Pastoral Mentor

Are you a compassionate and dedicated professional ready to empower young people facing social, emotional, and mental health challenges?

Tradewind Recruitment is seeking caring Pastoral Mentors to provide vital one-to-one support for students in Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8, and 9) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) across SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health) schools in the Hull area.

We're looking for a passionate and empathetic individual committed to making a real difference in the lives of young people. Do you excel at building positive connections and offering personalized support to help students develop emotional regulation, resilience, and positive coping strategies? If you're ready to empower young people to succeed, we want to hear from you.

About the Role

As a Pastoral Mentor, you'll have the chance to significantly impact students' lives by providing specialized, student-centred support. Your role will involve creating a safe, trusting, and supportive environment where young people can explore their difficulties, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and build essential resilience. Your interventions will be specifically tailored to address areas such as emotional regulation, anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, peer relationships, and academic engagement, ultimately empowering students to thrive within their educational environment and beyond. This role is crucial for supporting young people who need more intensive emotional and behavioural interventions.

Key Responsibilities

• Individualised Pastoral Support: Design, implement, and deliver highly effective one-to-one pastoral mentoring and support sessions for students identified as needing intensive emotional and behavioural guidance.

• Building Positive Relationships: Establish and maintain strong, positive, and professional relationships with students, fostering trust, respect, and a sense of psychological safety.

• Needs Assessment & Intervention Planning: Conduct informal assessments to understand students' individual emotional and behavioural needs, developing tailored intervention plans that promote well-being and positive coping strategies.

• Emotional Regulation & Resilience: Proactively support students in developing emotional literacy, self-regulation techniques, resilience, and effective strategies for managing personal challenges, including anxiety and anger.

• Behaviour & Engagement Support: Work closely with students to improve engagement in learning, reduce challenging behaviours, and promote positive participation within the school environment.

• Safeguarding: Uphold the highest standards of child protection and safeguarding, strictly adhering to school policies and national guidelines ("Keeping Children Safe in Education"). Promptly identify and report any safeguarding concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

• Collaboration & Communication: Liaise effectively with teaching staff, pastoral leaders, SENCOs, parents/carers, and external agencies (e.g., CAMHS, social care, educational psychologists) to ensure a holistic and coordinated approach to student support.

• Promoting Positive Ethos: Actively contribute to the inclusive, supportive, and therapeutic culture of the SEMH school.

The Ideal Candidate Will Possess

Qualifications:

• A relevant qualification in Counselling, Therapeutic Practice, Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health Nursing, Youth Work, or a related field (e.g., Degree in Psychology, Counselling Diploma, Level 3/4 Diploma in Youth Work Practice with a focus on SEMH, relevant Health & Social Care qualifications).

Experience:

• Significant proven experience (ideally 2+ years) working directly with young people aged 11-18 in a one-to-one support capacity, preferably within a secondary school or SEMH setting.

• Demonstrable experience in applying effective de-escalation techniques, trauma-informed approaches, restorative practices, and strategies for supporting emotional regulation.

• Extensive experience of supporting young people with complex Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, challenging behaviours, and/or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Skills & Attributes:

• Exceptional active listening and empathetic communication skills, with the ability to build deep rapport and trust quickly with young people from diverse and often challenging backgrounds.

• Profound patience, empathy, and resilience when navigating highly challenging situations and complex student needs.

• A non-judgemental, highly supportive, and solution-focused approach to working with young people.

• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to manage a caseload and maintain meticulous, sensitive records.

• A proactive, adaptable, and flexible approach to problem-solving, particularly in crisis situations.

Safeguarding:

• A comprehensive understanding of UK safeguarding legislation and "Keeping Children Safe in Education" guidance.

• An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (on the Update Service is highly desirable) or willingness to undergo one.

Application Process

To apply for this highly rewarding and impactful position, please submit your CV along with a compelling covering letter (no more than two A4 pages) outlining your relevant experience, your approach to one-to-one support for young people with SEMH needs, and how you meet the person specification.

Email: matt.ball@twrecruitment.com Call: 01482 238 878