OBJECTIVES:
Full-time, permanent
Required from August 2025
The school seeks to appoint a Deputy Head Pastoral Care to take up post in August 2025.
The successful candidate will be a teacher of exceptional intellectual quality, vision and energy, who will have responsibility for many aspects of the day-to-day running of the school and play a major role in the school’s development with particular responsibility for safeguarding, pastoral care and recruitment.
Job description
The Deputy Head Pastoral Care is the School Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and has primary responsibility for the provision of pastoral care across the whole school, including line management responsibility for Heads of Key Stage, Heads of House and the medical and counselling staff. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will teach a reduced timetable in their specialist subject.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Pastoral Care:
1. Acting as the Senior school Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL – see below for full list of responsibilities), leading and managing all aspects of safeguarding
2. Overseeing the provision of pastoral care within the Senior school, promoting early intervention
3. Supporting the well-being of all students and staff, including gathering and sharing qualitative data across the school
4. Line managing the pastoral team in the senior school, including counselling staff
5. Chairing a weekly meeting with the school counsellor to ensure relevant information is shared
6. Liaising with the Principal, the Senior School Board Advisors and the External Safeguarding Consultant about safeguarding and pastoral care.
7. Developing and overseeing the whole school House system
8. Developing and overseeing the Senior School mentor system, providing guidance and training for mentors on their roles and responsibilities, allocating mentors to student groups and overseeing mentor development
9. Chairing pastoral meetings and the whole school Pastoral Sub-Committee
10. Managing the quality and delivery of pastoral and safeguarding INSET across the school
11. Overseeing all staff pastoral training and development including engagement in research opportunities with outside organisations
12. Keeping up to date with safeguarding legislation and best practice and keeping the school SMT informed accordingly
13. Updating relevant school policies and procedures
14. Delivering/managing the delivery of safeguarding training
15. Supporting the teaching team and mentors during parent consultation evenings
16. Managing an agreed budget
17. Communicating with and meeting parents as necessary
18. Coordinating all student pastoral initiatives, including peer supporters, peer educators and wellbeing week
19. Coordinating the buddy programme which sees regular student meetings across year groups
20. Developing and overseeing the Senior school PSHE programme
Discipline and conduct:
1. Overseeing standards of students’ personal conduct throughout the school
2. Working closely with the Senior and Junior School Heads to implement and monitor whole school approaches to promoting positive behaviour and relationships
3. Managing any serious disciplinary cases involving pupils
4. Managing and updating codes of conduct and discipline and their related policies
5. Managing sanctions and rewards
Staff Wellbeing:
1. Liaising with and supporting all staff with regard to wellbeing, including gathering and sharing qualitative data across the school
2. Leading and managing a programme of well-being for members of staff across the school
3. Leading the peer support system for new members of staff on arrival
4. Putting in place individual staff support plans where a member of staff is struggling emotionally
5. Devising and implementing staff risk assessments as necessary and appropriate where a member of staff has health or disability needs that require support or adjustments
6. Leading the whole school elements of staff training, to include safeguarding and access to the latest educational research that is of relevance to all teaching staff
Other management and liaison:
1. Supporting the parents’ association (PTA) across the Senior school
2. Attending Senior school PTA meetings, in liaison with the Parental Liaison Officer
3. Supporting the staff induction process across the Senior School
4. Carrying out student induction across the Senior School
5. Develop and maintain an effective Student School Council across the whole school
6. Attending the academic, pastoral and health and safety committees or any other internal or external meetings as necessary
7. Attending the School Governing Board’s Education and Pastoral Committee, providing papers as required
8. Any other duties as required by the Principal
The main responsibilities of the DSL
1. To be the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the whole school, leading and managing all aspects of safeguarding
2. To be the first point of contact for parents, pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff and
3. external agencies in all matters of child protection across the school
4. To act as a source of support, advice and expertise to all staff on matters of safety and safeguarding and when deciding whether to make a referral by liaising with the Principal, together with the Head of Junior School and when appropriate, the External Safeguarding Consultant and relevant agencies
5. To develop and build relationships with local Chinese child protection officers
6. To refer all cases of suspected abuse, following discussion with the Principal, together with the Head of the Junior School when a JS students is involved, consulting the External Safeguarding Consultant, and local authorities as appropriate
7. To co-ordinate the child protection procedures across the school
8. To maintain an ongoing training programme for all school employees, governors, volunteers and other individuals working at the school, including induction training for all such individuals, and annual updates
9. To manage the system of electronic record keeping relating to all safeguarding concerns (My Concern), in both senior and junior schools, ensuring the highest levels of confidentiality
10. To ensure that notification of further record keeping is marked on the pupil records
11. To liaise with the school’s External Safeguarding Consultant on a regular basis, and otherwise when appropriate, about safeguarding and other pastoral developments
12. To keep parents informed of action to be taken in relation to their child in accordance with the safeguarding (child protection) policy
13. To keep the Principal updated on all issues relating to child protection and safeguarding issues, including any referrals outside school.
