Positive Behaviour Mentor

SENDhelp; West Drayton; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive PAYE

Dedicated consultant

Interview preparation

Professional development

Onboarding support

Opportunities with SENDhelp partner‑s

Job summary

SENDhelp is seeking an experienced Positive Behaviour Mentor for a specialist secondary SEMH school in West Drayton. You will support pupils aged roughly 11–18, focusing on emotional regulation, attendance and engagement with learning, in a full-time role.

The role requires direct experience with challenging behaviour and SEMH needs, with opportunities to work closely with teachers, safeguarding staff and pastoral teams to promote pupil welfare.

Qualifications

• Direct experience supporting children or young adults with challenging behaviour, SEMH or significant emotional and behavioural difficulties.
• Experience in pupil referral units, main stream pastoral/behaviour roles, youth work or related settings.
• Understanding of safeguarding and risk assessment in a school environment.

Responsibilities

• Build positive and professional relationships with pupils.
• Provide one-to-one mentoring and targeted behavioural support.
• Help pupils identify triggers and develop regulation strategies.
• Support pupils during lessons, transitions and less structured periods.
• Use de-escalation techniques to manage challenging situations.
• Reinforce clear expectations, routines and boundaries.
• Record incidents and pupil progress accurately.
• Work with teachers, pastoral staff and safeguarding teams.

Skills

Behaviour support

De-escalation

Restorative practices

Communication skills

Emotional resilience

Boundary setting

Relationship building

Safeguarding knowledge

Travel to West Drayton

Job description

SENDhelp is recruiting an experienced Positive Behaviour Mentor for a specialist secondary SEMH school in West Drayton.

The school supports pupils from Year 7 through to sixth form who have social, emotional and mental health needs and may display challenging behaviour. This role is suited to someone who can build strong relationships, maintain clear boundaries and help young people improve their behaviour, confidence and engagement over time.

Applicants must have direct experience supporting children or young adults with challenging behaviour, SEMH needs or significant emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Location: West Drayton

Setting: Specialist secondary SEMH school

Age range: Approximately 11-18

Working pattern: Full-time, Monday to Friday

Preferred: School-based SEMH, behaviour or pastoral experience

About the role

As a Positive Behaviour Mentor, you will work closely with pupils who may struggle with emotional regulation, relationships, trust, attendance and engagement with education.

Some pupils may have experienced exclusion, disrupted education, trauma or difficult personal circumstances. Behaviour can be challenging, and there may be situations involving refusal, confrontation, verbal aggression or significant emotional dysregulation.

Your role will be to provide calm, consistent support while helping pupils understand their behaviour, make better choices and re-engage with learning.

Progress may be gradual, so the successful candidate must be patient, resilient and able to continue building relationships after difficult incidents.

What you will be doing

Your responsibilities may include:

• Building positive and professional relationships with pupils
• Providing one-to-one mentoring and targeted behavioural support
• Helping pupils identify triggers and develop regulation strategies
• Supporting pupils during lessons, transitions and less structured periods
• Using de-escalation techniques to manage challenging situations
• Reinforcing clear expectations, routines and boundaries
• Supporting pupils following incidents and helping them reflect on their choices
• Encouraging improved attendance, engagement and participation
• Delivering structured interventions focused on behaviour, confidence and wellbeing
• Working closely with teachers, pastoral staff and safeguarding teams
• Following behaviour plans, risk assessments and individual support strategies
• Recording incidents, interventions and pupil progress accurately
• Supporting pupils’ social, emotional and personal development

To be considered for this Positive Behaviour Mentor role, you must have direct experience supporting children or young adults with challenging behaviour, SEMH needs or significant emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Relevant experience may have been gained in:

• A pupil referral unit or alternative provision
• A mainstream school in a pastoral or behaviour role
• Youth work
• Youth offending services
• Residential support
• Supported accommodation
• The prison or probation system
• Mental health services
• Community or outreach programmes
• A formal care or support setting

What we are looking for

The successful candidate will:

• Have strong experience supporting challenging behaviour
• Be calm, confident and emotionally resilient
• Build trust while maintaining firm professional boundaries
• Communicate clearly without becoming confrontational
• Use de-escalation and restorative approaches effectively
• Be able to rebuild relationships following difficult incidents
• Understand that behaviour may communicate an unmet need
• Be consistent, reliable and patient
• Work effectively with teaching, pastoral and safeguarding staff
• Be comfortable supporting young people through setbacks
• Be able to travel reliably to West Drayton
• Be committed to safeguarding and promoting pupil welfare

Previous experience within an SEMH school is strongly preferred. However, candidates from relevant youth work, youth justice, residential, prison, probation or behavioural support backgrounds are also encouraged to apply.

Why consider this opportunity?

• Build meaningful relationships with young people who need consistent support
• Help pupils improve their behaviour and engagement over time
• Work within a specialist secondary SEMH setting
• Develop experience in mentoring, pastoral care and behaviour intervention
• Work alongside experienced teaching, pastoral and therapeutic professionals
• Strengthen your skills in de-escalation and relationship-based practice
• Take on a role where your consistency can make a lasting difference

This role will involve difficult situations and challenging days. It will suit someone who remains steady under pressure and finds genuine purpose in helping young people move forward.

What SENDhelp offers

• Competitive PAYE pay with no umbrella-company deductions
• A dedicated consultant throughout your placement
• Interview preparation and ongoing support
• Access to relevant professional development and training
• Support with registration, compliance and onboarding
• Opportunities with SENDhelp partner schools across West Drayton and West London

This is a strong opportunity for an experienced Positive Behaviour Mentor who is confident managing challenging behaviour and wants to support secondary-aged pupils in West Drayton.

As a specialist SEND recruiter, child safety and welfare is our number one priority. That is why we conduct thorough checks on all our candidates, and ensure that they abide by our Candidate Code of Conduct.

All Candidates will be required to provide an Enhanced DBS that is actively registered on the Update Service, or apply for one as part of the onboarding process. This is in addition to other mandatory compliance checks in line with the DfE guidelines. For further information please see our Safer Recruitment Policy.

SENDhelp is an equal opportunities employer.