Family Support Worker

eTeach UK Limited; Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 53,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS/TPS pension

Cycle & car schemes

Wellbeing support & counselling

Employee discounts

Season ticket loan

Referral scheme

Job summary

Dysart School in Kingston upon Thames is seeking a Family Support Worker to provide a welcoming, responsive point of contact for families. The role focuses on advocacy, information access and collaboration with school staff and external agencies to support pupils’ education and wellbeing.

You will build positive relationships with families, help carers access services, and work across the school to ensure families feel heard and supported, in a term-time, three-days-per-week pattern.

Qualifications

• GCSE grade 9–4 (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience of working with children, young people, families or within a community setting.
• Understanding of the challenges that families of children and young people with SEND may experience
• Commitment to working with families with dignity, respect and empathy
• Experience of supporting people to access information, services or support.

Responsibilities

• Supporting and advocating for families - providing a confidential and welcoming point of contact for parents and carers.
• Family engagement - building positive relationships with families across the school.
• Supporting pupils through family support - working closely with school staff to understand how family circumstances may affect a pupil's education, wellbeing and engagement.
• Safeguarding - recognising and reporting safeguarding concerns in accordance with Dysart's safeguarding procedures.

Skills

GCSE English

GCSE Maths

Communication skills

SEND experience

Empathy

Access to information

Job description

Salary: OHCAT Outer London Business Support, Grade: E, SP 21 – 25, Actual Salary: £16.117.96 - £17,581.01 (FTE £31,155 - £33,983) (Negotiated on appointment, depending on experience and qualifications)

Location: Dysart School, 190 Ewell Road, KT6 6HL

Working Pattern: 3 days a week, 8am to 4.30pm OR 8.15am to 4.15pm, term time only. Across school with home liaison.

Start Date: ASAP

Dysart School is an Outstanding special school in Kingston, providing education for pupils aged 4 to 19 with a range of severe and complex learning difficulties. To help meet the growing demand for high-quality SEN provision in the borough, Dysart also operates three satellite sites located alongside local mainstream schools - creating inclusive opportunities and expanding access to specialist support.

Its main site, located in Surbiton, is bright and well equipped to support the development of its pupils, including Early Years classrooms with outdoor learning spaces, an onsite work-related learning kitchen, an accessible swimming pool, sensory room, soft play and adventure play areas, and clearly defined outside spaces that support pupils’ learning and self-regulation. Dysart School is a progressive and innovative place to work, and staff are offered opportunities through regular training and support to develop their own practice.

We are seeking a Family Support Worker who will provide a welcoming, accessible and responsive point of contact for families at Dysart School. The role will focus on supporting and advocating for families, helping parents and carers to access information, services and opportunities that may improve outcomes for their children and reduce barriers to accessing support. The successful candidate will build positive relationships with families and work closely with school staff and external agencies to ensure that families feel heard, supported and able to advocate for their child.

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting and advocating for families - providing a confidential and welcoming point of contact for parents and carers.
• Family engagement - building positive relationships with families across the school.
• Supporting pupils through family support - working closely with school staff to understand how family circumstances may affect a pupil's education, wellbeing and engagement.
• Safeguarding - recognising and reporting safeguarding concerns in accordance with Dysart's safeguarding procedures.

Key Requirements

• GCSE grade 9–4 (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of working with children, young people, families or within a community setting.
• Understanding of the challenges that families of children and young people with SEND may experience
• Commitment to working with families with dignity, respect and empathy
• Experience of supporting people to access information, services or support.

Rewards & Benefits

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment
• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme, Employee Car Lease Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)
• Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme and Free Virtual GP Appointments
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)

Find out what makes Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust a truly rewarding place to work – visit our ‘Work for Us’ page to learn more about our values, opportunities and the difference our staff make every day.

Our Trust: Dysart School is part of Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust. We are a family of specialist education providers from pre-school through to further education across London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire and fully represent all designations of special education needs and disabilities (SEND). To find out more about us, and what makes us a special place to work please visit our website. We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff and partners. Working together to transform lives is what we do and across the whole organisation we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential. As a large specialist education provider, we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities. It is an exciting time to be part of OHCAT and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realising our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment.

Closing Date: Sunday 1 November 2026

Interviews will take place on: week commencing 16 November 2026

To help us manage applications effectively, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient suitable applications are received.

£44,684 to £52,990 (plus cost of living pay rise)