Deputy Head of Pastoral Care

The school seeks to appoint a Deputy Head of Pastoral Care to take up post in August 2024.

The successful candidate will be a teacher of exceptional intellectual quality, vision and energy, who will have responsibility for many aspects of the day-to-day running of the school and play a major role in the school’s development with particular responsibility for safeguarding, pastoral care and recruitment.

Job description

The Deputy Head Pastoral is the School Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and has primary responsibility for the provision of pastoral care across the whole school, including line management responsibility for Heads of Key Stage, Heads of House and the medical and counselling staff.  It is anticipated that the successful candidate will teach a reduced timetable in their specialist subject.

Pastoral care

• Acting as the School Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL - see below for full list of responsibilities), leading and managing all aspects of safeguarding

• Overseeing the provision of pastoral care within the Senior school, promoting early intervention

• Supporting the well-being of all students and staff, including gathering and sharing qualitative data across the school

• Line managing the pastoral team in the senior school, including the Heads of House, medical and counselling staff

• Chairing a fortnightly meeting with the school counsellor to ensure relevant information is shared

• Liaising with the Senior and Junior School Heads, the Senior and Junior School Board Advisors and the External Safeguarding Consultant about safeguarding and pastoral care. 

• Developing and overseeing the whole school House system

• Developing and overseeing the Senior School tutor system, providing guidance and training for tutors on their roles and responsibilities, allocating tutors to student groups and overseeing tutor development

• Chairing pastoral meetings of Heads of Key Stage and Heads of House and the whole school Pastoral Sub-Committee

• Managing the quality and delivery of pastoral and safeguarding INSET across the school

• Overseeing all staff pastoral training and development including engagement in research opportunities with outside organisations

• Keeping up to date with safeguarding legislation and best practice and keeping the school SMT informed accordingly

• Updating relevant school policies and procedures

• Delivering/managing the delivery of safeguarding training

• Supporting Heads of Key Stage and tutors during parent consultation evenings

• Managing an agreed budget

• Communicating with and meeting parents as necessary 

• Coordinating all student pastoral initiatives, including peer supporters, peer educators and wellbeing week 

• Coordinating the buddy programme which sees regular student meetings across year groups

• Developing and overseeing the Senior school PHSE programme

Discipline and conduct

• Overseeing standards of students’ personal conduct throughout the school

• Working closely with the Senior and Junior School Heads to implement and monitor whole school approaches to promoting positive behaviour and relationships

• Managing any serious disciplinary cases involving pupils

• Managing and updating codes of conduct and discipline and their related policies

• Managing sanctions and rewards

Staff Well-being

• Liaising with and supporting all staff with regard to wellbeing, including gathering and sharing qualitative data across the school

• Leading and managing a programme of well-being for members of staff across the school

• Leading the peer support system for new members of staff on arrival

• Putting in place individual staff support plans where a member of staff is struggling emotionally

• Devising and implementing staff risk assessments as necessary and appropriate where a member of staff has health or disability needs that require support or adjustments

• Leading the whole school elements of staff training, to include safeguarding and access to the latest educational research that is of relevance to all teaching staff

  
  

Other management and liaison 

• Leading a parents’ association (PTA) across the Senior school

• Attending Senior school PTA meetings

• Supporting the staff induction process across the Senior School

• Carrying out student induction across the Senior School

• Develop and maintain an effective Student School Council across the whole school

• Support and maintain an overview of the Education Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) on a regular basis

• Line manage the Head of Co-curricular and oversee the whole-school co-curricular programme

• Co-ordinate the Senior school lesson cover system, ensuring all staff are deployed effectively and that absence records are maintained

• Attending the academic, pastoral and health and safety committees or any other internal or external meetings as necessary

• Attending the School Governing Board’s Education and Pastoral Committee, providing papers as required     

• Any other duties as required by the Senior School Head and Co-Principals  

 The main responsibilities of the DSL

• To be the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the whole school, leading and managing all aspects of safeguarding

• To be the first point of contact for parents, pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff and

• external agencies in all matters of child protection across the school

• To act as a source of support, advice and expertise to all staff on matters of safety and safeguarding and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with the Head of Senior School, together with the Head of Junior School when appropriate, the External Safeguarding Consultant and relevant agencies  

• To develop and build relationships with local Chinese child protection officers

