Description

PHES ISP School Counsellor Role Profile

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All shortlisted candidates and post holders are subject to appropriate International Criminal and Child Protection Background Checks or equivalent, covering the previous 10 years of employment history. ISP recruit teachers in several ways including direct application to the school and through international teacher recruitment agencies and organizations.

The International Schools Partnership (ISP) is a growing group of international schools which believes in amazing learning and iscommitted to getting better all the time.

GROWING LEARNING, GROWING SCHOOLS embodies our journey and is what binds us together. We are developing schools for 2-18 year olds with learning at the heart of each school and helping our children and students learn to levels that amaze them. At the same time, we are listening to our parents and students to broaden the appeal of our schools, with the aim of each one becoming the school of choice in its local area over time. We believe that successful schools are the ones that put learning at the heart of everything they do, always aiming to create rounded individuals that are able to forge successful careers and lives in a rapidly changing world.

We are a truly international group working in different cultures and speaking different languages. We work across countries and cultures, too, by working with each other and with other schools and communities. Our schools are located inthe UK, the USA, Canada, Spain, Chile, Costa Rica, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia andMexico. We are constantly enhancing our existing group of schools with new ones including those we develop ourselves, and new schools that want to join our partnership.

We put learners and learning first. Learning is affected by both internal factors (such as emotions, motivation and general health and wellbeing) and external factors (such as environment, curriculum and relationships). The external factor that has the most significant impact on our students’ learning is the teacher.

At ISP, everyone is a learner. So as one of our teachers, you are also a learner. Together, we will embark on an ongoing process of exploring, expanding and evolving your practice in ways that directly impact and improve student learning.  

Learner (ISP definition)

Everyone at ISP is a learner. The ISP learner recognizes that their mindset, experiences, and actions drive their learning outcomes. With this awareness, they exercise voice, choice, and ownership over their process of learning - leading their learning and the learning of others.

PHES-ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Well-being and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

PHES-ISP School Counsellor Role Profile

• Atmosphere. You enable students to learn in a safe, open, caring, collaborative and inclusive atmosphere. Your students feel confident to have open and honest conversations about their learning and how they can get better. You create a positive atmosphere by building relationships, behaviors, and inclusive learning experiences that support a good struggle for all your learners. You engage in professional and respectful dialogue with colleagues and the wider school and ISP communities about learning and teaching, with a shared commitment to getting better.
• Shared Ideas. You know and model your school’s values and contribute to its mission and vision through your daily actions. Through all aspects of learning and teaching, you create a strong sense of shared behaviors and purpose for learners and their learning.
• Leadership for Learning. You see yourself as a leader for learning and demonstrate the same vision, values and commitment as school leaders to support students to continuously learn and get better. You take responsibility for where students are now with their learning and the targets and action steps needed to improve. You support students to become leaders of their own learning by helping them develop their voice, choice and ownership of their learning process.
• Learning Spaces. You create and use spaces to support and demonstrate the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning and the ways in which students are getting better. You ensure learning spaces (physical and digital) are safe, collaborative, accessible and inclusive, and enable students to play an active role in their development.
• In Partnership with Parents and Carers. You work in partnership with parents and carers, communicating with them regularly about their child’s learning, inviting their feedback and using this feedback to improve learning. You help parents and carers understand the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning in ways that help them to engage confidently when talking about what their child is getting better at, what their next steps are, and how they will be supported at home. You ensure that the individual needs of parents and carers are understood and that they feel informed and involved as valued members of the school’s learning community.
• Improvement Planning. You are committed to learning and getting better and ensure this improvement happens strategically and effectively. You are active and accountable for your contribution in setting your own professional goals, targets and action steps that focus on improving learning and gathering evidence to demonstrate these. You contribute to department and school learning improvement planning where possible and view the school’s learning improvement plan as the central focus for getting better together.
  
  

PHES-ISP School Counsellor Key Responsibilities

Park House English school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and expects all staff members to share this commitment.

This job description is in addition to the roles and responsibilities described in the job description for teachers.

Line Manager: Assistant Head teacher- Key Stage 4

Overseen by: Head of Secondary /Principal

Purpose

The Counsellor’s priority is to support the academic and social welfare of pupils by initiating and maintaining a positive relationship with pupils, staff and families in order to enhance the school’s academic mission of providing amazing learning. He/she is also responsible for engaging the community in building cooperative partnerships for the sake of a pupil’s success. He/she is expected to develop a healthy, safe and productive environment in which pupils can achieve their potential and are required to counsel and support pupils on personal development issues or when dealing with complex and sensitive issues. The Counsellor will also be available to staff who need counselling support.

