Pastoral Mentor

Job description The Position: We’re looking for a Pastoral Mentor Engagement and Progression Be part of changing lives for the better Our new Engagement and Progression provision is a unique opportunity to work with young people who need something different from education. These are EHCP learners who may have experienced disrupted schooling, barriers to engagement, anxiety, SEND, SEMH needs, low confidence, or a loss of belief that education can work for them. We are looking for two Pastoral Mentors and two Behaviour and Support Practitioner who can build trusted relationships, create a calm and consistent environment, and help learners develop the confidence, resilience, routines and positive choices they need to move forward. This is not just a support role. It is an opportunity to be part of a new provision designed to transform lives. You will work as part of a dedicated team to help learners re-engage, feel safe, rebuild confidence and progress towards a suitable vocational pathway, further study, training or employment. The roles are fixed term as the College launches and evaluates this new provision. However, if the provision demonstrates the positive impact we believe it can have, we will be looking carefully at how these roles and the model can develop beyond the fixed-term period. We are particularly interested in people who are calm under pressure, relationship-focused, emotionally resilient, practical, patient and genuinely committed to making a difference. Experience of working with young people with barriers to learning, behaviour needs, pastoral needs, SEND or SEMH would be valuable, but above all we are looking for people with the right values, mindset and belief in what young people can achieve when they are given the right support. This is a chance to join something new, purposeful and ambitious from the beginning - and to play a direct role in helping young people change the direction of their lives. Are you someone who can build trust, remove barriers and help young people believe that they can succeed? We are looking for two Pastoral Mentors (Fixed Term Contract) to join our new Engagement and Progression Provision at Wigston. This is a vital role for colleagues who are passionate about supporting young people to build routine, confidence and sustained engagement in education, training and employment. As a Pastoral Mentor, you will act as a consistent trusted adult for learners. You will provide 1:1 mentoring, attendance intervention, family liaison and multi-agency support. You will work closely with the wider team to reduce barriers, improve attendance and help learners transition successfully into the next stage of their journey. This role is offered on a fixed-term basis until July 2027, with the potential for continuation beyond this date, subject to organisational requirements and funding. What skills are we looking for: - A strong relationship builder – you will be able to balance genuine care with clear expectations and boundaries - A proactive problem solver – you will identify barriers early and work with others to put timely support in place - A calm and resilient practitioner – you will be confident supporting young people facing challenge, anxiety or disrupted engagement - A strong communicator – you will work well with families, colleagues and external agencies Responsibilities for the role: - Act as pastoral mentor for learners, providing regular 1:1 mentoring, goal setting and review meetings - Monitor attendance and punctuality daily and follow up absence quickly - Implement and review attendance and engagement interventions - Maintain professional communication with parents and carers and contribute to multi-agency working - Support learners’ transitions into main campus sessions and progression opportunities - Keep accurate records of mentoring, interventions, referrals and outcomes The Location: The roles are based at our Wigston Campus. If you would like to have an informal chat about the role, please contact Alex Lindsay to arrange a quick call by emailing: alex.lindsay@nwslc.ac.uk Why Should You Apply? The pay range we’re offering is:Grade F, points 21–24 (£26,732 - £29,199) - Annual leave of 25 days, plus bank holidays and up to 5 additional closure days - Access to Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution - We offer great staff development opportunities - Family friendly policies and procedures **As part of the application process, you’ll be asked to complete a series of shortlisting questions. To strengthen your application, we recommend linking your answers directly to the person specification outlined in the job description.** Equality, diversity, and inclusion are integral to everything that we do. We are committed to these values, and they are central to our mission. We’re committed to finding reasonable adjustments* for candidates with specific needs or have a disability during our recruitment process, and all applicants will be considered fairly and equally. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. *If you’d like to request a reasonable adjustment, please contact the recruiting manager. We aim to support our employees in achieving a healthy work-life balance. We recognise that many of our employees have responsibilities and are committed to providing support for our employees. We are working hard to support flexible and new ways of working where possible and offer a wide range of benefits. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references’. 'Please apply as soon as you can as we reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a suitable number of applications.' Shortlisting Process - Each question is scored by a minimum of 2 people on the interview panel. Those applicants with the highest overall score and meet the essential criteria for the role, will progress through to the interview stage and then their application form will be considered too