Job Description with Level Criteria Matrix
Post number: E9013
Post title:
Student/Pastoral Support Officer
Department:
Children & Young People’s Services
Division / Branch:
Section:
Responsible to:
Pupil Support Staff
Date: SEPTEMBER 2009
School/College
Varies
Overall purpose of this post:
To provide quality care and education support, promoting the physical, social emotional and cognitive development to
each individual child to meet their needs.
Major objectives:
These will include, as appropriate, those that reflect key corporate priorities, for example, cultural
diversity, social justice, environmental quality and economic prosperity.
1. To assist in, and support senior staff in, the development of key skills within the student support
programme.
2. To develop and maintain confidant and sustained professional relationships with students, providing
mentoring support to targeted students.
3. To administer the school’s attendance and behaviour systems, adhering to school policy & procedure to
investigate unauthorised absences.
4. To support and monitor the performance of students and providers within a variety of vocational
settings.
5. To help young people access educational and vocational opportunities.
6. To ensure records are appropriately accurate, detailed and confidential.
7. To work towards the long-term success and development of the programme.
8. To be first point of contact for parents and students when staff are teaching.
9. To support the School’s Positive Behaviour & Attendance policies.
10. To implement and promote the School/College’s and Leicester City council’s policies and procedures
relating to all areas of employment and service delivery.
These are the highest level objectives, see “Level Criteria Matrix” for objectives at other levels.
P.T.O.
Student Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
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Summary of job tasks: The tasks listed are, generally, only those taking at least 10% of the post holder’s time.
1. Supports colleagues dealing with problems as and when they arise, e.g. counselling, supervising students,
and communicating actions to the relevant staff or parents when necessary.
2. Liaises with Heads of Year, Heads of Facility, Teaching Staff, Learning Support Staff, Learning Mentors,
Senior Staff, etc as necessary.
3. Liaises with parents of students, who have been excluded, about their behaviour and set work, including
home visits and supervising breakfast/lunchtime clubs for targeted students.
4. Attends meetings & case conferences, e.g. with external agencies, Educational Welfare Officers, when
planning/processing Pastoral Support Programs or Personal Education Plans (PSP/ PEP).
5. Deals with all correspondence, preparation of standardised letters, other documentation and reports as
required relating to student welfare, behaviour and general duties e.g. taking messages, making calls,
arranging appointments, photocopying, filing, etc.
6. Deals with queries or problems relating to students, e.g. by interviewing students involved in incidents, by
telephone, in writing or by liaising with relevant school staff and parent/ carers.
7. Supports transition process for students e.g. when transferring from local primary schools or organising
and participating in visits to education, employment and training providers.
8. Maintains displays, student records, e.g. for latest strategies, guidance, incident logs, on-call logs,
attendance records, etc.
9. Manages allocated human, financial and material resources in the provision of pastoral support services for
the School/College.
These are the highest level tasks, please see “Level Criteria Matrix” for tasks at other levels.
Is this post classified as “politically restricted”, as in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, either
a) because of Its salary level? Or
Yes
No 
b) because the post holder is required regularly to advise the Council and its
Committees, or communicates with the media on behalf of the Council?
Yes
No 
Is this post subject to exemption from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974?
Yes 
No
E/D
Job requirements: essential (E) or desirable (D).
A. Training and
Education
Level of numeracy and literacy sufficient to carry out the duties of the post.
See Level Criteria Matrix attached for requirements for different levels.
E
E
B. Experience
Experience of working with young people in an educational environment.
Experience of using Word Processing & Spreadsheets.
See Level Criteria Matrix attached for requirements for different levels.
E
E
E
C. Equal
opportunity
Must be able to recognise discrimination in its many forms and willing to put the
Council's equality policies into practice.
Aware of equal opportunities in relation to this role.
E
D. Other skills
Good administration, time management and self-motivation skills.
Willing and able deal with people from a variety of backgrounds.
An understanding of how students learn and the potential barriers to learning.
