Wellbeing advisor (school counsellor)

As we continue to grow, we are looking for a qualified and experienced whole school wellbeing advisor/counsellor to join our growing team.

For all staff in school we share a responsibility to ensure that children are safe and properly supervised at all times. Our school is committed to ‘amazing learning’- providing enjoyable and meaningful learning experiences so that every pupil makes as much progress as possible. All staff are expected to adhere to The Aquila professional code of conduct and commit to promoting our vision – ‘A happy community school with amazing learning at its heart where pupils are empowered to make choices, engage in meaningful learning experiences and make exceptional progress’. Our focus is providing children with amazing learning and to be the school of choice for the community we serve.

The Aquila School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history

This is a very varied role. The wellbeing advisor will ensure our children are safe and happy in school so they can focus on amazing learning.  This will involve working with groups and individuals informally helping children manage issues and feelings including as time to talk, as well as providing formal counselling with parental consent and working closely with staff and families

Key qualities and skills: 

• Proven working experience in school counselling with children aged 3 up 
• Integrity and professionalism 
• Kind, considerate and welcoming 
• Ability to respond effectively to the needs of a diverse community 
• Working knowledge of various counselling models, practices and resources 
• Engaging interpersonal skills and excellent communication skills 
• Sound judgement and emotional intelligence 
• Ability to work and support children, staff and families

Core purpose of a Wellbeing Advisor:

The wellbeing advisor’s priority is to support the academic and social welfare of pupils by initiating and maintaining a positive relationship with pupils, staff and families in order to enhance the school’s academic mission of providing amazing learning. He/she is also responsible for engaging the community in building cooperative partnerships for the sake of a pupil’s success. He/she is expected to develop a healthy, safe and productive environment in which pupils can achieve their potential and are required to counsel and support pupils on personal development issues or when dealing with complex and sensitive issues. The wellbeing advisor will also be available to staff who need counselling support.

Key duties include:

The wellbeing advisor must undertake various tasks, including: 

• Helping children manage their feelings and deal with a range of incidents 
• Providing group and individual support on an ad hoc and planned time to talk basis 
• Managing playground games, buddies and other systems within the school 
• Monitoring and managing pupil attendance and punctuality 
• Providing formal counselling with consent of the family 
• Supporting staff in managing incidents and behaviour 
• Supporting families – individuals, support groups and larger groups e.g. through workshops 
• Working with staff to analyse in school assessments such as PASS 
• Working with the inclusion team, medical and safeguarding staff to provide the very best pastoral care for children 
• Taking responsibility for personal professional development, keeping up-to-date with research and developments which may lead to improvements in the counselling service provided, arranging and delivering relevant training for staff as and when needs are identified. 
• Meeting the requirements of the local regulatory body 
• Contributing to the safe and smooth day to day running of the school

In addition, all staff are required to carry out any tasks required by the school or the regional office to facilitate the smooth day to day running of the school

To be line managed by the head of inclusion  

Hours of work- 7.25am to 4.15 pm Monday to Thursday, and 7.25am to 12.00noon on a Friday, plus occasional evening and weekend work

Holidays- as per the school KHDA approved calendar

About The International Schools Partnership:

The International Schools Partnership (ISP) is a growing group of international schools which believes in amazing learning and is committed to getting better all the time.

 GROWING LEARNING, GROWING SCHOOLS embodies our journey and is what binds us together. We are developing schools for 2-18 year olds with learning at the heart of each school and helping our children and students learn to levels that amaze them. At the same time, we are listening to our parents and students to broaden the appeal of our schools, with the aim of each one becoming the school of choice in its local area over time. We believe that successful schools are the ones that put learning at the heart of everything they do, always aiming to create rounded individuals that are able to forge successful careers and lives in a rapidly changing world.

 We are a truly international group working in different cultures and speaking different languages. We work across countries and cultures, too, by working with each other and with other schools and communities. Our schools are located in the UK, the USA, Canada, Spain, Chile, Costa Rica, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia and Mexico. We are constantly enhancing our existing group of schools with new ones including those we develop ourselves, and new schools that want to join our partnership.