Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer
Wycombe High School, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1TB28 days remaining to apply
Job start date
15 September 2026
Closing date
14 August 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
17 July 2026
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Part time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full time equivalent salary
- £34,319.00 - £36,975.00 Annually (FTE)
Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer job summary
Wycombe High School is a prestigious girls’ grammar school, dedicated to providing an outstanding education and nurturing environment for our students. We pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence and the holistic development of our pupils.
The successful candidate will deliver a comprehensive programme of mental health and wellbeing support through both individual and group interventions. They will undertake mental health triage, assess students' needs and identify appropriate pathways for support. This will include providing direct wellbeing interventions, coordinating support plans, triaging students for counselling, and making referrals to external agencies where appropriate, including CAMHS, MHST and other specialist services.
The postholder will work closely with students, families and staff to ensure timely access to support and effective monitoring of wellbeing needs across the school. They will also have line management responsibility for the school's counsellors, of which there are currently two.
The successful candidate will be a highly effective practitioner, with the ability to build positive relationships with students, parents, carers, teaching staff and external partners. This role is central to the school's pastoral provision, supporting students to overcome barriers to learning and achieve positive outcomes in their education and personal development.
The postholder will work closely with Heads of Year, the wider Pastoral Team, Student Support, the Sixth Form Team and external mental health professionals to ensure that students receive appropriate and timely support. A key aspect of the role will be maintaining strong communication with parents and carers, ensuring they are fully involved in supporting student wellbeing and accessing external services where required.
They will support on the identification and assessment of student wellbeing needs, ensuring that effective interventions and support plans are implemented and reviewed.
The successful candidate will work collaboratively with colleagues and external agencies to coordinate support for vulnerable students and ensure that safeguarding and mental health concerns are managed appropriately.
They will monitor patterns and trends in student wellbeing, contribute to the development of whole-school approaches to mental health, and support the delivery of initiatives that promote resilience, emotional wellbeing and positive mental health across the school community.
We are an ambitious and supportive school community, where staff contribute enthusiastically to all aspects of school life. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated professional to make a significant impact on student outcomes and wellbeing while working as part of a dedicated and collaborative leadership team.
We are looking for the right person to fill this vacancy; you are looking for the right school to work in. The characteristics and qualifications we are looking for include:
- Educated to degree level in Psychology, Counselling, Mental Health, Social Work
- A related discipline, with a Level 4 (or higher) qualification in Counselling, Mental Health Practice, Therapeutic Practice or a related field is highly desirable.
- Understanding of effective pastoral care and the factors that influence student wellbeing, attendance, behaviour and achievement.
- Experience of working with young people and supporting their personal, social and emotional development.
- Knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing issues affecting children and young people.
- Knowledge and understanding of CAMHS, MHST and wider external support services available to children and young people.
- Experience of completing referrals to CAMHS, MHST and other specialist agencies and supporting families through referral pathways.
- Understanding of thresholds for external mental health services and appropriate escalation procedures.
- Able to establish high expectations and promote high standards of attendance, engagement, wellbeing and conduct.
- Excellent organisational and administrative skills, with the ability to prioritise workload and manage competing demands effectively.
- The ability to work calmly under pressure and make sound professional judgements in a busy school environment.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the confidence to build positive and productive relationships with students, parents, carers, staff and external agencies.
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage constructively with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Experience of undertaking assessments, identifying support needs and implementing appropriate intervention and support strategies.
- Experience of monitoring student wellbeing and outcomes, coordinating support plans and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.
- The ability to build trust with vulnerable young people whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
- Able to analyse information and use data to identify trends, monitor outcomes and support decision-making Able to work collaboratively as part of a pastoral team and contribute positively to whole-school improvement.
- Experience of working in a school, college, healthcare, counselling, youth work or other child-centred setting is desirable.
- A high level of confidence and competence in the use of ICT and relevant software systems.
- The ability to work in a changing environment and respond positively to new challenges and initiatives.
- Committed to the ethos, vision and values of Wycombe High School.
Wycombe High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All staff are required, before taking up post, to undertake a criminal record check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). HR will carry out an online search on shortlisted applicants.
Candidates for teaching and support staff posts will be assessed at interview for their suitability to work with children. Appointment is conditional upon at least two satisfactory references which include specific comments on working with children and young people.
All staff at the school have a responsibility to promote and safeguard the welfare of students at the school
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 Wycombe High School
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- Size
- 1371 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Website
- Wycombe High School website
Wycombe High School is a girls’ selective state academy school with 1304 students on roll, of whom around 400 are in the Sixth Form. Each year 192 girls are admitted into Year 7. All students are assigned to a vertical tutor group consisting of about 21 students; usually three students from each year. group There are six houses with 10 tutor groups in each house. Our school is part of the Wycombe High School Academies Trust.
The school has educated girls of High Wycombe for over a hundred years and is very highly regarded in the local and wider community. There is a strong and shared sense of community and collective pride, built on core values. Parental support is strong. We have excellent links with other local schools, colleges and universities. We have a knowledgeable and supportive Governing Body fully involved with all aspects of school life, and an enthusiastic and active Parents and Friends Association.
Our staff are professional, forward-looking and committed to extending the horizons of our students, encouraging them to aim high, to take on leadership roles and to become independent learners. We have an ambitious development plan, with a focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning, both within and beyond the classroom.
We are a National Support School, a Teaching School and one of 35 Mathematics Hubs nationally. We are delighted to have been recently designated as a National Mathematics and Physics SCITT in 2017 and have strong community partnerships. We have invested substantially in IT systems and training. We also have an outstanding reputation for the performing and visual arts. Numerous educational visits take place each year and for every age group, at home and abroad.
Our school motto summarises our ethos and sense of community. All those who study, work at, or send their children to our school are part of this community and are role models for our ethos.
Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter
(Courageously, Faithfully, Joyfully)
Courageously:
Each student is encouraged to embrace our core values of honesty, respect and hard work. She is encouraged to speak out against injustice, supported to take risks, and is not afraid of failure. She learns new subjects and skills. She pushes herself to her personal limits and beyond. She is encouraged to listen to the opinions of others, as well as to voice her own. She accepts responsibility for herself and other students. She leads the school in partnership with staff and the governing body. She is independent and innovative in thought and action.
Faithfully:
Every student is expected to uphold our school rules and traditions. She acts with integrity and is truthful and honest in all she does. She keeps promises and is reliable. She works hard to achieve her full potential. Above all she is a good friend, a good neighbour and a good citizen. She contributes positively to school life and society.
Joyfully:
All our students contribute to making our school the happy and joyful place it is. Each student demonstrates mutual respect and empathy for all and is proud of her own achievements and those of others. She shows commitment to a fair and peaceful community and embraces diversity. Our students are happy and positive in approach, and support others to be the same.
As an immediate adopter of the Early Career Framework, any NQT applying will be guaranteed two years on a reduced timetable, a dedicated mentor and access to an exceptional career development programme.
School location
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