Broomhill Road

Brislington

Bristol BS4 5RQ

Tel: 0117 977 7766

Fax: 0117 972 3351

E-mail:

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

PASTORAL SUPPORT TUTORS

37 hours per week, term time only plus 10 days

Permanent

Required from November 2014

Closing date for applications: 04 November 2014

ST BRENDAN'S SIXTHFORM COLLEGE

Faith in Learning

St Brendan's Sixth Form College opened in 1979 on the site of the former direct grant grammar school and is now housed in a new, fit for purpose campus with a student population of over 1700 full-time students and approximately 200 members of staff.

St Brendan's is a designated institution under the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act and continues to operate under the Trust Deed held by the Diocese. The majority of the Governors are appointed by the Trustee, the Bishop of Clifton. The College has a full-time Chaplaincy Leader.

We are a Catholic College that:

  • Welcomes everyone
  • Fosters the development of the whole person
  • Helps everyone achieve their full potential
  • Develops mutual respect and positive encouragement

The College has a well-qualified, experienced and highly committed staff who create a friendly, welcoming and disciplined environment in which students can succeed. The overall aims of St Brendan's are found in the mission statement reproduced below:

St Brendan's mission is:

To serve the Catholic and wider community by providing post-16 education in a sixth form environment, underpinned by Christian values and ideals. The College strives

  • For excellence in teaching and learning
  • To act in the spirit of the gospel
  • To provide experience of a Christian community
  • To support each individual as an unique creation of God

As part of our Catholic ethos we believe in respect for all individuals. We recognise and celebrate the enrichment that diversity brings to us all. We welcome staff from diverse backgrounds, traditions and faiths including those from under-represented groups and minorities.

THE COLLEGE

St Brendan's is a CatholicSixthFormCollege located on the A4 between Bristol and Bath. We are a multi-cultural, multi-racial community with staff and students from a variety of backgrounds and religious traditions. The College welcomes students of all faiths and those of no faith and everyone is equally welcomed and valued.

The College is designed principally to provide education for sixth form students. We welcome prospective young people from a wide region in a radius of approximately 20 miles. These come mostly from our partner schools and approximately 70 other secondary schools in the Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire area, but a number come from farther afield and some from abroad.

The College strives to live up to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that ‘all, of whatever race, condition or age, because of their dignity as human persons, have an inalienable right to education. This education should be suitable to the particular destiny of individuals and adapted to their ability.’ The College, therefore, works hard to offer all students an individual programme of study tailored to their personal needs. The majority of St Brendan’s student’s progress to Higher Education at institutions throughout the UK, including Oxford and Cambridge. Others embark on apprenticeships or start their career at the conclusion of their studies.

The College aims to provide an experience of Catholic education and of a community which will enable students to develop intellectually, emotionally and spiritually as well as academically.

Staffing and Structure

The College Management Team consists of a Principal, Vice Principal, Assistant Principal, Finance Director, two Directors of Curriculum and a Director of Student Experience.

Each Director of Curriculum works with a team of Curriculum Managers and has a specific whole-college responsibility related to curriculum matters. The Director of Student Experience is responsible for twelve Pastoral Care staff and has a specific whole-college responsibility related to student matters.

The work of the College is supported by Administrative, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Marketing, Library, Technical, Student Support Service, and Premises staff. The dedicated Learning Support team provide critically important support to students with learning disabilities or difficulties.

Students and Courses

Students are admitted through a central College admissions procedure. Each student is allocated to a tutor group in the care of a Pastoral care Assistant who are responsible for the welfare, progress and achievements of their tutees.

The College offers a broad range of GCE A/AS level and BTEC Level 3 and Level 2 courses together with a limited number of essential ‘key’ GCSE. In addition, an enrichment programme incorporating Religion, Philosophy & Ethics, Special Interest courses, Careers, Personal and Social Education, Functional Skills - English and Mathematics and ICT (levels 1 and 2) is provided.

There is a Students’ Union with its own committee which arranges social events and student facilities within the College. The Governing Body includes two elected student members (in addition to the two staff members). There is a well-developed process for hearing the learners’ voice through Tutor Representatives, a Student Council and Student Forums.

Physical Resources

The College is situated in spacious, pleasant grounds on the outskirts of Bristol. The new main building opened to students in September 2009 includes:

  • Extensive specialist teaching spaces for Science, Art & Design, Photography, Drama, ICT and Computing
  • Well-equipped classrooms for many other subjects and tutorial activities
  • New learning resource centre, offering access to the internet, intranet and student email, plus an impressive book stock and a range of journals and newspapers
  • Learning support suite
  • Chapel at the heart of the College
  • Modern, open refectory and coffee shop selling a good range of nutritious meals, snacks and drinks
  • Open IT suites to support subject delivery and student ‘drop in’ study
  • Offices, server rooms and other space essential for support of teaching
  • A county standard sports hall with facilities for tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton, indoor football, etc
  • A fully equipped dance studio with sprung flooring
  • A commercial standard fitness suite
  • Changing facilities
  • Teaching rooms

Environment & buildings

Buildings have been designed with the environment in mind and will utilise ground source heating, rain water harvesting (for flushing toilets), photovoltaic cells to general electricity and systems to control ventilation and room temperature.

