Pupil & Family Practitioner
The Harbour School, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 8RA25 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
12 April 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
18 March 2026
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, Term time only
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £28,142 – £32,061 per annum, actual salary £24,083 – £27,437 for term time only
What skills and experience we're looking for
Pupil & Family Practitioner – The Bridge Campus, The Harbour School (Cosham, PO6 3LP)
Please note: Access to a car and UK driving licence with business insurance essential
Have you ever seen a young person make the smallest step forward and realised just how much it meant to them… and to you?
Those moments don’t happen by accident. They happen because someone cared enough to show up, stay patient, and see the young person behind the behaviour.
At The Harbour School, you’ll work with pupils who haven’t had an easy path. Many have faced disrupted education, difficult experiences or emotional challenges that would overwhelm most adults. Some arrive anxious or withdrawn; others come with hope but without the tools to steady themselves. And yet – with the right support – they grow, reconnect and often surprise themselves.
Some days will be lively and unpredictable; others will call for deep calm, empathy and resilience. But between the challenging moments come the ones that stay with you:
- A pupil who hasn’t attended school in months choosing to try again.
- A teenager who normally shuts down making eye contact… then speaking.
- A young parent finding their confidence and taking one brave next step.
- A pupil managing a tough moment in a way that once felt impossible.
These moments may look small from the outside, but to us, they’re huge – and they’re why we do this work.
If you’re looking for a role where relationships matter, where progress comes in many forms, and where your presence can genuinely change a young person’s direction, this might be exactly where you make your difference.
What you’ll do
- Support pupils one‑to‑one or in small groups to build social, emotional and behavioural skills.
- Deliver planned interventions for pupils and families in mainstream schools across Portsmouth.
- Help young people manage difficult moments with calmness, safety and compassion.
- Create a nurturing, predictable environment where pupils can try, fail, reflect and try again.
- Support reintegration into mainstream settings.
- Work alongside skilled teachers who plan learning that builds over time with regular feedback.
- Weave reading, communication and confidence‑building into daily activities.
- Keep clear, thoughtful records and work closely with colleagues, families and partner agencies.
- Bring warmth, patience, creativity and flexibility to days that don’t always follow the plan.
Who you are
- Calm, steady and kind – able to stay grounded even when a young person is struggling.
- Someone with experience supporting children or young people with SEMH needs, in any relevant setting.
- A clear, sensitive communicator who can work with pupils, families and professionals, and who can hold firm, respectful boundaries.
- Someone with NVQ Level 4 (or equivalent) or strong, relevant experience, and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
- Resilient, empathetic, organised and reflective – with the ability to adapt, travel between settings and manage your time well.
- And above all, someone with warmth, hope and a sense of humour… because those are the things that make the biggest difference here.
What the school offers its staff
About us:
The Harbour School is a multi-site organisation, with campuses at Bay Campus (including Primary at The Bay), The Bridge Campus, The Lighthouse Campus, and the Vista Campus (including The Horizon Service), all based within the city of Portsmouth. We also have an Outreach Support Team and a Hospital tuition service at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
The Bridge campus delivers full‑time, highly personalised Alternative Provision for pupils who cannot attend mainstream school for a range of reasons. Students are taught in small groups, supported by experienced practitioners, and offered a curriculum that balances core learning, social and emotional development, and a choice of option subjects that help them prepare for the future.
What we offer:
- A supportive school environment where relationships come first.
- The chance to make a real impact on young people’s confidence, learning, and future choices.
- A team that supports each other – because this job is tough, but you’ll never be alone.
- Professional development opportunities because we’re all about helping you grow, both as a person and in your ability to juggle six things at once!
- A school that celebrates progress, not just results.
- Grow your career in a school and within Southern Education Trust – a growing trust that believes in “making lives better”.
- A rewarding role where no two days are the same and every day makes a difference!
If you’re the kind of person who celebrates the small wins, stays calm in any situation, and believes in second (and third… and fourth) chances, we want to hear from you.
Further information about the job
Closing date: 12th April 2026
Interview date: 29th April 2026
Please note: Applications may be viewed on receipt and interviews arranged sooner than the above date.
Become part of our journey by completing our Support Staff Application Form and returning it to recruitment@southern.education if you would like to apply (please see our Pupil & Family Practitioner Job Description and Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy for further information). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kate at the recruitment address, who will be happy to assist you.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, this role involves directly working with children and significant contact with children, and therefore we expect all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Please ensure a full work history is completed in your application form including any gaps of employment. Applicants will be required to complete satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check for this post prior to commencement. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.The Trust is an equal opportunities employer.
If successfully shortlisted the HR Department will also be conducting an individual online search including social media platforms of your ‘name, education and employment’, to demonstrate due diligence following ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance. The search will not form part of the actual shortlisting process and any concerns arising from the search will be discussed directly with you.
Commitment to safeguarding
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Please ensure a full work history is completed in your application form including any gaps of employment. Applicants will be required to complete satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) check is required for this post prior to commencement. The Trust is an equal opportunities employer.
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)Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About The Harbour School
- School type
- Academy, ages 5 to 19
- School size
- 123 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 5 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The Harbour School website
- Email address
- recruitment@southern.education
The Harbour School is a special school for learners with Social, Emotional and/or Mental Health (SEMH) Needs and/or Medical Needs. The school operates from multiple sites situated across Portsmouth with provision extending beyond these physical locations.
As a trust, our ethos is encompassed in our vision “Learning together in pursuit of happiness”.
Arranging a visit to The Harbour School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@southern.education.
School location
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