School Counsellor

Job description
Job Title: School Counsellor

Line Manager: Safeguarding & Wellbeing Officer

Pay Range: H9 Scale Point 28 to 31

Work Pattern: Part-time (0.4 FTE) 2 days per week, Term time only - Fixed Term in the first instance until July 2026

Start Date: Jan/Feb 2026

Core Purpose

The School Counsellor will provide confidential counselling capacity to support the well-being of students at school. Working closely with the school’s pastoral leaders, Safeguarding and Wellbeing Officer and safeguarding team, the counsellor will provide positive well-being and mental health support.

The School Counsellor will provide individual support and employ therapeutic interventions for a range of issues including but not limited to bereavement, school transitions, anxiety and depression, anger management and self-harm.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Provide a confidential counselling service to students through individual sessions, responding appropriately to their personal, social, emotional and educational concerns.
Run small groups to support students’ emotional wellbeing.
Assess students who are referred to the counselling service and liaise with key staff to triage students appropriately. This may include referring students to CAMHS or other relevant services.
Promoting a caring and supportive environment where concerns can be explored.
Work within the codes of practice and ethics recommended by the BACP, UKCP or equivalent professional organisation.
Report all safeguarding concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) immediately and work with DSL and external agencies, including CAMHS and social services, where appropriate.
Be alert of trends and liaise with the Safeguarding and Wellbeing Officer and pastoral leaders to address these issues on a wider basis.
Liaise and work with parents and other professional where required to support a student’s needs.
Keep clear and concise records of all sessions and to write brief reports if necessary and required by the school. This includes sharing information with the Safeguarding and Wellbeing Officer at the end of each intervention.

Our Vision

At the Danes Educational Trust we are committed to ‘Making the Difference Together’ sharing best practice and supporting each other to be the very best we can be.

Core Values

The post holder is expected to share our commitment to our core values:

We value joy in working, teaching and learning together
We encourage everyone within our Trust to feel optimistic about the future and how they can shape it
We support all individuals in developing resilience to enable them to respond to change and grow as a result
We value and support the wellbeing of all individuals who learn and work in our schools
We provide equality of opportunity and experience for all
We provide a safe and secure learning environment for all

Compliance

The post holder is required to be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection; health and safety; confidentiality; and data protection and report all concerns to an appropriate person.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate will be required for all posts.

Additional Information

All staff are required to participate in training and other learning activities and in appraisal and professional development as required by the Trust’s policies and practices.

This job description is a guide to the duties the post holder will be expected to undertake. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive and will be subject to change as working requirements dictate and to meet the organisational requirements of the Trust.

Supervision/Job Context

The post holder is managed by the Deputy Headteacher, Behaviour and Safeguarding & Wellbeing Officer

Contacts

The post holder will work with students and staff as appropriate.