Pastoral Support Manager

Location: Colchester, Essex
September 2026 start - immediate interviews.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and compassionate Pastoral Lead to join a specialist educational setting committed to supporting young people with additional needs and barriers to learning.

This is a highly rewarding role for a proactive and resilient professional who is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable pupils. The successful candidate will play a key role in promoting positive behaviour, supporting attendance and wellbeing, and acting as a vital link between pupils, families, school staff, and external agencies.

You will work closely with senior leaders and safeguarding teams to ensure pupils receive the support, interventions, and advocacy required to thrive both academically and personally.

• Manage and monitor a caseload of pupils, reviewing progress, support plans, and intervention outcomes.

• Maintain a visible presence across the school to support engagement, transitions, and lesson attendance.

• Support reintegration pathways into mainstream or specialist educational settings where appropriate.

• Develop pupil voice initiatives and encourage meaningful student participation across the school community.

• Build positive relationships with pupils to ensure every child feels known, supported, and valued.

• Support the implementation of behaviour strategies and therapeutic approaches tailored to individual pupil needs.

• Contribute to risk assessments, harm reduction planning, and targeted pastoral interventions.

• Work collaboratively with safeguarding leads to identify concerns, manage risk, and maintain a strong safeguarding culture.

• Promote a calm, consistent, and trauma-informed approach to behaviour support.

• Act as a key point of contact for parents, carers, and external professionals.

• Liaise with agencies including social care, local authority services, educational psychologists, and family support teams.

• Attend and contribute to multi-agency meetings and referrals where required.

• Work collaboratively with SEND and attendance teams to ensure barriers to learning are effectively addressed.

• Monitor and analyse attendance, behaviour, and pastoral data to identify trends and inform interventions.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in line with safeguarding and data compliance requirements.

• Produce reports and contribute to pupil reviews and planning meetings.

• Experience supporting young people within education, SEND, youth work, or care settings

• Strong safeguarding knowledge and behaviour management experience

• Excellent communication, organisation, and relationship-building skills

• Calm, resilient, and able to work effectively under pressure

• Relevant Level 3/4 qualification desirable

• Experience in alternative provision or SEND settings beneficial

• Understanding of trauma-informed practice and therapeutic approaches

• Familiarity with school MIS and safeguarding systems

• Empathetic, professional, and passionate about supporting vulnerable young people

• Ability to build trust with pupils, families, and external professionals