House Pastoral Director

ABOUT GUILDHOUSE SCHOOL AND CATS GLOBAL SCHOOLS
Guildhouse School is part of CATS Global Schools, a leading education group committed to inspiring the next generation of world shapers.
With a history dating back to 1899, but a focus on the future, our group brings together 16 institutions comprising independent boarding schools, an Arts University College, English language schools and a variety of summer programmes in the UK, US, Canada, and China.
Each year, we provide 18,000 students around the globe with the education they need to develop real-life skills for the future. We are dedicated to academic excellence and our students benefit from our well-developed links to over 40 top global universities.
We create a positive learning environment where every student is empowered to contribute to shape their world. This is made possible because of the commitment of our pioneering, persevering people who do the very best for our students.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE
As part of the Middle Leadership Team, you will support, develop, hold accountable and lead a team of Personal Tutors. Together, you will ensure both high standards of pastoral care for the wellbeing, welfare, health and general happiness of students and encourage, and monitor, student attendance and behaviour. The House Pastoral Director will strive to raise achievement by improving School attendance and behaviour through positive attitudes by students towards attendance and behaviour. The House Pastoral Director will also be responsible for driving the ethos and engagement of their House. This job description allocates duties and responsibilities but does not direct the particular amount of time to be spent on carrying them out, and no part of it may be so construed. This job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post. It should be reviewed at least once a year as the school grows and it may be subject to modification at any time after consultation with the post holder.

REPORTING LINE
Direct reporting to the Deputy Head Wellbeing, while working under the Headteacher's framework.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
As a senior member of the pastoral team, you should carry out your role to support the needs of the students you work with and the school in general.
Drive and promote your House ethos:
• Co-ordinate House activities and initiatives (e.g. House Points, House Leadership, student buddying, house identity, etc.);
• Independently and/or with the other HPDs, co-ordinate House Assemblies and House-related activities;

Oversee a team of Personal Tutors, giving them effective support and feedback.
• Meet with all new pastoral staff from your House and oversee their induction as a PT;
• Ensure the personal development curriculum is of the highest quality; combining a robust PSHE/RSE program with relevant outside speakers and/or workshops. Design and incorporate skills and character-building opportunities into student provision;
• Provide your Personal Tutors with a clear PSHE/RSE schedule of events, ensuring age (and DfE) appropriate resources are available for PTs to deliver effective PSHE and RSE sessions;
• Oversee the procedures and quality of all communications from PTs on behalf of the School. Ensure effective reporting to parents and agents, in accordance with School Policies and procedures, by quality assuring your Personal Tutors’ pastoral reports;
• Provide or arrange Personal Tutor cover for absent or unavailable members of your team, while generally maintaining effective oversight, through drop-in sessions during Personal Tutor sessions to monitor and support staff;
• Together with Personal Tutors, follow the school’s Attendance and Behaviour Policies. Support and assist Personal Tutors to ensure that they understand, and are actively implementing key aspects of the policies, including sanctions, incentives and rewards (and are making appropriate referrals where necessary);
• Actively encourage your Personal Tutor team to provide marketing materials for the newsletters and notice boards, ensuring that everything that is produced conforms to brand guidelines;

Monitor and Track Attendance Data for your House:
• Work collaboratively with the Attendance Officers and other relevant staff, aiming for a target of 100% attendance for each student;
• Analyse weekly attendance data, investigating any concerns and issuing support and / or disciplinary stages where necessary;
• Hold meetings with the Deputy Head Wellbeing to discuss attendance of persistently low attenders and devise attendance strategies, targets and letters for students with concerns and follow up from attendance letters;
• Review and support poor attenders and conducting a weekly review of sub 95% attenders, exploring their context and applying support and/or sanctions where appropriate,

Monitor and Track Behaviour for your House:
• Ensure rewards (House Points/Merits) are prioritised for all students and awarded fairly;
• Process weekly rewards’ data, promoting and celebrating achievement;
• Liaise with Curriculum Directors to monitor students who are regularly falling below target grades, using information provided by academic reports and staff notes and meetings;
• In consultation with the Deputy Head Wellbeing and Deputy Head Academic, maintain, initiate and review academic and pastoral contracts (e.g. ILPs and Behavioural/Attendance report cards) for students where there are concerns;
• With the Deputy Head Wellbeing and/or Head of Boarding , manage and where required, investigate reported cases of misbehaviour and breaches of School rules by students (and impose appropriate sanctions);
• Where necessary, investigate student concerns independently, following school procedures and presenting findings to senior staff (as a Middle leader, issue up to and including Stage Level 3 Warnings);
• Actively liaise with the Boarding Team members to share concerns and other necessary information, so students are fully supported 24 hours/day;
• Ensure the Stage Warning process is current and effective for students in your House, by reminding staff who have missed Stage Warning review dates. Use discretion to reduce Stage Warnings yourself where necessary.

