School Counsellor

The Independent Schools Council; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent benefits & CPD

Lunch without charge in term time

Discounted annual membership for New_H

New Hall Sport Club membership

Job summary

New Hall School is seeking a qualified Counsellor to join the Health & Wellbeing Team. The role delivers confidential, one-to-one counselling and therapeutic support to students, contributing to positive mental health and wellbeing.

The successful candidate will hold a relevant counselling qualification, be accredited or registered with the BACP, and have proven experience of working with young people.

Qualifications

• Qualified counsellor with accreditation or BACP registration.
• Experience working with young people in educational settings.
• Commitment to confidential, one-to-one counselling and safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Deliver confidential one-to-one counselling to students from Reception to Year 13.
• Contribute to the Health & Wellbeing Team and promote mental health.
• Maintain accurate, confidential records and follow safeguarding procedures.
• Collaborate with pastoral staff and Designated Safeguarding Leads as required.

Skills

Counselling

BACP registered

Education

Counselling qualification

Job description

New Hall School is seeking to appoint a qualified Counsellor to join our Health & Wellbeing Team. The role will involve delivering confidential, one-to-one counselling and therapeutic support to students, contributing to the School's commitment to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing.

The successful candidate will hold a relevant counselling qualification, be accredited or registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and have proven experience of working with young people.

Key responsibilities:

• to support and contribute to the Catholic ethos and strategic aims of the School
• to offer a confidential counselling service through individual sessions for students from Reception to Year 13 who are referred
• to develop and use a range of solution-focused interventions to support the students, with focus on resilience
• to set up a drop-in clinic for students to self-refer
• to ensure good communication with the Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) and Deputy DSLs in relation to students at risk
• to attend and present information at meetings regarding students
• to work closely with the pastoral teams to ensure the wellbeing of students, acting in a consultancy capacity to offer guidance and support to members of staff with regards to students
• to keep accurate and concise records of all sessions, which will remain confidential unless there is a safeguarding concern
• to work within the codes of practice and ethics recommended by the BACP, UKCP or equivalent professional organisation
• to be aware of, and to comply with, policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and child protection, health & safety, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to the appropriate person

The successful candidate will be expected:

• to have a clear understanding of, and commitment to, the aims and ethos of a Catholic independent boarding and day school
• to hold a relevant counselling qualification
• to hold a current membership to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• to have previous experience of working with young people in a School or similar educational environment
• to have demonstrable post-qualification experience
• to have experience of collaborative working with external organisations and agencies
• to have excellent communication, organisational, and interpersonal skills
• to demonstrate a high level of accuracy, discretion, and attention to detail
• to have an understanding of child and adolescent development and youth mental health interventions
• to demonstrate a calm, approachable, and empathetic manner when working with young people

What New Hall offers:

• Excellent benefits & CPD
• Lunch without charge in term time
• Discounted annual membership for New Hall Sport Club

New Hall School offers an exceptional working environment. The main campus occupies the stunning Grade I listed former Tudor palace of Beaulieu. The School’s conference and events venue is at the Grade I listed Boreham House, one mile away. New Hall is a warm, welcoming, and supportive community, with a staff of around 300.

Beaulieu Park railway station is at the entrance to New Hall’s Avenue: 30 minutes to Stratford and 38 minutes to London Liverpool Street. The Elizabeth Line at Shenfield (13 minutes by train) terminates at Heathrow airport. There are nearby airports: London Stansted, London Southend and London City.

Early applications are encouraged. We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date of this advertisement.

All adults employed by the New Hall School have a responsibility for data protection and have a duty to observe and follow the principles of the GDPR Regulations. All applicants must be able to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK prior to commencement of employment. As part of our need to comply with UK immigration rules, you will be required to provide Home Office stipulated documentation prior to interview.

As well as verification of identity, we ask all successful candidates to undertake an enhanced DBS disclosure. In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, we may also conduct an online search about any shortlisted candidates as part of our due diligence to identify any matters that might relate directly to our legal duty to meet safeguarding duties, in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). New Hall School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

SAFEGUARDING AND FURTHER INFORMATION

Due to the nature of this role, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. In making your application, it is essential you disclose whether you have any pending charges, convictions, bind-overs or cautions and, if so, for which offences. This post will be exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Therefore, applicants are not entitled to withhold information about convictions which for other purposes are ‘spent’ under the provision of the Act, and, in the event of the employment being taken up; any failure to disclose such convictions will result in dismissal or disciplinary action. The fact that a pending charge, conviction, bind-over or caution has been recorded against you will not necessarily debar you from consideration for this appointment.