Children's Residential Keyworker
Valence School, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1QN27 days remaining to apply
Closing date
4 January 2026 at 10:59pm
Date listed
11 November 2025
Job details
Job role
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £27,990.00 Annually (Actual) Term Time : £14.50 per hour : 42.5 hours per week : Monday to Friday (no weekends) : Set shifts between 7am and 10pm
Children's Residential Keyworker job summary
Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of young people? We need caring, committed residential keyworkers to join our experienced team to support and guide students in both their learning and residential life. This is a hands-on, rewarding role where you will help students grow, develop life skills and reach their full potential both in the classroom and our home living environment.
What you will do:
As the named keyworker for a small group of students, you will build strong, positive relationships with your key students, leading personalised programmes to support their personal, social, emotional and educational development. From supporting access to learning in class and residential routines you will help develop their independence, communication and life skills, in our all-round curriculum. You will also help plan activities, run group sessions and work with multi-disciplinary staff, parents and external agencies to ensure each student thrives. You will also assist with personal care, moving and handling and specialist health tasks to contribute to a safe, nurturing and inclusive residential environment.
What we are looking for:
- Someone who is compassionate, reliable and enthusiastic, with a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for young poeple.
- Experience in care or educational settings is helpful, however full training will be given.
- Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection and Keeping Children Safe in Education.
- Excellent communication, organisational skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
- Physically fit and confident to provide personal care and support students’ mobility needs.
- Flexible and able to work early morning and late shifts during the week.
- Desirable: Experience supporting SEND students, behavioural management knowledge and minibus driving.
What we offer:
- A role with real purpose and daily impact
- Fully funded qualifications and training
- Generous pension scheme & life cover
- Staff wellbeing sessions and support
- Retail discounts and subsidised meals
- Free on-site parking
Become part of a team where your passion and dedication will be truly valued and where you can help shape brighter futures every day.
We are recruiting for this post on a rolling basis therefore you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this vacancy, interview and appoint earlier if we receive sufficient applications for this role.
Valence School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every student and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We value diversity and promote equality for all.
References will be taken up before interview and online checks undertaken for shortlisted candidates. The successful applicant will require an enhanced DBS check (this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Of
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
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Valence School
- School type
- Special school, ages 4 to 19
- School size
- 132 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 4 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Valence School website
We are proud to share with you the excellent work we do with children and young people who have physical disabilities and complex medical needs. Our school is unique within the maintained sector in the whole of southern England. We cater for students aged 4 to 19 and have both day and boarding places. We have a large site with high quality teaching, social care and health care facilities. A staff team of over 200 people provides specialist teaching, social care, therapies and nursing care to an exceptionally high standard.
Our overall aim is to enable every child and young person to achieve meaningful independence. Students flourish in a supportive but challenging environment, making good educational progress and achieving a range of accreditation as they get older. There is excellent support to enable students to achieve functional communication, mobility and skills for daily living.
We are a Foundation Special School and are part of the Kent SEN Trust, a cooperative trust of ten schools working together to improve outcomes for all the children and young people attending the schools. In 2008 Valence became a specialist Sports College and this status plays a significant role in raising students’ achievements and their participation in high quality physical education and sport.
The School works proactively with parents and external professionals to provide holistic support for every child and young person. It is also developing high quality outreach support services to local schools and more widely for children and young people in Kent who have physical disabilities who are attending mainstream schools.
The School always places children and young people at the centre of all decisions it takes and it has a relentless focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for every student.
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