Provide Holistic Support:
• Meet regularly with the Deputy Head Wellbeing to review student progress, discuss issues and discuss relevant House initiatives;
• Liaise with different teams when required to secure beneficial school/student outcomes, e.g. collaborate with members of the Academic, Administrative, Boarding, Medical, Operations, Safeguarding teams where appropriate to drive initiatives;
• Support the election of students to the Student Council, ensuring students from your PTs/House are effectively represented;
• Support the School in ensuring the retention and progression of existing students and in the attraction of new students;
• Ensure a safe and secure environment for staff and students by consistent implementation of Health & Safety guidelines and risk assessments;
As part of your wider role within the School, you will also:
• Follow the guidance of the staff handbook;
• Support the School and its leadership;
• Continue personal development as agreed with the Deputy Head Wellbeing/Senior Deputy Head;
• Engage actively in the performance review process;
• Comply with any reasonable request from the Headteacher to undertake work not specified in this job description;
• Be courteous to colleagues and parents and to provide a welcoming environment for all visitors to the School;
• Maintain standards of ethics and behaviour in and out of school;
• Embed Fundamental British Values into every aspect of practice and ethos;
• Role model and champion the Guildhouse School Values in all aspects of practice.

In particular, you will:
• Treat students with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect;
• Have regard for the need to safeguard students’ well-being;
• Show tolerance of and respect for the rights of others;
• Maintain high standards of attendance and punctuality;
• Help to create and maintain a safe working environment for everyone;
• Understand and act within the relevant school, national and statutory frameworks.

Please note for external candidates, a teaching commitment is expected, we are currently looking for teachers of Maths, Business and Economics.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
The job requires that you have:
• The ability to work with, care for and supervise young people;
• The ability to relate to young people;
• The ability and willingness to work in a multi-cultural environment;
• High levels of energy, an even temper and a sense of humour;
• The ability to work as a team member and lead by example, to be proactive, flexible and reliable;
• A full understanding of current child protection procedures;
• Willingness to reprimand and/or report students who are not adhering to the School rules;
• Willingness to work unsociable hours;
• A desire to continue professional development in all aspects of your pastoral role and that you maintain an advanced level of safeguarding and first aid training;
• Ability to use school MIS (Management of Information Systems) effectively, Reach, MS Teams, Excel, SharePoint and any other resource the school adopts, to monitor and coordinate care.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
The above responsibilities are subject to the general duties and responsibilities contained in the written statement of conditions of employment (the Contract of Employment). The postholder is required to support and encourage the school’s ethos and its objectives, policies and procedures as agreed by the School’s Leadership Team and CGS.

The post holder is required to maintain confidentiality of any information in any form of communication pertaining to the school, staff, students, and parents that the post holder may be privy to. The post holder is expected to carry out their duties and behave in a manner that is befitting to a private international school and maintains the good image and reputation of the School and to uphold the school's policy in respect of child protection matters. The post holder may be required to perform any other reasonable tasks after consultation with the Headteacher.

BENEFITS
• Cycle to work Scheme
• Tech Scheme
• Car Scheme
• Free flu vaccine through Healthshield
• Free eye tests
• Financial wellbeing support via WageStream
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Group income protection
• GP24: GP Access for all
• Health Cash Plan
• Death in Service
• Long service awards
• Employee referral scheme
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay

ABOUT CATS GLOBAL SCHOOLS (CGS)
CATS Global Schools is a leading education group committed to inspiring the next generation of world shapers. With a history dating back to 1899, but a focus on the future, our group brings together 16 institutions comprising independent boarding schools, an Arts University College, English language schools and a variety of summer programmes in the UK, US, Canada, and China.

Each year, we provide 18,000 students around the globe with the education they need to develop real-life skills for the future. We are dedicated to academic excellence and our students benefit from our well-developed links to over 40 top global universities.

We create a positive learning environment where every student is empowered to make a contribution to shape their world. This is made possible because of the commitment of our pioneering, persevering people who do the very best for our students.

OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY
We are committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging. Building on our core values – Pioneering, Persevering, People – We pledge to deliver a series of events, guest speakers and focus groups to make CATS Global Schools and employer of choice for all.

SAFEGUARDING
CGS is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and well-being of children and young people. As such, appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of safer recruitment employment checks in line with KCSIE guidelines. This will include satisfactory references, enhanced DBS from the Disclosures and Barring Service and, where applicable, any international equivalent being obtained. Shortlisted candidates will be subject to online checks which may include social media.