Student Support Officer Fixed Term
Shire Oak Academy, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 9PA10 days remaining to apply
Closing date
20 February 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
6 February 2026
Job details
Job role
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 35 Hours
Contract type
- Fixed term - Fixed Term (Until: 31/08/2026, Please note that although the post is initially fixed term until August, there is potential for an extension.)
Pay scale
- Grade 5 (SCP 9-17)
What skills and experience we're looking for
Job title: Student Support Officer Fixed Term
Salary:
Grade 5 (SCP 9-17)
Hours:
Full time
Contract type:
Fixed Term (Please note that although the post is initially fixed term until August, there is potential for an extension.)
Reporting to:
Student Support Manager
Responsible for:
Working collaboratively within a large pastoral team to identify and remove barriers to learning, enabling all students to engage positively with school and succeed.
JOB OVERVIEW
If you’ve got the talent, passion, and determination – we’ve got all the support you need to become our next Student Support Officer.
At Shire Oak Academy, we are on an ambitious journey of improvement and growth. We want colleagues who are ready to embrace this challenge and seize the opportunity to make a real difference. This is your chance to step into a vital role at the heart of our school, champion our most vulnerable students, and make a lasting impact – to truly #BeIncredible.
From day one, you’ll have the backing of a dedicated Student Support Manager as well as expert and committed support from our pastoral team and Senior Leaders. You’ll also be part of a wider team of colleagues who share a deep commitment to increasing opportunities and improving outcomes for every single student.
Whether you’re experienced in a pastoral or student-facing support role, or ready to step up and play a key role in removing barriers to learning for students for the first time in a school setting, we’d love to hear from you.
ABOUT SHIRE OAK ACADEMY
Shire Oak Academy is at the heart of the community in Walsall. We are proud to be part of the Mercian Trust, a family of schools united by a commitment to students and to one another. Our Trust focuses on collaboration, integrity, and above all, doing what is right for young people.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a school that is determined to raise aspirations and transform outcomes for our students. You’ll be joining a dedicated staff team and working with fantastic students, supported by great leaders who are making a real impact every day.
JOB PURPOSE
The Student Support Officer (SSO) plays a vital role at the heart of the school’s pastoral system, ensuring that students with barriers to learning are supported, championed and enabled to succeed.
Working as part of a large, highly coordinated pastoral and inclusion team, the SSO operates alongside:
- Student Support Managers (SSMs)
- Other Student Support Officers (SSOs)
- Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
- Our City Year mentors
- Our Ethos Team
- External agencies and professionals
- The wider Trust network
This role is well-supported, highly collaborative and never isolated. Student Support Officers are trusted professionals who work closely with colleagues across the Academy to deliver consistent, high-quality support for students and families.
Under the direction of the Student Support Manager (for the relevant year group), the Student Support Officer will:
- Remove barriers to learning through strong relationships, effective intervention and partnership working
- Act as a champion for vulnerable learners, including students with SEND, Pupil Premium, Children in Care and those at risk
- Work proactively with families, colleagues and external professionals to ensure students can fully access the curriculum
- Contribute directly to the Academy’s ethos, values and high expectations
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Pastoral Leadership & Teamwork
- Support the Student Support Manager in the day-to-day leadership of the year group
- Implement and embed agreed systems and processes (including Tier Plans) to improve behaviour, engagement and outcomes
- Work closely with Form Tutors, City Year mentors and pastoral colleagues to provide consistent, joined-up support
- Contribute to year group assemblies, activities and celebrations
- Maintain high expectations for all students and model the Academy’s values at all times
- Play an active role in a strong pastoral team, sharing information, strategies and best practice
Behaviour & Inclusion
- Work collaboratively with SLT, Achievement Leaders, the SEND Team, Aspire Centre, Attendance Team and external agencies
- Support students with the highest levels of need to remain included and engaged in learning
- Contribute to ‘At Risk’ meetings and multi-agency discussions
- Deliver targeted mentoring and interventions aligned to the pastoral timetable
- Support parents and carers through meetings, communication and partnership working
- Promote a culture of praise, recognition and positive relationships
- Help reduce repeat incidents and improve long-term student outcomes