14. To develop specific plans to promote the well-being of individual students when necessary, working closely with families as far as possible
15. To maintain and monitor the records of pupils in the school on such a plan to ensure that they are up to date and accurate.
16. To liaise with other professionals to ensure that the school contributes to inter-agency working in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (May 2024), where it is possible and appropriate
17. To identify and build positive working relationships with additional voluntary agencies who can act as sources of support for children and families at SPGSI Chengdu.
18. To advise and act on all suspicions, concerns and/or evidence of the need for children to receive additional support, or of children who have suffered or are likely to suffer abuse and/or neglect, that is reported to the DSL
19. Where appropriate, to take part in child protection conferences or reviews
20. To share information as appropriate with any future school to which a student moves
21. To keep and maintain records of staff training on child protection and safer recruitment procedures
22. To notify the appropriate organisation if the school ceases to use the services of a member of staff (or a governor or volunteer) because they are unsuitable to work with children and:
23. To report to the Board as required on matters relating to safeguarding
24. To chair weekly safeguarding meetings in school
25. To review the school’s safeguarding practice on an ongoing basis and keep an up to date action plan of improvements and changes required
Safer Recruitment
1. To lead on the safeguarding aspect of the school’s safer recruitment polices, practices and procedures
2. To ensure that the safeguarding aspect of recruitment policies and procedures are fully implemented and followed
3. To ensure that HR is fully aware of any safeguarding issues arising from references, application forms and accompanying letters, obtained for recruitment needs
4. To liaise with the Principal/Head of Junior School about recruitment and developments
5. To lead on safeguarding interviews in the recruitment and appointment process
6. To report regularly to the Board on Safer Recruitment developments
General
The Director of Pastoral Care will also play an important day-to-day and strategic role, working as part of the Senior Management Team (SMT) on all matters involving the running of the school and the development of its strategic vision:
1. Being a strong and visible presence and figure of authority within the school community
2. Supporting the work of staff and students through attendance at a wide range of events
3. Where appropriate attending/chairing key decision making forums
4. Participating in the appointment of staff
5. Deputising, with other members of SMT, for the Principal
The successful, candidate is likely to have had some managerial responsibility before, either as a Deputy Head elsewhere or as a Head of Department or Head of Year.
This job description may be amended from time to time in consultation with the role holder.
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Minimum Qualifications
· Essential: Minimum Bachelor’s Degree with PGCE/QTS or Bachelor of Education Degree with QTS
languages
· Fluent in English.
Working Experience
· Minimum two years’ teaching experience at a UK or international school
· Demonstrable experience of working in safeguarding at an advanced level
· Experience of responsibility at a senior management level would be a distinct advantage
· Experience of safeguarding in a UK context
· Experience of leading training sessions for staff members
Competencies
· Good understanding of the UK regulatory framework around safeguarding
· Good communication skills
· Good teamwork and collaborative skills
· Resilience and a good sense of humour
· Fairness, kindness and warmth
· Interest in wider issues relating to student wellbeing
· Understanding of how UK safeguarding principles operate in a Chinese context
· Interest in wider educational research and practice
Aptitudes
· Ability to understand, empathise with and enjoy the culture, ethos and values of SPGS International School Chengdu
· Flexibility to learn and adapt to new cultures and situations
· A willingness to explore innovative approaches from across the educational field
· The ability to uphold the Code of Conduct of SPGS International Schools
SPGS International School Chengdu is committed to ensuring and promoting the health and safety of children. Successful applicants will:
1. Participate in the school’s regular training on child protection, and sign the code of conduct
2. Immediately report to the designated or acting safeguarding lead for any potential risks for the children
3. Strictly abide by the school’s policies on information confidentiality and protection
4. Play the role of safeguarding members to promote and ensure the health and safety development of all students in the school
5. Report any students concerns to the designated or acting safeguarding lead
6. Report any unsafe behavior on campus to the designated or acting safety lead in accordance with the school’s “whistle blowing” policy
7. Maintain a professional relationship with students and respect and maintain personal boundaries
SPGS International School Chengdu is committed to safe recruitment and child protection, relevant qualifications and police clearance of applicants will be verified
Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities for the post, each individual task undertaken may not be identified, especially in the context of a school which requires flexibility in all of its employees. This job description is current at the date shown but, in consultation with the post holder, may be changed by the Principal to reflect or anticipate changes in the job commensurate with the grade and job title.
