Wellbeing Support Supervisor
Full time, term time
Starting September 2025
Executive Summary
Headington Rye Oxford’s Wellbeing Hub sits at the heart of the school and forms a key part of our pastoral provision. We are looking for a caring, empathetic, approachable individual to act as our Wellbeing Support Supervisor. Based in the Wellbeing Hub, you will act as the first point of contact for pupils, will oversee use of the space, and help to support individuals experiencing unhappiness, anxiety, and related mental health and emotional challenges. You will work closely with the team of counsellors who operate from this space and liaise with the wider pastoral team to ensure pupil needs are identified and appropriate support is provided, enabling pupils to thrive and develop greater resilience. This is a full time (40 hours per week), term time only position.
Wellbeing at Headington Rye Oxford
The Wellbeing Hub is part of the pastoral provision at Headington Rye Oxford designed to promote and support positive mental health and wellbeing, enabling pupils to thrive, develop greater resilience and achieve their potential. Working in parallel and alongside our health centre and pastoral teams the wellbeing hub provides a physical space for pupils experiencing poor mental health, emotional or sensory difficulties. Pupils can be directed to the hub knowing it provides a safe and quiet space (for those who need time out, for reflection, self-management and to refocus), where they can access useful resources and be provided with support and strategies (if necessary and appropriate) to help them to cope with the day to day pressures of life at school and in the wider world.
As the Wellbeing Support Supervisor you will be based in the Wellbeing Hub as a first point of contact for pupils, will oversee use of the space and help to support individuals experiencing an array of challenges. You will work closely with the team of counsellors who operate from this space and liaise with the nursing team where pupils visiting the health centre may be better advised to make use of the hub (and vice versa). You will liaise with the Pastoral team to support pupils needs effectively and may be called upon to assist in locating missing students or providing pastoral support when safeguarding or behavioural investigations need to be conducted. An important part of the role will involve working with the Wellbeing Prefect and year group representatives to assist them in realising their plans for the year. The Wellbeing Support Supervisor has an important role to play in curating resources that can inform and raise awareness within the school community around emotional health and wellbeing – this includes, pupils, parents and staff.
Role Description
This is a full time, term time role, usually working Monday to Friday 8.00 am - 4.30 pm.
The Wellbeing Support Supervisor works as a key member of Headington Rye’s wider pastoral team. The underpinning value of the work undertaken lies in facilitating the smooth running of the wellbeing hub, providing supervision of pupils within it, offering activities in the space alongside support for the pastoral, emotional or mental health needs of the pupils who utilise it, ensuring they can feel safe whilst developing a personal toolkit to develop resilience and better wellbeing.
Headington Rye Oxford aims to provide high quality pastoral care for all pupils, to support and guide them in their personal development and to reduce the social and emotional barriers that can exist to learning for more vulnerable pupils. The Wellbeing Support Supervisor plays an integral part in the school achieving these aims.
Responsible to the Deputy Head Pastoral and able to take direction from Pastoral Heads of Section (HoS), Pastoral PA, Lead Nurse and School Counsellors.
Supervise the Wellbeing Hub effectively and be the trusted adult in situ
- Create a calm, settled and welcoming environment within the wellbeing hub which visitors take a pride in
- Supervise and manage pupils using the Wellbeing Hub, ensuring it is used appropriately and left in a tidy and welcoming state
- Supervise and support pupils who struggle with attending lessons due to mental ill health or neurodiversity – liaise with the Deputy Head Pastoral, Head of Learning Development and Heads of Section to ensure needs are identified and reasonable adjustments made to address pupil needs wherever possible
- Monitor the Wellbeing Hub register and account for pupils who are missing from lessons, liaising as necessary with absences, reception and the health centre
- Ensure every young person is (and feels) valued for who they are and that all pupils have equal access to opportunities provided by the wellbeing hub and the staff within it
Build rapport with pupils and work alongside individuals offering appropriate levels of support
- Establish, build and maintain successful relationships with individual pupils and groups, treating each individual consistently, with respect and consideration, and always being mindful of professional boundaries
- Provide an additional point of contact and support for those transitioning to Headington Rye Oxford when they first join the school and may be nervous, unsettled, homesick or anxious
- Assist and direct pupils to access appropriate support within school
- Deal with pastoral incidents and pupils in distress, intervening quickly in order to prevent a situation worsening, and provide structured interventions to support individual pupils, and help them to resolve or manage identified issues and encourage reintegration where required
- Act as a mentor providing specific pupils with individualised support and guidance where appropriate (and dependent on candidate skillset) in order to enable them to be successful at Headington Rye and prepare them for life in the wider world
- Work alongside the Wellbeing Prefect and Wellbeing Reps across the school to help them realise their aims and targets each term
Develop knowledge, curate resources, and offer wellbeing relating promotions and activities
- Build your own personal knowledge and understanding of wellbeing related concerns and resources available to tackle them, and develop supportive and effective working relationships with those you work alongside, so that together you can deliver the best outcomes in the best interests of pupils and families at Headington Rye Oxford using and signposting all resources at our disposal
- Have a monthly/half termly focus on public health awareness style campaigns – producing notices for electronic boards, prominent displays, boarding displays (encompassing physical and mental health, personal safety, wellbeing and topical issues)
- Contribute towards planning and delivering wellbeing related programmes and one-off ‘pop-up events’ or activities
- Support the preparation of resources and materials and/or delivery of form time sessions or PSHE lessons if requested by HoS