Attendance & Engagement
- Work alongside the Attendance Team to improve attendance, punctuality and engagement
- Support students experiencing medical, emotional or social barriers to attendance
- Reduce truancy and missed learning opportunities through targeted support
- Attend and contribute to attendance-focused meetings as directed
Safeguarding & Student Welfare
- Complete and maintain all relevant safeguarding training
- Support the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy DSL with low-level concerns
- Provide 1:1 support for students with emerging or ongoing safeguarding needs
- Act quickly, professionally and compassionately to safeguard students
Intervention & Student Support
- Deliver high-quality mentoring, coaching and interventions
- Support students in lessons where appropriate
- Encourage full engagement in interventions and pastoral support programmes
- Provide short-term classroom cover where required
Wider Responsibilities
- Support uniform, behaviour and pastoral systems across the year group
- Liaise with external agencies and professionals
- Complete relevant pastoral administration
- Participate in detention systems, on-call rotas and behaviour support provision (e.g. Reset Room)
- Act as a First Aider (training provided)
- Support educational visits and enrichment activities as directed
Safeguarding Commitment
The Student Support Officer is required to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and must act at all times in accordance with Academy policies and the staff code of conduct.
Role Flexibility
This job description outlines the main duties and responsibilities of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The postholder may be asked to undertake other duties appropriate to the level of the role, as directed by the Headteacher.
The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies can be found on our website. This position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions as part of the recruitment process.
What the school offers its staff
How to apply
We warmly encourage you to come and see our school in action, meet our staff, and get a feel for the community you could be joining. We want to talk to you — any question is a good one.
For more information, or to arrange a visit, please contact Mrs S Read, Headteacher’s PA.
This is more than a job – it’s a chance to#BeIncredible.
At Shire Oak Academy, we will invest in you and support you to reach your potential. As a school we are only as good as the people we work with and to ensure that we get the best from our young people, we need to make sure that we also get the best from our staff. Relationships matter and this is at the heart of what we do every day in our school and as one of 12 schools within the Mercian Trust.
Shire Oak Academy is not the easier school to work in currently, but we encourage you to visit to see we are far more than our most recent Ofsted report. We have a new Leadership Team, led by experienced Headteacher Matthew Everett and we would welcome applications from those wishing to join us on the exciting journey that Shire Oak is currently on. We are a community secondary school in Walsall Wood and proud of our inclusivity. Our ethos is built upon #BeIncredible and we accept that young people are going to make mistakes, but through positive interactions and support we will help to ensure that they fall less often and can reflect and learn from their mistakes and #BeIncredible in all that they do . Through our House System, and form tutors, we provide the care and support that is needed for all individuals and their families, including healthy competition. Everyone within the academy is expected to be an active member of their house, students and staff alike!
As well as offering a knowledge rich curriculum, which includes the full spectrum of creative subjects, we also offer an extensive enrichment and extra-curricular programme. Our drama shows are as good as what you would see in the local theatres, our sports teams are committed and driven taking part in local and regional competitions, and our wide array of trips provide awe and wonder for our young people. If there is an opportunity to improve the cultural capital of our young people, we will always be open to ideas.
The design of our building is unique, a huge campus at the highest point in Walsall with incredible views and huge open spaces, with top of the range facilities, including sport, technology and photography spaces.
Come and see what Shire Oak Academy has to offer, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies can be found on our website. This position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions as part of the recruitment process.
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
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 Shire Oak Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1297 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Shire Oak Academy website
- Email address
- hrmatters@merciantrust.org.uk
Arranging a visit to Shire Oak Academy
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hrmatters@merciantrust.org.uk.
School location
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