The posting
Swanshurst is a large, outstanding school for girls aged 11-19 years. We offer excellent support and CPD for staff at all stages of their career. Ofsted (May 2024) described our school to be “an exceptional place for pupils to learn”. They described the curriculum as “exemplary” and one which "explodes into life in the classroom". In relation to staff wellbeing, they noted that “The school is conscious of staff workload and well-being and is committed to achieving excellence in a sustainable way.” We are exceptionally proud to have been judged ‘Outstanding’ in two consecutive inspections. Our Ofsted report can be found here.
The school is part of the newly formed West Midlands Academy Trust (WMAT) which opened in January 2025. As one of the three founding members, the school has been integral to forming the Trust’s mission:
Relentless focus upon delivering an excellent Quality of Education, resulting in strong progress and attainment for all groups of pupils.
Emphasis upon personal development and well-being for staff and pupils.
We wish to appoint a dynamic and highly motivated Learning Mentor to work within our Pastoral Team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to make a difference to the lives of the students at Swanshurst School. Our pastoral care is ‘outstanding’ and the successful candidate needs to be someone who is willing to go the extra mile to make a difference to the students they will be working with.
We have recently developed a team of Learning Mentors which include a Pupil Support Hub Coordinator who oversees all provision in that area. The successful candidate will be working with the staff to deliver the support that our students will need.
You should have a proven track record of developing a variety of programmes to raise the attendance, achievement and self-esteem of students and of successful whole school interventions working with individuals and groups across all key stages. You should be committed to working with students from a wide range of backgrounds to remove barriers to learning and have a willingness to undertake First Aid Training in order to become a First Aider in school.
WMAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020 which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’ so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.
Safeguarding is our top priority. We encourage all applicants to review our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy which outlines our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of students.
To comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education, we will seek and scrutinise references prior to interviews. Referees will be contacted to provide further clarification if needed. All information provided by referees will be compared for consistency against the information disclosed in your application form, and you will be asked about any discrepancies at interview.
Please note that applications must be the creation of the candidate applying. While technology, including artificial intelligence, may be used to help the candidate select certain phraseology, if substantial use of AI is used, the application will be disregarded.
The successful applicant will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checks including enhanced DBS, Prohibition Check, qualifications (where applicable), medical fitness, identify and right to work.
This post is covered by Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016). Therefore, the ability to speak fluent and spoken English is an essential requirement for this role.
