Child Looked After (CLA) & Pastoral Support Assistant
The Springboard Project, Oldham, OL1 1AN20 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
13 March 2026 at 9am
Date listed
20 February 2026
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 36 hours 40 minutes per week, Term Time only plus 5 days. Permanent. Flexibility if needed.
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- NJC Scale 6 - point 18-22
Additional allowances
SEN Allowance
What skills and experience we're looking for
Act as a named key adult for Child Looked After (CLA) within the school.
To work under the direction of the Safeguarding Manager to ensure that CLA and Previously Looked After Children (PLAC) are not placed at a disadvantage and receive appropriate support to achieve academic, social, and emotional success in school.
Support the Designated Teacher for CLA in monitoring attendance, progress and wellbeing.
Contribute to the development, review and implementation of Personal Education Plans (PEPs).
Attend and contribute to PEP meetings and relevant multi-agency reviews.
Liaise effectively with social workers, carers, Virtual School (VSH) representatives and other professionals.
Track and report on academic, attendance and behaviour data for CLA pupils.
Ensure Pupil Premium Plus funding is used effectively to support identified needs.
To work collaboratively with relevant professionals, including the VSH, to ensure that the Designated Teacher and other school staff are equipped to identify potential signs of mental health concerns among LAC and PLAC, and understand how to access further assessment and support when required.
To work with relevant professionals, including social workers and school staff, to develop, monitor, and review LAC and PLACs PEPs.
To liaise with the Designated Safeguarding Lead to ensure that safeguarding concerns involving looked-after and previously looked-after children are reported, recorded, and acted upon in line with statutory guidance and school policy.
To play a key role in ensuring that PEPs are effective in coordinating support and enabling looked-after pupils to make good educational progress.
Pastoral and Emotional Support
To provide additional support to the pastoral team, contributing to the promotion and maintenance of the overall wellbeing of the student body.
Be an active, flexible and reliable member of the Pastoral Team.
To provide support in addressing the needs of students who need particular help to overcome barriers to learning.
To assist with the development and implementation of Individual / Behaviour/ Support/ Mentoring plans
Share key information, advice and guidance with others regarding the support of children and young people under the direction of the Safeguarding Manager. This could include sharing knowledge of activities, courses, organisations and individuals that can be accessed to provide additional support to children and young people.
To provide a range of information, advice and guidance to support and enable children and young people, tailored to their specific needs, to make choices about their own learning and behaviour.
Promote a culture in which looked-after and previously looked-after children are:
Prioritised for appropriate academic support
Encouraged and supported to actively participate in all aspects of school life
Supported to succeed and to raise aspirations towards further and higher education or highly skilled employment
Enabled to take ownership of their learning, with regular opportunities to discuss progress and next steps
Provided with safe, supportive opportunities to discuss and address difficult issues, including SEN, bullying and attendance
Set high expectations of the learning and achievement of looked-after and previously looked-after children, and work collaboratively with teachers to set ambitious, targeted outcomes through PEPs in order to accelerate progress.
Ensuring that PEPs are completed and reviewed within statutory timescales.
To act as a central point of contact for carers, parents, and guardians, promoting strong and positive home–college links.
To support pupils’ progress by ensuring effective, timely communication with carers, parents, and guardians.
To encourage high aspirations and work directly with lookedafter and previously lookedafter children to plan for their future success and fulfilment.
To ensure that carers, parents, and guardians are fully involved in decisions relating to their child’s education.
To work collaboratively with carers, parents, and guardians to develop an understanding of the child’s emotional and behavioural needs.
To build and maintain effective working relationships with other professionals, in particular the Virtual School Head’s (VSH) and the local authority’s SEND team, to ensure that the school responds appropriately and effectively to the needs of its pupils.
What the school offers its staff
Part of the New Bridge Multi Academy Trust,The Springboard Project isa specialist provision providing high quality, innovative,alternative educational experiences for students aged 14-19 with SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties). Based in Oldham town centre, we work across the neighbouring boroughs ofTameside,Rochdaleand Stockport.
Here at the Project, we believe passionately in supporting our students to achieve theirvery bestoutcomes and to overcome their barriers to learning. Our aim is to meet the needs of our young people where they are, supporting them to gain the skills,knowledgeand experience necessary to go into fulfilling life beyond education. It is our ambitious goal to support every one of our students into employment, furthereducationor training once they leave us at 19. Through collaboration with the Trust, and our partnerships with wider external agencies, we can support our young people up to the age of 25, ensuring they have the best possible outcomes and move successfully into adulthood.
We promise to ensure that all our studentshave the opportunity to:
Gain a minimum of 4 Level 2 (GCSE or equivalent) qualifications, including Maths and English
Gain a vocational qualification in a pathway of their choice
Develop employability and life skills, including recognised qualifications
Have real, meaningful work experiences, including beingallocateda career coach, who will stay with them post-19
We also believe that we cannot support our young people in isolation, and so we are always looking for innovative ways to support our wider community and the young people’s families. This can be through offering a friendly ear / support to the adults around our students through to real, practical support via our ‘Project Pantry’,a one-stopoptionfor families struggling with thecost of livingcrisis.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Please complete the online application.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Apply for this jobAdditional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About The Springboard Project
- School type
- Free School, ages 14 to 19
- School size
- 141 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 14 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The Springboard Project website
- Email address
- recruitment@newbridgegroup.org
Arranging a visit to The Springboard Project
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@newbridgegroup.org.
School location
Similar jobs nearby
Get a job alert when similar jobs are listed
Find more school jobs in Oldham