See Level Criteria Matrix attached for requirements for different levels.
E
E
E
Student Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
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E
E
E
E/D
Job requirements: essential (E) or desirable (D).
E. Other
conditions
Including any
hazardous or
environmentally
adverse conditions
Willing and able to participate in further training for this post
Willing to take part in an ongoing process of personal development and review.
Willing and able to deal with disruptive pupils, e.g. on truancy patrols, aggressive behaviour,
etc.
Must satisfy relevant pre-employment checks.
This post will involve contact with vulnerable groups (children, young people and/or adults)
and is therefore exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to an
Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure check. This exemption means that
applicants for this post are required to declare all criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands
and bind-overs both spent and unspent in their application, regardless of the passage of
time.
See Level Criteria Matrix attached for requirements for different levels.
Student Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
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E
E
E
E
E
Level Criteria Matrix
Element
People
Management
Creativity
required
Contacts
Decision
making
E9013 Student/ Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
Level 2 (ROLEID E9013a)
Level 1 (ROLEID E9013b)
As lower level plus:
Takes line management responsibility for other Pastoral Support Staff (2-4), including
maintenance of relevant pupil records and delivering specific and general staff briefings.
As lower level plus:
Works on projects e.g. organises extra curricular activities, sits on project team for
implementation of new attendance software within the school.
Engages with children, tailors solutions to the individual needs of students, and ensures the
best possible school experience is received by children / parents & carers.
Uses own initiative to solve problems & find solutions, has flexible use of skills to resolve
challenging situations.
Devises ways to encourage children to ‘open up’ through the use of activities.
Arranging alternative curriculum and rearranging timetable to get best possible deal for
student.
Works out disciplinary actions, devises strategies beyond detention.
Sets up meetings & placements at short stay schools.
Develops strategies for handling behaviour of individual students for use by staff & teachers.
Research, set up and resource various programmes, techniques and awareness.
Set up assessments and resources.
Set up risk assessment for all off site activities.
Carries out class or student observations and liaises with staff to discuss the results.
As lower level plus:
Trains staff to use the Sensory room.
Takes students off site to various organised activities.
Deals with staff from external agencies, other educational establishments, etc.
Negotiates on pupil attendance deals or alternative schedules.
Liaises with outside agencies e.g. Social Services, Educational Welfare, Police, etc. as
School/College representative.
As lower level plus:
Prioritises & co-ordinates own workload, including delegating work tasks to team members.
Makes decisions on what is best for a child & how to handle situations, see previous level.
Decides what advice to provide to external agencies.
Takes the lead on pastoral support initiatives within the school e.g. Anti-Bullying Campaign,
writes behavioural procedure for the school incorporating different stages of severity &
sanctions.
Participates in the development and review of school polices and makes recommendations on
student exclusions.
Negotiates deals with students on behalf of the school, e.g. on attendance (within set
guidelines), timetable, changing lesson times e.g. half day school from 3pm- 6 pm.
Risk assess all off site activities.
None.
Student Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
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Works with difficult students in school who are experiencing complex
situations due to outside influences.
Devises ways of approaching children, talking to them and offering support
e.g. profiling motivation traits, key words, ambitions.
Produces reward schemes e.g. certificates based around individual interests
such as cars & wrestling.
Supports children with transition from primary to secondary school.
Creates themed displays e.g. to promote healthy eating.
Organises breakfast / lunch time activities.
Deals with parents, peers, faculty, other professional colleagues, etc.
Provides advice, support, information & counselling.
Deals with sensitive issues & situations, problem solves and provides
solutions.
Under supervision prioritises & co-ordinates own workload.
Recommends action for individual situations, e.g. to take a child out of a
lesson, for how long, detention / isolation, refer to agency & what
information to provide.
Sets individual targets for students’ behavioural improvement.
Organises breakfast / lunchtime club, planning & deciding which activities to
provide.
