Assistant Head (Welfare)

Portland Place School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our children. All staff are trained in child protection. We ensure all candidates are properly police checked on appointment. The school will only accept fully completed application forms with three references and CVs attached.

Join Portland Place – a haven of creativity

Portland Place School is a leading independent co-educational day school for children aged 10-16, located directly in the heart of the City of Westminster. We were founded with a particular purpose in mind: to be an alternative to the intense, large, examination focused independent day schools of which there are many in London.

Part of the Alpha Plus family of schools, Portland Place offers rigorous and tailored career professional development to meet the needs of staff progression, a diverse and experienced group of teachers who share their pedagogical practice and first class teaching & learning and pastoral care for students. Portland Place School is undergoing a transformation in our approach to learning.  Our aim is to provide a real-life education where children are adaptable, empathic and prepared for 21st Century careers. 

The school is looking for an experienced pastoral leader as its new Assistant Head (Welfare). A significant part of this role is to be the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. The salary will be competitive and on the Alpha Plus Scale.

The successful applicant will be a key member of the Senior Leadership Team helping to guide the continued development of Portland Place, building on its already excellent pastoral care.

Teaching in your subject specialism will be part of the role, with a suitably reduced timetable. Portland Place Online, our hybrid school, forms part of the school so some online teaching may form part of the regular teaching timetable.

Join Alpha Plus Group – the gold standard in education

At Alpha Plus schools and colleges, we offer rewarding careers. Our teachers and staff are passionate about education and have a desire for personal development.

Alpha Plus is a values-led organisation that prides itself on its high expectations of all involved in the education process.

The successful candidate will meet all the requirements of the person specification, will receive strongly supported references and be subject to enhanced criminal record checks. All applications welcome regardless of age, gender, disability, ethnicity or religion but candidates must be fit and medically fit and have the right to work in the UK. Please view our school policies via the APG Portal.

JOB PURPOSE

To ensure that the school continues to provide excellent pastoral care for students and for staff, promoting the nurturing ethos of the school.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

The job description allocates duties and responsibilities. It does not direct the particular amount of time to be spent in carrying them out and no part of it may be so construed. The job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post and it may be subject to modification or amendment after consultation with the post holder.

The role of Assistant Head (Welfare) is key to the strong pastoral provision of the School. The Assistant Head (Welfare) is part of the Senior Leadership Team and is responsible, to the Headmaster, for the leadership and management of student and staff welfare. The role comprises these broad areas:

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) 

Line management of Heads of Year

Staff welfare

Counselling and coaching

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) derived from KCSIE 2020.

• refer cases of suspected abuse to the local authority children’s social care as required and support staff who make referrals to local authority children’s social care. Refer cases to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern as required and support staff who make referrals to the Channel programme. Refer cases where a person is dismissed or left due to risk/harm to a child to the Disclosure and Barring Service as required and refer cases where a crime may have been committed to the Police as required and act as a point of contact with the three safeguarding partners
• liaise with the Headmaster to inform him or her of issues- especially ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and police investigations. As required, liaise with the “case manager” and the designated officer(s) at the local authority for child protection concerns in cases which concern a staff member
• liaise with staff (especially pastoral support staff, IT technician and SENDCO) on matters of safety and safeguarding (including online and digital safety) and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with relevant agencies and act as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff. Understand the unique risks associated with online safety and have the relevant knowledge required to keep children safe whilst they are online at school or college.  Recognise the additional risks that children with SEND face online.
• understand relevant data protection legislation and regulations, especially the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation. Ensure the school’s child protection policies are known, understood, used appropriately and ensure it is reviewed annually and the procedures and implementation are updated.
• keep detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals. 

The DSL also works closely with the counsellor(s) in referring students for counselling appointments and arranging the schedule of such.

For a complete JD and DSL duties please visit our website.

Line management for Heads of Year

• ensure Heads of Year are fulfilling their roles to a high standard
• arrange and lead appropriate meetings with Heads of Year
• provide support and guidance to Heads of Year in managing the work of their form tutors
• ensure Heads of Year are kept up-to-date with best practice in the role, including safeguarding and child protection
• contribute to the appraisal of Heads of Year.

Staff Welfare

• support staff in their duties with particular regard to areas of safeguarding and child protection
• arrange appropriate supervision (c.f. counsellors) for staff where necessary
• advise the Headmaster and SLT on areas of support for staff, including workload and work-life balance.

Counselling and Coaching

• Liaise with the school counsellors, arranging appointments for students as necessary
• Support and advise the School Coaching Lead on implementing and developing The Other Subject.

General responsibilities as part of the SLT:

• promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people
• update and implement the school’s agreed policies and maintain effective discipline in line with the school’s agreed procedures and values
• lead and attend appropriate meetings and assemblies. Attend parents evenings for all year groups. Conduct tours and interviews as necessary for prospective students and parents. Attend open events for purposes of recruitment. 
• attend and contribute to appropriate middle leadership, senior leadership and governing body meetings and any other tasks deemed by the Headmaster as necessary to complete the role effectively.