School Counsellor

We are looking to appoint an experienced, empathic and well qualified part-time School Counsellor to work as part of our pastoral team from 1st September 2022. You will provide excellent counselling support, engaging students by using a variety of proven counselling and therapeutic techniques tailored to their unique and individual needs.

The successful candidate will also play a key role alongside the wider staff team in providing holistic support for our students as well as their families and carers. Additional to counselling students, you will also participate and help supervise and engage students during social times to model positive relationships and help maintain our calm and nurturing environment.

The ideal candidate must have:

• Experience in working in a school setting
• Possess a post graduate diploma or Masters qualification in Counselling or Psychotherapy with a specialist qualification in child and adolescent work
• BACP Accreditation, UKCP or BPC registration or other professional registering body 
• Experience of safeguarding in a school setting is essential and ability to maintain confidentiality within the school's safeguarding policy

About Us

Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley is a thriving, diverse and academically successful school for girls in New Beckenham. Our GCSE results are amongst the best in the country with progress being amongst the most successful schools nationally. We passionately believe in educating young women for the future and with specialisms in Science and Enterprise we are working hard to create opportunities for girls to be successful in English and maths as well as more traditional subjects like Classics and Latin.

Main Areas of Responsibility

The main responsibilities of your role will be:

• To provide a counselling service within the Academy, responding to social, emotional or educational concerns.
• To assess the appropriateness of counselling as part of the referral process.
• To promote a caring and supportive environment where concerns can be explored, thereby promoting mental and emotional health at the academy.
• To uphold good practice as described by the BACP ethical guidelines.
• To fulfil professional supervision requirements.
• To maintain adequate records of clinical work and to keep these secure.
• To maintain training and continue professional development.
• To attend and participate in Complex Needs Panel meetings as appropriate.
• To liaise with relevant staff within the Academy making them aware of problems experienced by students and to make recommendations as to how these may be managed/resolved, as appropriate.
• To liaise with other professionals, including attending meetings within the Academy and with outside agencies, as appropriate.
• To be alert to trends and patterns of problems and be willing to identify causes and recommend corrective action.
• To play an active role in safeguarding pupils and adhere with guidance from academy policies.
• To contribute to the evaluation of the counselling service within the Academy compiling an annual report for the Governing body.
• To contribute in any other reasonable fashion to promote the safety and wellbeing of the pupils.

Qualifications

• Recognised professional counselling qualification to diploma level or equivalent
• Ability to make use of counselling supervision (evidenced by a counselling supervisor’s statement) Ability to maintain confidentiality within Academy safeguarding procedures
• Ability to work within a time limit Effective communication skills both orally and in writing Ability to work effectively with a range of colleagues both within the Academy and from external agencies

Experience 

• Counselling experience in a secondary school setting
• Evidence of pastoral experience
• Experience of working with key stakeholders such as a range of vulnerable students, outside agencies, SENCO, AWO, senior leaders, teaching staff, support staff, a range of parents, governors etc

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.

In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.