- Suggest and develop initiatives that might further support pupil wellbeing
Promote positive attitudes to mental health and wellbeing and establish ways of surveying wellbeing and responding to feedback
- Encourage positive attitudes to mental health and emotional wellbeing so that mental ill health and reduced wellbeing do not have a detrimental impact on, or create a barrier to, learning
- Encourage pupils to implement the 5 ways to wellbeing
- Promote the development of students’ self-reliance, self-esteem and emotional resilience
- Encourage pupil voice and advocate pupil views to the wider pastoral team
- Instigate and implement wellbeing assessments for pupils to gain a snapshot of school wellbeing and to work with the Deputy Head Pastoral and other Pastoral Leads to analyse and respond to the data gathered
- Attend Pastoral Team Meetings, reporting back to HoS on a half termly basis, highlighting trends such as usage of the hub, presenting needs, wellbeing related activities
Play a part in supporting the wider pastoral life of the school where assistance might be helpful
- Support Heads of Year and Heads of Section in situations where they are dealing with serious behavioural incidents, by supervising individuals, collecting witness statements and supporting affected pupils
General
- To act professionally at all times and role model positive behaviour and standards to both pupils and colleagues
- Be aware of and comply with Headington Rye’s policies and procedures relating to child protection and all aspects of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
- To attend INSET and CPD training and staff meetings as required
- To participate in the school’s appraisal system, engaging with performance reviews and the induction and probationary process
- To undertake other duties as may be required from time to time
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with children and young people
- Understanding of adolescent development
- Basic ICT skills (Microsoft Office, Google applications, email, database) and an awareness of how key social media platforms operate
Desirable
- Familiarity with a school environment and the likely issues young people grapple with
- A Psychology degree
- Familiarity with counselling skills
Personal Attributes and Skills
- a desire to work with and care for young people, putting their interests first
- strong pastoral instincts and a caring nature
- able to build rapport with young people and adapt one’s approach to be sensitive to the needs of the individual
- excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- patience, sensitivity, empathy and a sense of humour
- flexible and calm under pressure
- an ability to motivate and inspire others
- able to work independently and be confident and comfortable taking initiative
- a team player, cooperative, and able to collaborate and liaise effectively with others
- sound judgement and a good decision maker
- good time management and strong organisational skills
- willingness to engage with pupils in craft based and mindful activities
- sympathy with the values and ethos of the School
Additional Information
Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities of the post, we have identified the main expectations and opportunities rather than detail each individual task to be undertaken. It is expected that the individual will bring their own skillset and interests to the role and it may be that the job description can be amended or modified in discussion with the line manager.
Terms of Appointment
Type of Contract
Full time (40 hours per week), term time, permanent, starting in September 2025
Benefits
Pension
Contributory membership of the School’s Support Staff Pension Scheme with a School contribution of up to 9.95 per cent upon successful completion of six months’ service.
Fee remission
In accordance with the School’s policy, which may be subject to change, up to 50 per cent fee remission for pupils attending Headington Rye Oxford and up to 20 per cent fee remission for boys attending Magdalen College School (under a reciprocal agreement) and subject to the terms of their policy. Fee remission is calculated on the number of weeks and hours worked and is pro rata for part-time staff who work at least 50 per cent of a normal working week.
Salary
As this is a term time only role, the prorated salary is approximately £23k for a full time (40 hours per week), term time only (approximately 33 weeks) plus approximately six additional days in a full academic year eg from September 2025 – August 2026.
(The Full Time Equivalent salary based on 37.5 hours per week, all year-round would be approximately £28.8k per annum).
Additional Benefits
All staff have access to a broad programme of wellbeing activities. The programme currently includes access to the School’s gym and swimming pool, weekly Step and Tone and Zumba classes and regular staff social activities such as Book Club and Staff Choir. Staff also benefit from free access to the Employee Assistance Programme, a free, confidential helpline that offers advice on a range of issues. Free restricted parking is available for all staff on site.
Appointment Process and How To Apply
Applicants should submit an application form and a covering letter detailing their skills and experience to recruitment@headingtonschool.com
- Applications will only be accepted from candidates completing the application form in full. CVs will not be accepted in substitution for completed application forms. However, they may be sent in addition to the application form.
- We will seek references on shortlisted candidates and will approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications, before the interview. References will ask about your suitability to work with children.
- If you are invited to interview you will receive notification outlining the interview process and guidance regarding the documentation you are required to provide.
Closing Date: 9am Monday 2nd June 2025
Online interviews may be used to shortlist candidates on receipt of their application prior to in person interviews. Successful candidates will be invited to the School for interviews w/c Monday 9th June.
Applications are reviewed and shortlisted on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to interview, appoint and close adverts early depending on the volume of applications we receive. We therefore encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application form.
All appointments are subject to satisfactory completion of all employment checks, ie references, Disclosure and Barring Service, medical questionnaire, Right to Work in the UK. Headington School is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and DBS and barred lists checks. The School expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
