Pastoral Manager
The Priory School, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 2UR7 days remaining to apply
Job start date
23 February 2026
Closing date
9 January 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
2 January 2026
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, Term Time Plus One Week (39 weeks)
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £32,597
Pay scale
- H7
What skills and experience we're looking for
Experience
Proven track record of working with young people in a secondary school or similar setting to improve outcomes (attendance, behaviour, or wellbeing).
Managing complex cases: Experience navigating safeguarding concerns, external agency referrals (Early Help, Social Care), and family interventions.
High-expectations: Experience working within a system of clear boundaries and "sweating the small stuff" to maintain a calm, purposeful, and ultimately relational culture.
Restorative practice: Experience using restorative justice or mediation to resolve conflict while maintaining accountability.
Working alongside parents and families: Experience of working alongside parents and families to improve outcomes (attendance, behaviour, or wellbeing).
Knowledge & Understanding
The relational framework: An understanding of attachment theory, trauma-informed pedagogy, and how these support high standards of behaviour.
Safeguarding: Knowledge of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) and the ability to identify "low-level" concerns before they escalate.
Barriers to learning: A nuanced understanding of how SEND, SEMH, and socio-economic factors impact a student’s ability to meet high expectations.
Data literacy: Ability to use behaviour and attendance data to spot patterns and trigger early interventions.
Skills & Abilities
The "Warm/Strict" balance: The ability to hold a student to a very high standard while simultaneously making them feel valued and cared for.
Skills to de-escalate situations: Experience in de-escalating situations with a view to achieving a positive outcome for a student and the school.
Influencing & advocacy: The ability to challenge parents and students constructively, gaining "buy-in" for the school’s vision.
Personal Attributes
Unwavering resilience: The ability to bounce back from difficult days with a fresh start for every child, every morning.
Emotional intelligence: Exceptional empathy and the ability to read the "subtext" of a student’s behaviour.
Difficult conversations: Being able to have difficult conversations with students, parents, and colleagues in the spirit of improvement.
Mission-Driven: A genuine belief that every student, regardless of background, can achieve highly positive outcomes in the right environment.
The relational approach
In our school, a Pastoral Manager doesn't just "fix" behaviour; they build the capacity for students to self-regulate. We are looking for someone who understands that rules provide the safety, but relationships provide the motivation.
What the school offers its staff
The Priory School, Hitchin
The Priory School is an oversubscribed, co-educational Foundation School serving over 1,200 students in the Hertfordshire town of Hitchin. As part of the Hitchin Sixth Form Consortium (alongside Hitchin Girls’ School and Hitchin Boys’ School), we also offer access to a vibrant post-16 community of over 800 learners.
Our values
At The Priory School, Hitchin, we are committed to empowering every child to meet their aspirations, to be self-confident, inspirational, and active members of their community whatever their background, ability, or circumstance. We achieve this by ensuring that every child at TPSH follows a rich and ambitious curriculum, is offered extensive extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities, and that they benefit from inspirational teaching, alongside dedicated pastoral care that provides a secure and caring environment.
We are incredibly proud of our students who are superb ambassadors for our school when representing us in Hitchin but also nationally, and internationally. We are proud to serve the entire community of Hitchin and as such, we have a number of exciting partnerships with local and national organisations.
Our staff are well-qualified, highly experienced, and dedicated to providing the very best education and pastoral care to every student. We all share the same values that are woven into our school’s culture:Responsibility,Respect, andResilience.
Staff development and support
We are committed to providing high-quality professional development and support to all of our staff and understand that teachers and support staff are the decisive element in positively changing the lives of young people.
We recognise that teaching is a rewarding but pressured profession, as such, we are dedicated to maintaining a culture where staff wellbeing matters. In staff surveys, our staff consistently report that they are proud to work at The Priory School, Hitchin.
Facilities
Our school has some of the best facilities that you will find anywhere and we are lucky enough to sit on an expansive 27-acre site. We benefitted from a £1.6 million investment in our 3G football pitches in collaboration with Hitchin Belles Football Club, a £500,000 pavilion, revamped café, a new languages block, and our newly built Sixth Form centre which received a £2.8million investment. We also have ample on-site parking and are a short walk from Hitchin train station.