Buildings have been refurbished to provide excellent resources for Modern Foreign Languages, Media and Film Studies. These retained buildings include further specialist provision for Performing Arts, including recording studio and practice rooms and provision for other classroom based subjects, such as English. All the buildings have been designed to facilitate physical disability access and, with the exception of E building, are joined together at first floor level.

Equality and Diversity

The College is fully committed to the Equality Act 2010. All staff, students and guests to the College, are entitled to expect a positive and welcoming environment. The College seeks that the employment experience of staff and learning experience of students will be based on merits, abilities and potential, regardless of sex (including transgender), race, ethnic or national origin,religion and belief, socio-economic background, marital/civil partnership status, family circumstances, (including pregnancy and maternity), disability, sexual orientation and age (students are subject to age related admission criteria). Positive action may be taken by the College when there is recognised underrepresentation within the staffing population and/or student body.

The College’s Equal Opportunities Policy, Equality Scheme and objectives are published on the College website.

Safeguarding Children

The College is wholly committed to Safeguarding Children through its Safer Recruitment procedures. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to applicants for our vacancies due to our being a ‘specified setting’.

Any offer of employment is therefore subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure Barring Service Check. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working for St Brendan’s Sixth Form College. This will depend on the offence and the relevance of the offence in relation to the position applied for. The factors taken into account by the College will include the responsibilities of the position, the vulnerability of our students, the nature of the offence(s), the number and pattern of the offences (if there is more than one), how long ago the offence(s) occurred and the age of the offender when the offence(s) occurred.

New starters at the College will conduct online Safeguarding training as well as being trained regarding the College’s own safeguarding procedures.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

POST / Pastoral Support Tutor permanent, 37 hours per week, term time only plus 10 days.
SALARY SCALE / Salary will be on the Sixth Form Colleges Support Staff Band E pay scale: £20,329 - £22,288 per annum pro rata. Actual Salary: £17,796 - £19,510.91 per annum.
JOB AIM / To promote the development and progress of students, support and guide them to achieve their potential and to deliver a tutorial programme of activities to prepare students for the transition to college and for life beyond and hence contribute to raising the College’s success rate.

JOB DESCRIPTION

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

(a)To be responsible for a portfolio of tutor groups.

(b)To prepare students for the transition to college life by carrying out admissions interviews, advising and guiding (including UCAS), inducting and identifying the key elements of their individual learning plans to meet their needs.

(c)To deliver the Tutorial programme.

(d)To track, monitor and evaluate the progress of students and undertake regular reviews, preparing reports and communicating with parents/guardians and other professional as appropriate.

(e)To develop and implement a range of strategies to identify students ‘at risk’ and to implement a range of strategies to support them.

(f)To impose and carry out early stages of the disciplinary procedures (see St Brendan’s Sixth Form College Disciplinary Procedures) and referring to the relevant Pastoral Support Manager where appropriate.

(g)To provide information, advice and guidance on a range of matters to allow tutees to make appropriate decisions and to prepare references as appropriate.

(h)To contribute to quality assurance systems by evaluating the effectiveness of students support within the College.

(i)To maintain the student file with the assistance of administrative staff.

PASTORAL RESPONSIBILITES

Under the direction of the Director of Student Experience:

To be a Tutor to assigned groups of students and to carry out the following duties:

(a)To promote the general progress and wellbeing of individual students and of the Personal Tutor group as a whole. To register students, accompany them to assemblies, encourage their full attendance at lessons (including Spiritual Journey and other Enrichment Studies) and their participation in other aspects of College life.

(b)To provide guidance and advice to students on educational and social matters and on their further education and future careers, including information about sources of more expert advice on specific questions.

(c)To undertake regular personal review interviews with the students assigned to you to assist them in evaluating their progress and development and in identifying and monitoring personal action plans.

(d)To evaluate and monitor progress of students and to keep up-to-date the individual student file in the College office, and other records as may be required.

(e)To contribute to the preparation of Progress Files and other reports, including the drafting of references.

(f)To alert the relevant Pastoral Support Manager and/or Director of Student Experience to problems experienced by students and to make recommendations as to how these may be resolved.

(g)To communicate and consult, as appropriate, with the parents of students, and with persons or bodies outside the College concerned with the welfare of individual students, after due consultation with the Director of Student Experience.

(h)To liaise with parents/carers as appropriate.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

We are looking for the following qualities in applicants.

