Pastoral Support Officer – Secondary School – Nottingham

Start Date: As soon as possible
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £30,000–£35,000 per annum, depending on experience

School Information

A well-established Secondary School in Nottingham is seeking a committed and experienced Pastoral Support Officer to join its dedicated student support team.

The school has a strong reputation for providing a structured, inclusive and supportive learning environment where students are encouraged to achieve their academic potential while developing confidence, independence and resilience. The school serves a diverse community and places considerable emphasis on positive relationships, safeguarding, attendance and student wellbeing.

The successful candidate will become an important member of the pastoral team, working closely with teaching staff, heads of year, senior leaders, families and external professionals to support students who may require additional guidance or intervention.

The school believes that strong pastoral care is essential to academic success. Staff are encouraged to work collaboratively and identify concerns at an early stage so that appropriate support can be put in place.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced pastoral professional who enjoys working directly with young people and is confident managing a varied workload.

The Role

As a Pastoral Support Officer, you will provide day-to-day support to students across the school, helping them overcome barriers to learning, improve engagement and maintain positive behaviour and attendance.

You will work alongside pastoral leaders to monitor student wellbeing, attendance and behaviour, identifying students who may benefit from additional support.

The role will involve regular interaction with students and families, as well as close collaboration with teachers and members of the school's safeguarding team.

You will need to be approachable and empathetic while also being confident in maintaining boundaries and reinforcing the school's expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing day-to-day pastoral support to students.

• Developing positive and professional relationships with students.

• Supporting students experiencing difficulties affecting their education.

• Monitoring attendance, punctuality and engagement.

• Identifying students requiring additional pastoral intervention.

• Supporting heads of year and pastoral leaders with individual student cases.

• Maintaining accurate records of pastoral interventions.

• Communicating with parents and carers regarding student welfare and progress.

• Supporting meetings with students, parents and staff.

• Working alongside safeguarding colleagues where concerns arise.

• Supporting students returning to school following periods of absence.

• Helping students develop positive attitudes towards school and learning.

• Supporting students experiencing social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

• Monitoring behaviour and contributing to appropriate interventions.

• Supporting students with transitions between year groups or stages.

• Assisting with student mentoring programmes.

• Supporting school-based wellbeing initiatives.

• Liaising with teaching staff to identify barriers to learning.

• Contributing to pastoral reports and reviews.

• Maintaining confidentiality when handling sensitive information.

Student Support

The successful candidate will work with students from a variety of backgrounds and with differing needs.

Some students may require short-term pastoral guidance, while others may require more structured and ongoing intervention. You will need to be able to adapt your approach while maintaining consistency.

You will provide students with a trusted point of contact and help them identify practical ways of managing difficulties that may affect their attendance, behaviour, relationships or engagement with learning.

The school expects pastoral staff to work proactively and identify concerns before they escalate wherever possible.

Attendance and Engagement

Attendance will form an important part of the role.

You will work with pastoral leaders to identify patterns of absence or lateness and support strategies designed to improve student attendance.

This may include speaking directly with students, contacting families, contributing to attendance meetings and maintaining records of agreed actions.

You will need to understand the relationship between attendance, wellbeing and academic progress and be able to approach attendance concerns professionally and sensitively.

Behaviour and Relationships

The Pastoral Support Officer will also contribute to maintaining positive behaviour across the school.

You will support students in understanding school expectations and encourage them to take responsibility for their behaviour.

Where incidents occur, you will work with relevant staff to establish what has happened and ensure appropriate follow-up takes place.

The role requires somebody who can remain calm when dealing with challenging situations and who can build positive relationships without compromising professional boundaries.

Working With Families

Strong communication with parents and carers will be essential.

You will regularly communicate regarding attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and pastoral interventions.

The successful candidate will need to communicate clearly and professionally, particularly when discussing sensitive matters.

You should be able to listen to concerns, provide appropriate information and ensure issues are escalated to the relevant member of staff when necessary.

Requirements

• Previous experience working in a pastoral, student support, youth work or education setting.

• Experience supporting children or young people.

• Strong understanding of student wellbeing and pastoral support.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to build positive relationships with students.

• Experience dealing with attendance or behaviour concerns is desirable.

• Understanding of safeguarding procedures.

• Strong organisational and record-keeping skills.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality.

• Confidence communicating with parents and carers.

• Ability to remain calm in challenging situations.

• Good IT skills.

• Ability to work effectively as part of a wider pastoral team.

• Professional, reliable and consistent approach.

Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate will be approachable, patient and resilient.

You should genuinely enjoy supporting young people and have the confidence to encourage students to make positive choices.

You will need to be firm when required while ensuring students feel listened to and supported.

Strong judgement and emotional awareness are particularly important for this position.

Why Join the School?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a supportive Secondary School in Nottingham where pastoral care is an important part of the school's wider approach to student success.

You will work alongside experienced pastoral and teaching professionals and play a direct role in helping students overcome barriers to education.

Application

To apply for the Pastoral Support Officer position, please send your CV as soon as possible. Suitable candidates will be contacted promptly to discuss the opportunity.