• To refer all cases of suspected abuse to the local authorities as appropriate, following discussion with the Head of the Senior School, together with the Head of the Junior School when a JS student is involved, and having consulted the External Safeguarding Consultant and/or CEO

• To co-ordinate the child protection procedures across the school

• To maintain an ongoing training programme for all school employees, governors, volunteers and other individuals working at the school, including induction training for all such individuals, and annual updates

• To manage the system of electronic record keeping relating to all safeguarding concerns (My Concern), in both senior and junior schools, ensuring the highest levels of confidentiality 

• To ensure that notification of further record keeping is marked on the pupil records

• To liaise with the school’s External Safeguarding Consultant on a regular basis, and otherwise when appropriate, about safeguarding and other pastoral developments

• to keep parents informed of action to be taken in relation to their child in accordance with the safeguarding (child protection) policy

• To keep the CEO, the Senior and Junior School Heads, and the Junior and Senior School Board Advisors updated on all issues relating to child protection and safeguarding issues, including any referrals outside school.

• To develop specific plans to promote the well-being of individual students when necessary, working closely with families as far as possible

• To maintain and monitor the records of pupils in the school on such a plan to ensure that they are up to date and accurate.

• To liaise with other professionals to ensure that the school contributes to inter-agency working in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2022), where it is possible and appropriate

• To identify and build positive working relationships with additional voluntary agencies who can act as sources of support for children and families at SPGSI Chengdu. 

• To advise and act on all suspicions, concerns and/or evidence of the need for children to receive additional support, or of children who have suffered or are likely to suffer abuse and/or neglect, that is reported to the DSL 

• Where appropriate, to take part in child protection conferences or reviews

• To share information as appropriate with any future school to which a student moves

• To keep and maintain records of staff training on child protection and safer recruitment procedures

• To notify the appropriate organisation if the school ceases to use the services of a member of staff (or a governor or volunteer) because they are unsuitable to work with children and:

• To report to the Board as required on matters relating to safeguarding

• To chair weekly safeguarding meetings in school

• To review the school’s safeguarding practice on an ongoing basis and keep an up to date action plan of improvements and changes required  

Safer Recruitment

• To lead on the safeguarding aspect of the school’s safer recruitment polices, practices and procedures

• To ensure that the safeguarding aspect of recruitment policies and procedures are fully implemented and followed

• To ensure that HR is fully aware of any safeguarding issues arising from references, application forms and accompanying letters, obtained for recruitment needs

• To liaise with the Head of Senior/Junior School about recruitment and developments

• To lead on safeguarding interviews in the recruitment and appointment process

• To report regularly to the Board on Safer Recruitment developments 

General

The Deputy Head Pastoral will also play an important day-to-day and strategic role, working as part of the Senior Management Team (SMT) on all matters involving the running of the school and the development of its strategic vision:  

• Being a strong and visible presence and figure of authority within the school community

• Supporting the work of staff and students through attendance at a wide range of events

• Where appropriate attending/chairing key decision making forums 

• Participating in the appointment of staff

• Deputising, with other members of SMT, for the Co-Principals

The successful candidate is likely to have had some managerial responsibility before, either as a Deputy Head elsewhere or as a Head of Department or Head of Year.  

This job description may be amended from time to time in consultation with the role holder.

RESPONSIBLE TO:

HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL and Governing Board

LINE MANAGER:

HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION:

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential: Minimum Bachelor’s Degree with PGCE/QTS or Bachelor of Education Degree with QTS

EXPERIENCE

The candidate should have:

• Minimum two years’ teaching experience at a UK or international school

• Demonstrable experience of working in safeguarding at an advanced level

• Experience of responsibility at a senior management level would be a distinct advantage

• Experience of safeguarding in a UK context

• Experience of leading training sessions for staff members

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential: the successful candidate should have:

• Good understanding of the UK regulatory framework around safeguarding

• Good communication skills

• Good teamwork and collaborative skills

• Resilience and a good sense of humour

• Fairness, kindness and warmth

• Interest in wider issues relating to student wellbeing

• Understanding of how UK safeguarding principles operate in a Chinese context

• Interest in wider educational research and practice

PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE AND CONDUCT

The successful candidate should have:

• Ability to understand, empathise with and enjoy the culture, ethos and values of SPGS International School Chengdu

• Flexibility to learn and adapt to new cultures and situations

• A willingness to explore innovative approaches from across the educational field

• The ability to uphold the Code of Conduct of SPGS International Schools