Pastoral Manager

Pastoral Manager | Newbury Independent School

Location: Aston, Birmingham
Salary: £30,000 - £40,000 per annum
Job type: Full-time, Permanent
Reports to: Head of Department / Senior Leadership Team

About Newbury Independent School

Newbury Independent School supports young people aged 11–19 with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and Additional Complex Support (ACS) needs.

We are looking for a compassionate, experienced and proactive Pastoral Manager to lead and develop our pastoral provision, helping remove barriers to learning and enabling our students to thrive.

This is an important leadership role for someone who can build positive relationships with students and families, support staff, coordinate multi-agency involvement and ensure that every young person receives consistent, effective and individualised support.

Our school values are Communicate, Application, Respect and Educate (CARE). We are looking for someone who shares these values and is committed to creating a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed.

The role

As Pastoral Manager, you will lead the Team Around the Child (TAC) process, oversee pastoral plans and interventions, support positive behaviour and emotional regulation, and monitor attendance and student welfare.

You will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, SENCO, Designated Safeguarding Lead, teaching staff, therapists, families and external agencies to ensure that support is coordinated, effective and focused on improving outcomes for our students.

The successful candidate will combine strong organisational and leadership skills with a calm, relational and trauma-informed approach to supporting young people with complex needs.

Key responsibilities

Pastoral leadership and staff management

• Lead and coordinate Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings, ensuring actions are agreed, recorded and followed up.
• Translate EHCP outcomes and assessments into practical pastoral plans and daily support strategies.
• Lead and manage Learning Support Assistants, promoting consistent approaches across the school.
• Work collaboratively with the SENCO, safeguarding team, behaviour lead, therapists and teaching staff.
• Maintain accurate case notes, risk assessments, support plans and other relevant records.

Behaviour, emotional regulation and relationships

• Promote positive, relational and trauma-informed approaches to behaviour.
• Develop and oversee individual behaviour support plans and appropriate interventions.
• Coach and support staff in de-escalation, co-regulation and emotional regulation strategies.
• Identify behavioural patterns and triggers, monitor progress and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
• Ensure that any physical intervention is lawful, appropriately risk-assessed, undertaken by trained staff where required, recorded and reviewed.

Attendance, welfare and family engagement

• Monitor attendance and punctuality, identifying concerns and implementing strategies to improve engagement.
• Undertake welfare and home visits where appropriate, following relevant risk assessments and school procedures.
• Build positive, constructive relationships with parents and carers.
• Provide practical and emotional support to families and signpost them to appropriate services.
• Work with families and professionals to identify and address barriers to attendance, learning and wellbeing.

Safeguarding and child protection

• Identify, respond to and escalate safeguarding concerns promptly and appropriately.
• Undertake designated deputy safeguarding responsibilities where formally appointed and appropriately trained.
• Maintain accurate, confidential and timely safeguarding records.
• Contribute to early help assessments, strategy meetings, case conferences and other safeguarding processes.
• Ensure practice aligns with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), Working Together to Safeguard Children and school policies.

Multi-agency working and inclusion

• Work effectively with social care, CAMHS, Educational Psychology, health professionals, local authority SEND teams and other relevant agencies.
• Prepare reports and contribute to EHCP annual reviews, Personal Education Plans (PEPs) where relevant, and other professional meetings.
• Advocate for students’ needs and help ensure appropriate provision and reasonable adjustments are in place.
• Promote pupil voice, independence, self-advocacy and emotional resilience.
• Coordinate pastoral interventions and enrichment activities that support social skills, anxiety management and a sense of belonging.

Monitoring, reporting and improvement

• Monitor and analyse attendance, behaviour, safeguarding and pastoral data to identify trends and target support.
• Provide reports to the Senior Leadership Team and governors as required.
• Contribute to school improvement planning, self-evaluation and inspection preparation.
• Ensure compliance with relevant safeguarding, SEND, data protection, health and safety and independent school requirements.

About you

We are looking for someone who is empathetic, resilient, organised and confident in leading a pastoral team. You will be an effective relationship-builder who can communicate professionally with young people, families, colleagues and external agencies, including when dealing with sensitive or challenging situations.

You will be committed to inclusive practice and understand how individual needs, trauma, neurodiversity and emotional regulation can affect a young person's experience of school.

Essential requirements

• GCSEs in English and Maths at grades A–C, or equivalent.
• A Level 3 or higher qualification in education, youth work, social care or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Recent safeguarding and child protection training.
• Experience in a pastoral, behavioural or safeguarding role within a school or children's setting, ideally involving SEND.
• Experience supporting young people with Autism, ADHD, SEMH, emotional and behavioural difficulties, or complex SEND.
• Strong skills in de-escalation, relational practice and restorative approaches.
• Experience working with parents, carers and multi-agency professionals.
• Confidence in coordinating and chairing TAC meetings.
• Experience conducting welfare or home visits and supporting improved attendance.
• Working knowledge of safeguarding procedures, early help, contextual safeguarding and statutory SEND processes, including EHCPs and annual reviews.
• Competence in risk assessment, safety planning, accurate record-keeping and managing competing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A commitment to equality, inclusion, confidentiality and the safeguarding of children and young people.

Desirable requirements

• Experience working in an Ofsted-inspected independent or special school.
• Designated Safeguarding Lead or Deputy DSL training.
• Accredited behaviour support training.
• Mental Health First Aid training.
• Further qualifications in SEND, SEMH or therapeutic approaches.
• Experience of attachment-aware, trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming practice.
• Experience implementing evidence-based behaviour plans and interventions.
• Familiarity with PEP processes and alternative provision pathways.

What we are looking for

The ideal candidate will be:

• Empathetic and approachable – able to build trusting relationships with students and families.
• Calm under pressure – confident in managing challenging situations professionally.
• A strong leader – able to guide, support and develop colleagues.
• Highly organised – capable of managing competing priorities, caseloads and deadlines.
• Resilient and reflective – willing to learn, use feedback and continually improve practice.
• Inclusive and respectful – committed to celebrating neurodiversity and promoting equal opportunities.
• A confident communicator – able to manage sensitive conversations and produce clear, professional reports.

Why join Newbury Independent School?

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of young people who benefit from individualised pastoral support.

You will have the opportunity to lead a vital area of school provision, work collaboratively with a range of professionals and help create an environment where students feel safe, understood and supported to achieve their potential.

If you are passionate about improving outcomes for young people with SEMH and SEND needs, and have the experience and leadership skills to deliver high-quality pastoral care, we would welcome your application.

Safeguarding and safer recruitment

Newbury Independent School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All staff are expected to uphold the school's CARE values and contribute to a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.

The successful applicant will be subject to robust safer recruitment procedures, including enhanced DBS clearance, reference verification, employment history checks and other relevant pre-employment checks.

Apply today to join Newbury Independent School and help our students overcome barriers, build resilience and achieve their potential!

Pay: £30,000.00-£40,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person