Pupil Wellbeing Mentor and School Mental Health Lead - The Gerrards Cross Church of England School

Pupil Wellbeing Mentor and School Mental Health Lead - The Gerrards Cross Church of England School

Location: Gerrards Cross

Term time only: Yes, including INSET days

Salary Type: Bucks pay

Salary details: Depending on qualifications and experience: Bucks Pay range 2: £25,625 - 27,770 FTE; Bucks Pay range 3: £28,129 - £30,174 FTE

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: 8.30am-3.45pm 4 days a week, Occasional staff meetings agreed in advance with time taken in lieu

Interviews to be held: Yes

About us

Our school seeks to provide an engaging, challenging and inspiring education in an environment where every individual is valued, nurtured and celebrated. With a firm foundation of Christian values, we share a vision of excellence which enriches today and equips for tomorrow.

Responsible to The Headteacher of The Gerrards Cross CE School.

MAIN DUTIES:
Responsibilities will include:

• Ensure that the strategic and day-to-day leadership of mental health and emotional wellbeing support contributes to the school vision to see 'Every Child Flourishing'.
• Uphold the school's Christian ethos at all times.
• Ensure that the Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body are well informed about best practice and legislation relating to mental health and emotional wellbeing; and that policies and practices relating to this work are up to date.
• Lead, monitor and evaluate the development of strategies to support the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils and staff.
• Encourage and support pupils who are disadvantaged, liaising with parents to ensure their children have priority access to extra-curricular activities.
• Ensure that staff are provided with relevant information and resources so that they can meet the emotional needs and resulting behaviours of pupils.
• Provide emotional support and guidance to pupils and staff, helping them manage stress, anxiety, relationships and other emotional challenges including trauma.
• Promote positive mental health, resilience, and confidence across the school.
• Lead lessons for pupils, workshops for parents, and training for staff in order to foster emotional awareness and wellbeing throughout our community.
• Create strategies and lead initiatives which meet the needs of our pupils
• Carry out observations on individual pupils to advise staff on appropriate strategies.
• Continue to train pupils in roles such as 'wellbeing champions' so that they are equipped to lead and support their peers.
• Report to the Headteacher and Governing Body at least termly.

HUMAN RESOURCES and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
• Undertake any training to further knowledge and develop the school's provision.
• Identify training needs for staff and recommend how these can be met.
• Liaise effectively with staff across school, including class teachers, LSAs and other internal and external professionals to ensure high quality provision for pupils and staff.
• Lead on the development and implementation of inclusive practice throughout the school and liaise with teachers, delivering and arranging appropriate training when necessary.
• Lead lessons for pupils, workshops for parents, and training for staff in order to foster emotional awareness and wellbeing throughout our community.
• Source emotional wellbeing and mental health training for staff and parents in line with school priorities.

RESOURCES:
• Ensure that the best possible resources are available to support the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils and staff.
• Ensure that the best possible reading resources are available to support the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils and staff.
• Liaise with the Premises Manager to ensure that Health and Safety standards are met, and that all necessary risk assessments are carried out and documented.

SAFEGUARDING:
• Safeguard and promote the wellbeing of all pupils by adhering to school policies and reporting any concerns immediately.
• Ensure the nurture room provides a safe environment in which pupils, staff and parents can be supported.

About you

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A PERSON WHO:
• Enjoys working with and spending time with pupils and staff
• Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with pupils, staff, and parents.
• Has a passion for supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of our pupils and staff.
• Has a flexible, resilient approach, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
• Has a good sense of humour.
• Is a team player and enjoys problem-solving and working with colleagues.
• Has the ability to thrive, even on busy days.
• Can manage their own priorities, whilst maintaining high standards of communication with pupils, staff and parents.
• The ability to demonstrate high expectations for all.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:
Essential:
• Experience of supporting primary aged pupils with a range of emotional needs.
• Experience of supporting pupils to successfully address and modify their own behaviour, some of which can be challenging.
• Relevant mental health qualification/ training for pupils and adults

Desirable:
• Counselling or therapeutic qualifications and experience.
(Note that it may be possible to develop the role with a specific number of hours at an enhanced pay grade for a candidate with additional qualifications and/or experience)

Other information

Visits to the school are warmly welcome. To arrange a visit or to find out more about the role, please contact our school office on the number below.

Please send completed application forms to the email address below.

The Gerrards Cross CE School is dedicated to providing a place of effective learning and teaching in order that each child may pursue success in the classroom, on the sports field and in every other area of school life. Above all, we aim to provide a secure, caring and well-ordered community where each child is able to grow and flourish. The God-given uniqueness of each child is celebrated, and each individual is nurtured through the partnership of children, parents, staff and governors.

The health, safety and well-being of every child are our paramount concerns. We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is for children to enjoy their time as pupils in this school. We want to work in partnership with parents to help each child achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution.
We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether or not they have a disability. Please let us know if we need to make any reasonable adjustments for you in our recruitment process. Please note that this post will be subject to enhanced DBS checks as our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our children in our care.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All shortlisted applicants will be required to complete self-disclosure form and return prior to interview.