Easter Social Programme Manager

Summer Boarding Courses; Folkestone and Hythe District; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational institution offering summer programmes is seeking a Social Programme Manager to coordinate activities and lead a supportive team. This role, based in Folkestone, includes developing engaging schedules, managing resources, and ensuring compliance with safety protocols. Ideal candidates should have previous management and summer school experience, strong communication skills, and the ability to work under pressure. A First Aid qualification is desirable. Accommodation is provided, with a weekly salary of £1010.

Benefits

Accommodation included

Extensive paid training

Access to Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Previous residential summer school experience.
• Previous management experience with a confident approach.
• Proven experience of coordinating staff in an events or activity capacity.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the activity and evening event programmes.
• Develop and communicate an engaging weekly timetable.
• Lead and manage a team of staff to deliver activities.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Ability to work under pressure

Flexibility

Education

First Aid qualification

Tools

Excel

Job description

Situated in Folkestone's historic West End, Earlscliffe boasts an open campus featuring a blend of charming traditional buildings and modern, newly refurbished boarding houses and classrooms. The campus is ideally located within a five‑minute walk of the town's picturesque pebble beaches. At Earlscliffe, our courses balance rigorous academic study, engaging activities, and enriching experiences. As a single‑site school, we ensure exceptional quality by maintaining complete control over every aspect of the programmes we deliver. With a curriculum rooted in 21st‑century skills—collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity—our students are inspired and challenged by course content tailored to their generation's goals and global perspectives.

Support and Benefits

• We will cover the full cost of a new DBS (if required) for your first contract working with SBC. We encourage all staff to sign up for the Update Service.
• Extensive, paid, on‑site training prior to student arrival.
• Accommodation included.
• CPD and appraisals.
• Staff wellbeing initiative.
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
• Continual support for all staff from the Head Office team, both on the ground and via phone/email.
• Online safeguarding and prevention training.
• Professional, fun and supportive environment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the activity and evening event programmes, including scheduling, planning, preparation, and promotion.
• Develop and communicate an engaging, age‑appropriate weekly timetable for activities and events, maintaining relevant noticeboards.
• Ensure the provision of organised, engaging and student‑appropriate activity plans.
• Prepare all resources (e.g. signage, materials, equipment) ahead of time.
• Manage student sign‑ups, including resource creation, data entry and registers.
• Lead student activity meetings, ensuring all students are allocated to activities.
• Brief staff for activities and events, ensuring clear roles and responsibilities are outlined.
• Provide support and feedback during and after sessions to ensure high‑quality delivery.
• Collaborate with external providers to ensure seamless delivery.
• Attend excursions and off‑site activities, taking the role of excursion leader when necessary.
• Lead and manage a team of staff to plan, prepare and deliver activities and events, ensuring high levels of support, supervision and engagement.
• Lead daily team meetings, conduct staff observations and manage appraisals.
• Welcome, train and support activity leaders during the staff induction week.
• Address performance issues and provide ongoing guidance in collaboration with the Course Leader and Head Office.
• Oversee the procurement, storage, distribution and maintenance of all activity and event resources, ensuring compliance with financial and quality guidelines.
• Coordinate with the host site to secure and book appropriate facilities.
• Ensure social programme spaces are clean, organised and meet safety requirements.
• Ensure staff are briefed and carry out equipment set‑up and pack‑down efficiently.
• Ensure the safe delivery of all activities and events, adhering to safety protocols and conducting risk assessments, with findings documented and communicated to staff.
• Ensure all activities and events align with safeguarding and welfare policies, maintaining appropriate student supervision.
• Collaborate with the Management Team, attending meetings and maintaining open and proactive communication.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with students, staff, parents, agents, site hosts and external stakeholders.
• Work with SBC Head Office to complete necessary paperwork and share updates.
• Encourage student engagement in the programme, promoting communication, confidence and social skills.
• Promote a culture of equality, respect and diversity, ensuring students adhere to the Student Code of Conduct and assisting staff in managing behaviour.
• Encourage student feedback and address concerns or complaints promptly.
• Contribute to hosting arrival and departure days, ensuring a welcoming and professional experience for students and parents.
• Support the safe delivery of the programme, covering sessions, attending off‑site activities and supporting breaks, meals and welfare duties where needed.
• Implement health and safety procedures, ensuring incidents are reported and risk assessments are followed.
• Keep staff informed of student welfare needs and maintain required welfare records.
• Ensure staff and students understand emergency and fire evacuation procedures.
• Securely manage summer camp data, following GDPR and confidentiality policies.
• Attend SBC Management Training prior to arriving at the school to familiarise with all aspects of the programme, roles and responsibilities.
• Assist with induction week, preparing the site and inducting staff.
• Demonstrate flexibility and assist in emergency situations, whether on duty or not.
• Provide feedback to the Head Office team throughout and at the end of the summer.
• Uphold the reputation of Summer Boarding Courses and the host venue.
• Complete online safeguarding training and attend on‑site safeguarding training during induction week.
• Read and understand SBC's Safeguarding Policy, Staff Handbook, Operations Policy Handbook and Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (including annexes A & B).
• Be alert to the signs of abuse and neglect, and report any concerns to the DSO immediately (including low‑level concerns).
• Know what to do if a student tells a staff member they are being abused, exploited or neglected.
• Help students understand how to keep themselves safe and manage risk; earning their trust while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Please see the attached Job description for a more complete list of the duties associated with this Management role.
• Provide the details of two recent and relevant referees who we will contact and specifically ask about your suitability to work with children and any concerns.
• Undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) and equivalent if you live, or have lived, outside of the UK.
• State that you have no known reason why you cannot work with children.
• Provide official identification and certificates for our records.
• Be aware that SBC may conduct online searches for shortlisted candidates as part of our legal duty to meet safeguarding duties.
• Strong communication skills, ability to work under pressure, flexibility.
• Previous residential summer school experience.
• Previous management experience with a confident and supportive approach.
• Proven experience of coordinating staff in an events or activity programme capacity.
• Rigorously organised approach & excellent administrative skills.
• Experience of managing welfare & behavioural issues effectively.
• Proven professional experience of working in a medical or pastoral role with young people.
• Good working knowledge of Excel.
• Empathic manner.
• First Aid qualification (desirable).
• Experience of residential international summer schools (desirable).

