within a school, college, youth service, educational setting or another relevant environment.

Experience in pastoral support, behaviour support, mentoring, youth work, attendance, inclusion or student welfare would be highly advantageous.

You should be confident communicating with students of different ages and backgrounds and able to adapt your approach according to individual needs.

The successful applicant will be:

• Approachable, patient and professional.

• Confident working with teenagers.

• Calm when dealing with challenging situations.

• Able to maintain clear boundaries.

• A strong communicator.

• Organised and dependable.

• Comfortable working as part of a wider team.

• Able to maintain confidentiality.

• Proactive when identifying concerns.

• Positive and solution-focused.

• Committed to supporting students to achieve their potential.

Previous experience within education is desirable, but the school will also consider candidates with strong transferable experience from youth work, mentoring, community support or similar environments.

Safeguarding

The successful candidate will be expected to uphold the school's safeguarding procedures and contribute to creating a safe environment for all students. The role will be subject to the appropriate pre-employment and safeguarding checks.

Application

If you are passionate about supporting young people and would like to join a supportive secondary school in Plymouth, this could be an excellent opportunity. Applications are welcomed from experienced pastoral professionals as well as candidates with relevant transferable experience.

Please apply with an up-to-date CV outlining your experience and suitability for the role.