Working or living in Hitchin
Hitchin is a beautiful historic market town in North Hertfordshire, surrounded by lovely countryside, with a population of approximately 33,500. It has been voted in the ‘Top 10 Best Places to Live in the UK’ inThe Times.
It has great transport links, being just two miles from the A1(M) and only 10 miles from the M1, and is in easy reach of London with Kings Cross station a mere 30 minutes away. There is also good access to the main rail routes to Cambridge.
The town is great for families with lots of activities for young people and their parents to participate in including sports and activities, youth organisations, performing arts and more. Hitchin also is well known in the area as a town for foodies with virtually every cuisine represented. Hitchin Festival runs throughout the month of July with over 100 different events celebrating the artistic, cultural and community life of the town.
Further information about the job
We are seeking to appoint a Pastoral Manager, who will be the driving force behind our culture of high expectations, ensuring impeccable standards of behaviour, uniform, and attendance are maintained through a consistent, and relational approach.
You will champion our values-based ethos by proactively identifying and removing non-academic barriers to learning, holding students accountable for their choices while providing the restorative coaching and emotional support they need to regulate and reflect.
Acting as the vital link between home and school, you will build robust partnerships with families and safeguard student welfare, ensuring that every young person is safe, present, and psychologically ready to access our aspirational curriculum.
You will work alongside a dedicated team of professionals, including non-teaching pastoral colleagues, Heads of Year, Heads of Key Stage, and Senior Leaders, focussed on delivering the very best outcomes for students and the needs of the school.
We hope you consider applying for this rewarding role at our school.
Responsibilities:
The following areas of responsibility are for guidance only; they are neither comprehensive nor exhaustive:
1. Behaviour and Attendance (KS3/4)
1.1. To co-ordinate and intervene with students who are in need of support by implementing appropriate in-house strategies and utilise external agency expertise as and when needed.
1.2. To oversee the running of the exclusion unit, including working with students on their reflections, work and return to the school community and contact home with parents.
1.3. Communicate home to parents regarding external suspensions from school and organising their reintegration.
1.4. To work with relevant colleagues to complete attendance-based interventions and communications. These may be internal or in liaison with the local authority.
1.5. To ensure that relevant communication has occurred in a timely fashion between relevant stakeholders regarding issues over student behaviour and attendance
1.6. To co-ordinate and liaise with relevant SLT members on ‘home school’ visits for students causing concern
1.7. To run relevant behaviour and attendance reports.
2. Safeguarding
2.1. To support the triage of safeguarding issues at KS3/4, attending all relevant safeguarding meetings and liaise with relevant stakeholders and outside agencies.
2.2. To attend relevant child protection training courses.
2.3. Work with the Deputy Headteacher regarding child protection cases and attend relevant meetings to support intervention.
3. Student advice and guidance and communication
3.1. To liaise and support students following alternative educational pathways at KS3/4; ESC provision and other outside providers and outreach support.
3.2. Co-ordinate and monitor the communication home for ongoing causes of concern within the pastoral team.
3.3. To attend all relevant pastoral meetings to ensure a smooth transition of knowledge and action between identified stakeholders.
4. Innovation and development
4.1. To pro-actively investigate best practice both locally and nationally regarding the key elements to the job description and implement in conjunction with the relevant SLT member identified best practice strategies.
5. Generic Areas of Responsibility
5.1. Ensure confidentiality at all times and ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act
5.2. Maintain productive and efficient time management during the working day
5.3. Notify your line manager of any unforeseen problems where appropriate and in a timely manner
5.4. Maintain and develop a professional working relationship with all stakeholders and outside organisations
5.5. Follow school policy, procedures and ethos of the school
5.6. Check, respond and action, as appropriate, all communications from stakeholders within 1 working day
5.7. Carry out administrative tasks as directed by your line manager
5.8. Contribute to the Child Protection and Safeguarding policies of the school
5.9. Undertake any additional duties as required by the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher
Other specific responsibilities will be negotiated and agreed with the successful applicant.
This job description should be read in conjunction with the Statutory Requirements contained in the current version of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document and the expectations detailed in the Teachers’ Standards document 2012.