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications and Experience /
  • Minimum of Level 3 qualification
  • GCSE Maths and English or equivalent
/
  • Degree or equivalent qualification
  • Information, Advice and Guidance or relevant youth work qualification
  • PTLLS or equivalent

Background /
  • Recent experience of working with young people in an educational or youth work setting
/
  • Knowledge of progression routes for students: BTEC, GCSE, AS/A Level
  • Experience of information, advice and guidance with young people
  • Experience of effective liaison with external agencies
  • Knowledge of post-16 Education

Personal Qualities/
Strengths /
  • Organisational ability - to organise and plan for oneself and for working with others.
  • Confidentiality - ability to maintain confidentiality of information, particularly in relation to personal and sensitive information.
  • Emotional resilience in respect to pastoral and welfare aspects of the role.
  • Communication skills - strong written and verbal communication skills, including on telephone and face-to-face communication
  • Flexibility and creativity - ability to adopt a creative and flexible approach to work, especially in the use of time
  • Attention to detail - thorough, detailed approach to work, incorporating patience and versatility in responding to change
  • Working with young people - good rapport with 16-19 age group
  • Catholic ethos - sensitivity and support for the ethos of a Catholic Christian college.

REWARDS & BENEFITS

St Brendan’s Sixth Form College recognises that our employees work hard to support and deliver quality academic outcomes for our students. Because our employees are valued the College makes sure they are well rewarded and recognised for their efforts. We offer a complete benefits package to continue to attract, motivate and retain the best people for jobs at the College. We have a range of staff benefits currently on offer and we are always looking for ways to add new options.

Benefits you can look forward to at St Brendan’s include:

A competitive salary - reviewed annually, by the National Joint Council for Staff in Sixth Form Colleges.

Generous annual leave and bank holidays – for Support Staff a minimum of 23 days annual leave per annum, rising to 29 days after ten years, plus public and bank holidays. The holiday year runs from 1st September to 31st August.

Term time only employees, including teachers contractually take their holiday entitlement during College holidays.

The entitlement for support staff is as below:

Length of service / Entitlement
Less than 2 years / 23 days + 8 days Bank Holidays
More than 2 years / 25 days + 8 days Bank Holidays
More than 5 years / 28 days + 8 days Bank Holidays
More than 10 years / 29 days + 8 days Bank Holidays

Holidays for part time members of staff are calculated on a pro rata basis.

Flexible working – the right to request flexible working includes options to work part-time, on a job-share or term-time only (TTO) contract.

Local Government Pension Scheme - A contributory fixed pension scheme. Contribution rates depend on full time equivalent pensionable pay and vary between 5.5% and 12.5%.

Teachers’ Pension Scheme – Currently a defined benefit contributory pension scheme but due to change in April 2015 to a career average scheme. Contribution rates depend on full time equivalent pensionable pay and vary between 6.4% and 12.4%.

Pensions Auto-enrolment - All our new employees will be assessed against auto-enrolment criteria and automatically enrolled into the scheme in line with auto-enrolment legislation. Employees, if not automatically enrolled, can choose at any point to opt into the scheme. All employees will be re-enrolled every 3 years.

Death in service - If you are a member of either of the two pension funds then the following applies in the event of death in service.

Teachers’ Pension Scheme (Teachers)

The TPS will pay a lump sum death grant if:

  • you die while you are employed in pensionable employment;
  • you die while you are paying current added years; or
  • you die within a year of leaving pensionable employment (because of ill-health) and you have not been receiving an ill health pension.

In these cases, there is no minimum qualifying period and the death grant will be 3 x your average salary.

Avon Pension Fund (Support Staff)

This generally applies to those people who are still in employment and are active members of the scheme. If you die under these circumstances, then your nominated recipient will get a cash lump sum. The death in-service tax-free lump sum, known as a ‘death grant’, has increased from 2 to 3 times your annual pensionable pay. If you're part-time, the benefit is three times your actual part-time pay.

Full details are available from:

Teachers’ Pension Fund ( or

Avon Pension Fund (

Occupational sick pay - your entitlement will increase with the amount of your continuous service to a maximum of 6 months on full-pay and 6 months of half-pay.

Occupational Health – we ensure our employees are supported with health and disability issues including referral to Occupational Health to allow us to support them back to work or make reasonable adjustments.

Employee Assistance Programme – Our EAP FirstAssist (Capita) offers a variety of 24-hour employee wellbeing services to ensure our employees are fully supported to maintain a healthy work/life balance. These services include; telephone counselling, smoking cessation advice, free financial or legal advice etc.

Discount Scheme - our discount scheme Everyday Essentials (Discount Shopping)offers our employees access to great savings on a wide range of shopping, experiences and services; such as ; Asda, Argos, B&Q, Boots, Curry’s, Homebase, Ikea, New Look, Marks and Spencer’s, Morrisons, Top Shop; package holidays and many more.

Childcare voucher salary sacrifice scheme -enabling you to save tax and NI contributions on the cost of your childcare. Childcare vouchers are a means of paying for childcare, using a ‘salary sacrifice’ scheme. If you are eligible you will be supplied with childcare vouchers which can be used to ‘pay’ a childcare provider. This happens through a fixed arrangement between an individual employee and the College, whereby the employee agrees to ‘sacrifice’, or exchange, some of his or her taxable income for childcare credit (vouchers). As this sacrifice is from gross income, you pay less Income Tax and National Insurance contributions.