Pastoral Leader

Rockingham Junior and Infant School, Rotherham, S61 4HY

19 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  24 June 2026 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  5 June 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £24.96 - £26.94 Annually (Actual)

Pastoral Leader job summary

Are you a passionate, resilient, and dedicated professional looking to make a profound difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families?

Rockingham Junior and Infant School is seeking an exceptional Pastoral Lead to join our Extended Senior Leadership Team. In this vital role, you will provide strategic leadership for safeguarding and social care, ensuring our practices remain robust, proactive, and compliant.

You will work closely with our Inclusion Leader/SENDCOs to plan day-to-day pastoral interventions, removing social, emotional, and behavioral barriers to learning for our young children. Acting as a crucial bridge between our school, parents, and external agencies (such as Social Care and Early Help), you will help champion the needs of our most vulnerable pupils.

Key Responsibilities

Safeguarding Leadership: Act as the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL), serving as the primary point of contact for families, Social Care, and external agencies.

Triage & Crisis Support: Act as the main point of contact for staff and parents reporting child protection concerns , while ensuring a safe space and immediate support for pupils in crisis.

Strategic Collaboration: Team up with the SENDCO and Headteacher to identify trends in pupil behavior and welfare, extending inclusion practices beyond the standard curriculum.

Mental Health Leadership: Serve as our designated Senior Mental Health Lead, driving school-wide initiatives (like My Happy Mind and With Me In Mind) to promote wellbeing for both pupils and staff.

Multi-Agency Coordination: Lead and coordinate high-level multi-agency meetings, including Child Protection (CP) conferences, Child in Need (CiN) meetings, and Team Around the Family (TAF) sessions.

Staff Mentorship & Training: Lead, mentor, and evaluate our fantastic broader pastoral team , while overseeing safeguarding training to ensure absolute compliance with 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' (KCSIE).

The successful candidate will possess:

Substantial experience in a school, social care, or early help environment supporting vulnerable families.

A deep operational understanding of KCSIE, the Prevent Duty, and local authority thresholds.

The ability to maintain meticulous, confidential, and chronological records using digital tracking systems.

An empathetic, child-centered approach that places the wishes and feelings of the child at the center of all reporting and triage.

Experience in conducting home visits and working alongside attendance officers to tackle persistent absenteeism.

Superb communication skills, with the ability to build trusting relationships with parents and represent the school on external panels (such as the Rotherham Inclusion panel).

What We Offer

The opportunity to shape a strategic, senior leadership role within a highly supportive and collaborative academy environment.

A dedicated team of professionals who are deeply committed to absolute inclusion and student welfare.

Continuous professional development and training opportunities, including Senior Mental Health Lead training and specialist SEMH network support.

The profound reward of removing significant barriers to learning and watching our most vulnerable children thrive.

Closing date: 24.06.2026 (12pm)

Interview date: 29.6.2026

Start date: 1st September 2026

Please remember to detail all your experience, the impact your appointment will make in terms of raising standards and why you are the ideal candidate.

Please note this position carries a probationary period.

Visits to the school are welcomed, please contact rockingham@willowtreeacademy.org to arrange a time.

For our Ofsted Report

Rockingham Junior and Infant School: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/145740

To view our website please visit: https://rockinghamji.co.uk/

Willow Tree Academy Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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.

About Rockingham Junior and Infant School

• School type: Academies, Does not apply, ages 2 to 11
• Education phase: Primary school
• School size: 325 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 2 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Rockingham Junior and Infant School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/rockingham-junior-and-infant-school-rotherham

JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title: Lunchtime Play leader
Responsible to: Behaviour for Learning Leader/Head of School.
Responsible for: Promoting positive play and encouraging friendships.
Main Job Purpose : Encourage and develop safe, purposeful and creative play during the lunchtime break which supports the aims and values of the school and enriches the pupils’ learning.
Main Responsibilities:
Work as part of the lunchtime team and specifically with other Play leaders.
Work with the Behaviour for Learning Leader and others to develop play awareness and opportunities.
Engage children in purposeful play and fitness activities.
Teach play skills and specific games and activities.
Help support children with their personal, social and emotional development needs.
Monitor the behaviour of children at all times in conjunction with the school’s policy on discipline and behaviour and Rights’ Respecting Agenda. Refer to a senior member of staff where necessary.
To be aware of and ensure that the school’s restorative practice policy is followed.
Supporting the school’s first aid procedures by reporting any and every accident/injury to the identified First Aider, who will record the incident.
Ensure that pupils do not leave school without permission.
Support the school’s security procedures by challenging anyone on the premises without a school visitor ID badge and ensuring that the school office is informed.
Support the school’s fire and emergency procedures by being familiar with the instructions for staff and children located in all the teaching areas and taking appropriate action should the need arise.
Retain the confidentiality of all aspects of school life.
Be aware of Health and Safety issues in accordance with safe practice and Health and Safety legislation.
Comply with all decisions, policies and standing orders of the school and the Borough of Rotherham; comply with any relevant statutory requirements, including Equal Opportunities legislation, the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Data Protection Act.
Have a commitment to Child Safeguarding, to promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the school’s agreed procedure.
Supervision and Management of People
Supervisory responsibility other than assisting work familiarisation of peers and new recruits.
Knowledge and Skills
Formal qualifications or previous experience required, but the ability to establish positive expectations of pupil behaviour, good relationships with staff and pupils, and a sensitivity to pupils’ personal needs is important.
Excellent understanding of Child Safeguarding issues.
Creativity and Innovation. Some scope for creativity and innovation in relation to play ideas and implementation.
Contacts and Relationships. There is a high level of interaction with individuals and groups of pupils. Relationships will be managed within agreed policies and procedures. There is some scope for dealing with issues where the outcome may not be straightforward.
Contacts with other school staff over general routine issues, and reporting on any incidents over the lunchtime period to the line manager.
Decisions. The post holder will be supervising the movement and conduct of pupils and be expected to intervene as appropriate to establish safe and proper behaviour.
The post holder will need to exercise discretion in referring problems to a senior member of staff.
Resources. The Play leader may use a number of educational toys and equipment.
The Play leader will be responsible for ensuring appropriate use of this equipment by pupils.
Any breakages must be reported to the line manager.
Work Environment. The post may require moderate physical effort.
The post holder may be required to work outside in moderately adverse conditions.
The post holder will be expected to deal with challenging behaviour from pupils and may be required to attend to pupils with sickness and/or toileting problems.

PERSON SPECIFICATION Job Title: Lunchtime Play leader
ATTRIBUTES CRITERIA METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Experience Experience in supervising children in a school environment
Qualifications & Training
GCSE level or equivalent qualifications or experience Application form Aptitudes and Abilities Ability to establish positive expectations of pupils’ behaviour and a sensitivity to pupils’ personal needs
Good interpersonal skills Ability to work under own initiative
Creativity and ability to teach children new games
Ability to manage some challenging behaviour from pupils
Ability to handle confidential information with discretion Knowledge Understanding of basic first aid procedures Knowledge of school’s behaviour and management policy and procedures
Knowledge of school’s fire and emergency procedures
Knowledge of Child Safeguarding procedures Attitude / Motivation
Self-motivated Team player
Other Factors A flexible and adaptable approach
Commitment to Equal Opportunities Enhanced DBS check

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