The law requires this position to have an enhanced criminal background check. This is to protect children and vulnerable adults and to safeguard positions of trust. The position is therefore exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. If your application is taken further you will be asked to declare details of any criminal record, even convictions that are ‘spent’ according to the act. If you are offered the post this information will be checked against Criminal Records Bureau files. You will be provided with full information at each stage.
Please note that The Priory School, Hitchin operates a no smoking policy.
The postholder is required to perform the duties above. They will be responsible to the Headteacher and will demonstrate a genuine commitment to our Equalities Policy and the wellbeing of all students.
This job description will be reviewed annually and will form the basis of the Performance Management Review (PAR) procedure. Any issues relating to the review of this job description should be brought to the Headteacher’s notice by the postholder through the senior line manager. The postholder will undertake the specific responsibilities as outlined above in order to fulfil our statutory requirements, school aims, policies and targets.
The post holder will be responsible to the Headteacher, through the Line Manager. They will demonstrate a commitment to the school’s equal opportunities policy.
Commitment to safeguarding
The Priory School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and visitors to share this commitment. Appointment to this post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) as well as other pre-appointment checks outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2024).
To help us meet our high standards and aspirations of a fully diverse and inclusive workplace, we strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply and to join us.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)About The Priory School
- School type
- Local authority maintained school, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1242 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The Priory School website
- Email address
- emma.sangster@priory.herts.sch.uk
Why join The Priory School, Hitchin?
The Priory School is an oversubscribed, co-educational Foundation School serving over 1,200 students in the Hertfordshire town of Hitchin. As part of the Hitchin Sixth Form Consortium (alongside Hitchin Girls’ School and Hitchin Boys’ School), we also offer access to a vibrant post-16 community of over 800 learners.
Our values
At The Priory School, Hitchin, we are committed to empowering every child to meet their aspirations, to be self-confident, inspirational, and active members of their community whatever their background, ability, or circumstance. We achieve this by ensuring that every child at TPSH follows a rich and ambitious curriculum, is offered extensive extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities, and that they benefit from inspirational teaching, alongside dedicated pastoral care that provides a secure and caring environment.
We are incredibly proud of our students who are superb ambassadors for our school when representing us in Hitchin but also nationally, and internationally. We are proud to serve the entire community of Hitchin and as such, we have a number of exciting partnerships with local and national organisations.
Our staff are well-qualified, highly experienced, and dedicated to providing the very best education and pastoral care to every student. We all share the same values that are woven into our school’s culture: Responsibility, Respect, and Resilience.
Staff development and support
We are committed to providing high-quality professional development and support to all of our staff and understand that teachers and support staff are the decisive element in positively changing the lives of young people.
We recognise that teaching is a rewarding but pressured profession, as such, we are dedicated to maintaining a culture where staff wellbeing matters. In staff surveys, our staff consistently report that they are proud to work at The Priory School, Hitchin.
Facilities
Our school has some of the best facilities that you will find anywhere and we are lucky enough to sit on an expansive 27-acre site. We benefitted from a £1.6 million investment in our 3G football pitches in collaboration with Hitchin Belles Football Club, a £500,000 pavilion, revamped café, a new languages block, and our newly built Sixth Form centre which received a £2.8million investment. We also have ample on-site parking and are a short walk from Hitchin train station.
Working or living in Hitchin
Hitchin is a beautiful historic market town in North Hertfordshire, surrounded by lovely countryside, with a population of approximately 33,500. It has been voted in the ‘Top 10 Best Places to Live in the UK’ in The Times.
It has great transport links, being just two miles from the A1(M) and only 10 miles from the M1, and is in easy reach of London with Kings Cross station a mere 30 minutes away. There is also good access to the main rail routes to Cambridge.
The town is great for families with lots of activities for young people and their parents to participate in including sports and activities, youth organisations, performing arts and more. Hitchin also is well known in the area as a town for foodies with virtually every cuisine represented. Hitchin Festival runs throughout the month of July with over 100 different events celebrating the artistic, cultural and community life of the town.
Website: http://www.priory.herts.sch.uk/
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/tps_hitchin/
Arranging a visit to The Priory School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email emma.sangster@priory.herts.sch.uk.
School location
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