Pastoral Support Worker and DDSL

Holland Park Primary; Tendring; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension scheme

Health Cash Plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work

Eye care plan

Annual flu vaccination

Discounted gym membership

Discounted cinema tickets

Blue Light Card

Job summary

Holland Park Primary School in Tendring, United Kingdom seeks a 30-hour-per-week Pastoral Support Worker and DDSL to support attendance and pupil well-being. You will work with families, staff and external agencies to enable inclusion in mainstream education and unlock learners’ potential.

The role requires DSL/DDSL training or willingness to undertake, strong ICT skills (Google Workspace) and experience with school management systems. Term-time plus non-pupil days; start asap.

Qualifications

• Experience working with children and young people in an educational or social care setting.
• Experience of working with families to overcome complex barriers to engagement.
• Specialist DSL/DDSL training or willingness to undertake training.
• Excellent working knowledge of ICT applications, including Google Workspace and school management systems.

Responsibilities

• Monitor daily attendance and punctuality, lead First Day Calling and follow up unauthorised absences by 10:00 AM.
• Create Attendance Action Plans for pupils below 90% attendance to remove barriers.
• Greet pupils at the school gates, providing a warm transition from home to classroom.
• Conduct home visits to address barriers to punctual attendance and support routines.

Skills

Child & youth experience

Family engagement

DSL/DDSL training

ICT competence

Tools

Google Workspace

Arbor

SIMS

CPOMS

Job description

Holland Park Primary School

Pastoral Support Worker and DDSL

Pay Range: Local Government Scale 7 Point 19-24

Actual Salary from: £23,021 - £25,427 per annum

Start Date: As soon as possible

The Role

To provide a high-quality, targeted intervention service that addresses barriers to learning, specifically focusing on improving pupil attendance and emotional well-being. Working collaboratively with families, school staff, and external agencies to facilitate successful inclusion in mainstream education and ensure all pupils reach their full academic and personal potential.

This post is 30 hours per week, 39 weeks per year (Term Time, plus non-pupil days).

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert early should we receive an overwhelming response.

Some of your key responsibilities will include:

• Monitor daily attendance and punctuality, and lead the "First Day Calling" process, ensuring every unexplained absence is followed up by 10:00 AM to ensure child safety and emphasise school expectations.

• Work with pupils and their families whose attendance falls below 90%, creating bespoke Attendance Action Plans to remove barriers to school entry.

• Facilitate a visible morning presence at the school gates to greet pupils, providing a warm transition from parent to classroom

• Conduct targeted home visits to engage directly with families, assessing barriers to punctual attendance and collaboratively designing practical, structured morning routines that support long-term punctuality and student well-being.

(The full details can be found in the attached Job Outline and Person Specification).

We're looking for you if you have:

• Experience working with children and young people in an educational or social care setting.

• Experience of working with families to overcome complex barriers to engagement.

• Specialist DSL/DDSL training or willingness to undertake training

• Excellent working knowledge of a range of ICT applications, including Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, Calendar) and experience using school management systems (e.g., Arbor, SIMS, or CPOMS).

Why work for The Sigma Trust, Holland Park Primary School?

We can offer you:

• A Competitive Salary

• Robust school CPD training programme that enables you to flourish

• Opportunities to work with colleagues across the Trust to share resources, ideas and build collaborative relationships

Employee benefits include:

• Excellent pension scheme

• A Health Cash Plan

• Employee Assistance Programme providing free and confidential advice

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Eye care plan

• Annual free flu vaccination

• Discounted gym membership at selected local gyms

• Discounted cinema tickets

• Eligible for Blue Light Card

Please note that an integration period applies to all new staff joining the Trust, to support introduction into the organisation.

Additional Information:

For additional information about the Trust and this school, please visit our website https://www.sigmatrust.org.uk/

Closing date: Midnight, Thursday 1st October 2026

Shortlisting will take place on Monday 5th October 2026

Interviewing will take place on week beginning Monday 12th October 2026.

The Sigma Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records, online checks and other vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our schools.

The Sigma Trust is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristics. This is embedded in our vision ‘To Be Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’, where we believe we are strong and more successful working together, creating a workplace which celebrates diversity.