Duties And Areas of Responsibility

• Fully support the mission and vision of Park House English School
• Fully support ISPs vision of learning for the school
• Helping children manage their feelings and deal with a range of incidents
• Providing group and individual support on an ad hoc and planned time to talk basis
• Managing playground games, buddies and other systems within the school
• Monitoring and managing pupil attendance and punctuality
• Providing formal counselling with consent of the family
• Supporting staff in managing incidents and behaviour
• Supporting families – individuals, support groups and larger groups e.g. through workshops
• Working with staff to analyse in school assessments
• Working with the inclusion team, medical and safeguarding staff to provide the very best pastoral care for children
• Taking responsibility for personal professional development, keeping up to date with research and developments which may lead to improvements in the counselling service provided, arranging and delivering relevant training for staff as and when needs are identified.
• Meeting the requirements of the local regulatory body
• Contributing to the safe and smooth day to day running of the school
  
  

Health and Safety

• Emphasises the importance of safety in all areas of the curriculum, communicating to the pupils the importance of a responsible attitude towards personal safety, the safety of others and respect for Park House English School’s property and equipment
• Safeguard Park House students
• Take all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials, and facilities
• Assist in implementing all policies and rules governing student life and conduct
• Ensure that, all the necessary health and safety rules and procedures are being followed
• Maintain an awareness of all the health and safety measures to be taken when in school
  
  

Profile

• Psychology Degree
• Counselling certification,
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience
• Supporting the emotional wellbeing of children in a school setting
• Must hold a current Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure, or equivalent, for countries lived in outside of the UK
• English is mandatory
• Child Care and Protection training
  
  

Skills And Abilities

Competencies

• Outstanding performance in counselling & wellbeing in a school setting
• Excellent communication skills and command of the English language, in spoken and written form
• Presentation skills with the ability to present information in a concise and professional manner to a variety of audiences
• Organization skills: well organized and able to prioritize, multi tasks and meet deadlines
• The ability to work on a regular and punctual basis
• Flexible and work well under pressure
• Customer service
• Critical thinking
• Ability to negotiate, persuade and motivate others
• Willing attitude to be a part of the school team
• Strong sense of professionalism
• Safeguarding and welfare of children
• A collaborative team-player with excellent interpersonal skills
• The ability to develop good personal relationships within a team
• Behaviour management
• Demonstrated competency to use computer applications related to the role, including word processing and spreadsheet applications
• Record keeping and report preparation methods
• Interpersonal skills including tact, courtesy and patience
• Customer focused
• Willingness to undertake appropriate Professional Development
  
  

Attributes

• Empathetic listener
• Integrity and confidentiality
• Internationally minded
• Emotional intelligence
• Intercultural awareness, creative
• Flexible and a can-do attitude
• Passionate about delivering quality education
• Able to command respect of pupils, colleagues and parents
• Driven by wanting to improve quality and develop the school
• Reliable with an attention to detail and a commitment to quality
• An innovator with a willingness to embrace change
  
  

Other

Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities of the post, each individual task undertaken may not be identified.

Employees will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from a manager to undertake work that is not specified in this job description. Employees are expected to be courteous to colleagues and provide a welcoming environment to visitors and telephone callers.

The school will endeavour to make any necessary reasonable adjustments to the job and the working environment to enable access to employment opportunities for disabled job applicants or continued employment for any employee who develops a disabling condition.

This job description is current at the date shown, but, in consultation with you, may be changed by the Principal to reflect or anticipate changes in the job commensurate with the grade and job title.

As a member of the staff of Park House you will need to comply with the below:

• Compliance with the school's Vision, Mission and Policies
• Compliance with the UK Teacher’s standards : Teachers' standards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Positive Professional Relationship with all staff members are maintained
• Contact with students is on a strictly professional basis with the physical and emotional safety of students being of paramount importance
• The hours of work as arranged with the principal are strictly followed
• This position entails working with information, much of which is held in confidence. Under no circumstances is this confidentiality to be compromised
  
  

PHES is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All shortlisted candidates and post holders are subject to appropriate International Criminal and Child Protection Background Checks or equivalent, covering the previous 10 years of employment history. PHES recruit teachers in several ways including direct application to the school and through international teacher recruitment agencies and organizations