School Counsellor

We are looking for a School Counsellor to join our p astoral team at R ed maid s' High School on a self-emp loyed b asis.
Stud ent well-b eing is at the heart of all we d o, and this role is an exciting op p ortunity for the right p rofessional to
sup p ort this. We are looking for someone with strong communication skills together with the ab ility to maintain
p rofessional confid entiality and b ound aries.

This a self-emp loyed p osition, starting from Sep temb er 2024, working term time only.

The School Counsellor will b e resp onsib le for p rovid ing a p rofessional and confid ential counselling service for stud ents,
working in coord ination with our other School Counsellor and in conjunction with the Assistant Head Pastoral.

Cand id ates must b e trained in counselling and listening skills, and registered , or in the p rocess of registering, with the
BACP or BAAT/HCPC., At R ed maid s' High School, the counselling team is integral to our d elivery of an excep tional level of p astoral care.
We currently have one school counsellor and are looking to extend our p rovision so the service can sup p ort b oth
stud ents and p otentially staff when need ed . Given the d ynamic nature of our vib rant school, flexib ility is key for all
staff, includ ing our counsellors.

Senior School stud ents can self-refer without the need for d isclosure to anyone else. At other times the Pastoral
Team may refer stud ents. Counselling sessions are currently limited to 6 p er stud ent and are b ased on ind ivid ual
need s. Stud ents may return for more counselling as and when need ed . Our school counsellors p lay a crucial role in
the p astoral team, p rovid ing guid ance and assistance to staff ad d ressing various mental health concerns among
the stud ents.

The Pastoral Team comp rises the Assistant Head Pastoral, Head s of Year, Assistant Head s of Year, three school
nurses and the counsellors. The counsellor will actively p articip ate in p astoral team meetings when need ed and in
case conferences, liaise with p arents when required and collab orate with staff to ed ucate the community and raise
awareness ab out d ifferent asp ects of mental health. This includ es contrib uting to Mental Health Awareness weeks
or other such camp aigns., Typ ically d eliver b etween 10 and 14 sessions p er week of confid ential counselling for stud ents across the Junior
and Senior Schools, and for staff d ep end ing on need and other counselling d ep artment p riorities.

Maintain the b ooking system and Counselling Service accord ing to guid elines stip ulated b y GDPR and the
BACP/HCPC guid elines.

Provid e a formal and ethical staff counselling service at the end of each workd ay as required .

Maintain confid ential notes on all counselling sessions.

Engage in regular counselling sup ervision accord ing to BACP/HCPC guid elines.

Liaise confid entially with the Assistant Head Pastoral regard ing matters that might need rep orting to Social
Services or other such b od ies.

Liaise ap p rop riately with memb ers of the teaching staff informally and as p art of p up il case conferences when
required .

Provid e a link b etween school and home where ap p rop riate and in conjunction with the Assistant Head Pastoral.

Use p rofessional jud gement on information sharing and referrals to other agencies.

Help to maintain the Quiet R oom and Wellb eing R oom as an environment cond ucive for stud ents to engage in
listening therap y.

Ensure that the whole school community is aware of the School Counsellor p rovision via p articip ation in
assemb lies and b y other means.

Together with the other counsellor and memb ers of the School's wid er p astoral team, organise awareness
camp aigns within school.

Be availab le to staff and p arents on a consultancy b asis to d iscuss matters p ertaining to stud ents.

In collab oration with the other School Counsellor, d evelop the counselling service links and p rovision b etween
the Junior and Senior School.

Any other task or activity as reasonab ly requested b y the lead ership team, includ ing unforeseen events that
affect the School community d uring the holid av p eriod s, requiring the offer of counselling p rovision.

Ad herence to the School's safeguard ing p roced ures; safeguard and p romote the welfare of all stud ents in and
visiting the School

The successful cand id ate will d emonstrate the following skills and comp etencies, and must hold :

Trained in counselling and listening skills, and registered , or in the p rocess of registering, with the BACP or
BAAT/HCPC essential.

Exp erience of working with child ren and young p eop le is p referred .

Und erstand ing of GDPR and confid entiality requirements in a school setting required .

Occup ying a sp acious, green and op en site near to Bristol city centre, R ed maid s' High School is the old est surviving
girls' school in Britain with a history that d ates b ack to 1634. Formed out of a merger b etween the R ed Maid s School
and R ed land High School in 2016, we are p roud to b e one of the lead ing ind ep end ent d ay schools in the South West.

Staff and governors of the school are united in their vision of an amb itious and caring ed ucation, which help s each and
every stud ent fulfil their asp irations. We are committed to p laying a p roactive role in encouraging stud ents to d efine
and shap e not only the p aths they will take, b ut the wid er world around them b eyond their time with us.


All memb ers of the community are involved in the vib rant extra-curricular life of the school. Whether sup p orting our
sup erb music, d ance and d rama p rod uctions, lead ing acad emic club s and societies or p articip ating in trip s, there is
much to enjoy for everyone.

We are fortunate to have sup erb facilities availab le across the school site. Our Sixth Form centre is a world -class sp ace,
while the main hall p rovid es an outstand ing venue for p rod uctions and concerts and is a b eacon for p erforming arts
across Bristol. The 2021-2022 acad emic year also saw the comp letion of Phase 1 in our amb itious p lans for sp ort, with
the launch of 'The Lawns' and top -class facilities for hockey, netb all and a p lethora of other sp orts.

R ed maid s' High is an inclusive environment and is continuing to take step s to enhance and imp rove our d iversity and
equality of op p ortunities. We welcome ap p licants from all b ackground s.

Hours: Two d ays p er week, Wed nesd ay and Thursd ay or Thursd ay and Frid ay inclusive. 8.30am to 5.15p m
for 35 weeks a year, term time only.
Counselling p rovision may also b e required if there is an unforeseen community event that occurs
d uring a school holid ay. Any ad d itional hours worked in such circumstances will b e p aid .

Contract: Self-emp loyed ; the School Counsellor will invoice the School