School Counsellor

The Swan School, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 7WP

14 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  1st September 2026

• Closing date

  24 June 2026 at 8am

• Date listed

  10 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: £33,377.00 - £35,610.00 Annually (FTE) Grade 10 - Full-time/Part-time, Term Time + INSET days

School Counsellor job summary

We are seeking someone who can provide a dedicated space for reflection, clarity and psychological safety.

Why This Role Matters

You are not just providing an ad-hoc drop-in service; you are the architect of a structured, evidence-informed therapeutic provision within Oxford’s newest secondary school. Working within our dedicated inclusion team, you will hold a key professional space, ensuring that students facing complex emotional, social, or developmental challenges receive high-quality, consistent clinical support. Your expertise allows our academic environment to remain calm, purposeful, and genuinely inclusive.

What You’ll Bring

• Professional Credentials: A recognised Post-Graduate Diploma or Masters in Counselling/Psychotherapy, with current BACP Accreditation, UKCP registration, or BCP professional membership.

• Clinical Experience: A minimum of 2 years of post-qualification experience, including at least 1 year working directly with children and young people.

• Multi-Disciplinary Expertise: The ability to work collaboratively alongside our internal pastoral leaders and external agencies, including local mental health teams and CAMHS.

• Safeguarding Rigour: Deep working knowledge of the Children’s Act and current statutory legislation pertaining to vulnerable young people.

• Personal Attributes: Exceptional interpersonal skills, a calm demeanor, strong organisational capacity, and a healthy sense of perspective.

Why Us

The Swan School is a unique place to practice. Opened in 2019, we are a growing school of approximately 1,200 students (including our Sixth Form) housed in state-of-the-art facilities in Marston. We treat wellbeing as a professional right, not a superficial perk. By joining us, you will experience:

• True Professional Agency: We trust you as the clinical expert in your domain, giving you the autonomy to manage caseloads effectively.

• A Workload-Sensitive Culture: We protect our staff’s time rigorously. This includes structural choices like our efficient feedback policies and an embedded culture that limits unnecessary after-school meetings.

• Shared Growth: Access to high-quality, evidence-informed CPLD both within the school and across the wider River Learning Trust network.

RLT Connection & Benefits

The Swan School is proud to be part of the River Learning Trust (RLT). This connection offers our staff exceptional benefits, including:

• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

• A highly supportive network of professional services and peer collaboration across schools.

• Commitment to continuous service recognition for school colleagues.

Compliance & Safeguarding

River Learning Trust and The Swan School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. We conduct checks and online searches in accordance with Keeping Children Safe In Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

For documentation, please see RLT Safer Recruitment Documents. Visit our website www.riverlearningtrust.org for up-to-date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour policies.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants, click this link: List of offences that are not filtered.

We don't just accept difference; we celebrate "different contributions" and are dedicated to building an inclusive environment where every colleague can thrive. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know so we can support you to be at your best.

The school reserves the right to consider and interview candidates ahead of the closing date if appropriate. An offer may be made to an exceptional candidate in this instance.

All staff must ensure that the highest priority is given to following the guidance and regulations to safeguard children and young people. The successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and obtain any other statutorily required clearance. Employment will also be conditional on the receipt of at least two acceptable references (1 from current/latest employer) and evidence of the formal qualifications required for the role.

Please note: We do not accept CVs; please apply via My New Term. Part-time hours will be considered for the right candidate.

We reserve the right to interview and appoint exceptional candidates early.

Call to Action

Read more and apply: Please visit our website or view the full job pack below.

Start a conversation: For an informal, confidential discussion about the role, or to arrange a visit to the school, please contact our school office at 01865 416070 or email headteacher@theswanschool.org.uk

3. Talent Pool: Not the right time? Register with our Talent Pool to hear about new opportunities first.

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 The Swan School

• School type: Free Schools, None, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 952 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: The Swan School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/the-swan-school

School location

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