Qualities We Seek

• Approachable & empathic to the needs of students.
• Enthusiastic & engaging.
• Diplomatic, responsible & motivated.
• Flexible within the summer school environment.
• Patient, empathetic and emotionally aware towards students, both individually and within a group setting.
• Ability to manage discipline and behavioural issues in a firm, positive and constructive manner.

Remuneration

Remuneration: The salary for the Social Programme Manager role is £1010 per week (subject to tax and national insurance), paid weekly in arrears (for the avoidance of doubt this sum includes a holiday allowance at 12.07% of basic pay in the sum of £108.78), plus accommodation at the site.

About the Location

Located just under an hour from London by train, Folkestone is a stunning coastal town renowned for its vibrant arts scene. Since 2002, Earlscliffe has welcomed young people from around the globe to its courses, offering the opportunity to learn English in Kent, famously known as the "Garden of England," while fostering cultural exchange and understanding. Founded in 2008, Summer Boarding Courses has united students from around the world through education. Delivering award‑winning, future‑focused courses that strike the perfect balance between academic and social enrichment.

About Us

Our courses unlock potential and ignite a spark for long‑term success. Our residential summer courses take place at some of the UK's top boarding schools and university college campuses, including Eton College, Oxford University Colleges and Headington School. We carefully select our campuses to ensure that they provide the perfect environment for our students to live and study. Over 15,800 students from 152 nationalities have been welcomed to study with us to date. Whether it's preparing for future studies, developing 21st‑century skills or building confidence, the knowledge gained on an SBC course allows students to go forward and apply what they have learned to other areas of their education and beyond; giving them the necessary skills to achieve their future goals. The EL Gazette publishes a league table based on British Council inspections, and SBC have been ranked Number 1 from 2018 to 2023. We are very proud of this achievement and will continue to grow and develop our courses to offer students extraordinary experiences. SBC is the only multi‑campus summer school provider in the UK to have achieved a perfect 15/15 areas of strength by the British Council. A true hallmark of educational quality.