Level Criteria Matrix
Element
Objectives
Resources
used or
managed
Interruptions,
conflicts &
frequency
E9013 Student/ Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
Level 2 (ROLEID E9013a)
Level 1 (ROLEID E9013b)
As lower level plus:
To ensure effective pastoral support service, providing a safe & stable environment.
To keep children in school and give them the best possible experience.
To provide coping strategies and help children to cope with personal situations.
To use best practice to encourage inclusion.
To develop parents’ views & opinions on education.
To help with providing a safe & stable environment.
To improve students’ lives - enhancing & improving quality of life.
To improve attendance and behaviour and keep exclusion rate to a
minimum.
To build confidence and self-esteem.
To provide life skills and a better understanding of the world.
To help improve grades, students’ futures, the morale and reputation of the
School/College and local community.
Handles cash/cheques, typical Amount: £1.50 per transaction on an as
required basis for homework diaries, student planners etc.
Assists with the ordering and safekeeping of consumables used for pastoral
support, with a value of up to £1,500 approx e.g. stationary, stickers for
awards, home work diaries, art equipment, activities etc.
Assists with maintaining and safekeeping; student records, case history notes
for looked after children, SENCO documentation, major incident reports,
attendance data, and individual student files.
As lower level plus:
Responsible for the ordering and safekeeping of consumables used for pastoral support, with a
value of up to £1,500 e.g. stationary, stickers for awards, home work diaries, art equipment,
activities etc.
Responsible for maintaining and safekeeping; student records, case history notes for looked
after children, SENCO documentation, major incident reports, attendance data, and individual
student files.
Maintain sensory room including the cleaning and maintenance of all equipment.
Organise and resource equipment and resources for the Sensory room.
May be required to drive the mini bus on occasion.
As lower level plus:
Unexpected visits from the Police and outside agencies.
Being called upon to provide pastoral support in the classroom, and reassuring staff in tense
situations.
Rescheduling priorities e.g. starting to work on attendance figures and being called away to
deal with a fight, or dealing with unexpected visit from the Police or outside agencies.
As lower level.
Physical effort
& IT use
Working
conditions
Risks
encountered
As lower level plus:
Office based within the school. Regular Home visits.
As lower level plus:
Home visits to student’s residential address, often on own.
Student Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
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Being called away to deal with a student in another classroom.
Unscheduled parental visits and urgent work demands.
Deals with complex / contentious situations which can be highly sensitive,
stressful, and emotionally draining.
Walking around the school.
Running after children.
Restraining children.
Uses word processing packages, schools information management system, Email & Internet.
Office based within the school, occasionally accompany another on home
visits.
Emotionally demanding, dealing with highly sensitive issues.
Physical abuse, kicked, punched & being spat at.
Verbal abuse from parent/carers, students, sometimes threatening behaviour
/ potential harm.
Can sustain injury when restraining a student.
Level Criteria Matrix
Element
Knowledge
and Skill levels
E9013 Student/ Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
Level 2 (ROLEID E9013a)
Level 1 (ROLEID E9013b)
As lower level plus:
Further / Higher education qualification relevant to working with young people and/or
significant recent previous experience in this role.
Relevant professional qualification or other accreditation.
Knowledge of current, relevant statutory, LA or School/College practices, guidelines,
requirements, initiatives, regulations.
Knowledge of the required information needed to be recorded for pupils needing learning and
emotional support.
An understanding of the context of educational institutes.
An understanding of the support needs of parents.
Numeracy and literacy qualifications to NVQ level 2 e.g. GCSE grade C in
English and Maths or demonstrable equivalent level of knowledge and
aptitude.
Experience of counselling or mentoring young people.
Experience of using MS Word& Excel sufficient to maintain records, create
own correspondence or records etc.
Appreciative of the need for confidentiality when dealing with sensitive
matters.
An understanding of the difficulties some young people experience in their
learning.
An understanding of the needs to supporting students’ educational progress
and achievement.
Student Pastoral Support Officer JD & Level Criteria
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