Academy Counsellor

About Us

Join our success:

• Judged 'Outstanding' in all categories by Ofsted (Feb 2023), more information here:
• Progress 8 score from our first set of GCSE results (Aug 2023) of +1.10.
• In the top 10 non-selective comprehensive schools in England and Wales

We believe that a happy and settled staff body helps drive the very best performance from our students. We are committed to a high-quality professional development programme and can draw on expertise from across the Harris Federation. As a HASU member of staff at any level you will receive the training and support that you need to carry out your role effectively and develop at a pace that suits you.

We are committed to ensuring that our staff have the right level of balance between work and home life. Our policies and procedures are aimed at allowing our teaching staff to spend as much time as possible planning and delivering lessons.

We work in an award-winning building with excellent facilities. Our thriving staff association ensures all new members of staff soon feel part of the HASU community.

We run a broad and diverse curriculum to a fully comprehensive intake of students.

Our focus on the core value of Integrity means that our behaviour is excellent, with staff supported by a strong and highly visible Academy Leadership Group. Detentions are run centrally, allowing teaching staff to do what they do best: plan and teach amazing lessons.

Attendance and engagement with learning is high, and centrally planned tutor time resources ensure that our tutors can engage with students whilst delivering high-quality experiences.

We are located in Sutton, with good public transport and road links. Central London (Clapham, Victoria) is 25 minutes away. We are on the Surrey border, so journeys do not take long in fact journeys from Kent only take just over 30 minutes by car. We have safe and secure onsite parking with electric charging points.

Main Areas of Responsibility

As our Academy Counsellor, your responsibilities will include:

• To provide a counselling service within the Academy, responding to social, emotional or educational concerns.
• To assess the appropriateness of counselling as part of the referral process.
• To promote a caring and supportive environment where concerns can be explored, thereby promoting mental and emotional health at the academy.
• To uphold good practice as described by the BACP ethical guidelines.
• To fulfil professional supervision requirements.
• To maintain adequate records of clinical work and to keep these secure.
• To maintain training and continue professional development.
• To attend and participate in Complex Needs Panel meetings as appropriate.
• To liaise with relevant staff within the Academy making them aware of problems experienced by students and to make recommendations as to how these may be managed/resolved, as appropriate.
• To liaise with other professionals, including attending meetings within the Academy and with outside agencies, as appropriate.
• To be alert to trends and patterns of problems and be willing to identify causes and recommend corrective action.
• To play an active role in safeguarding pupils and adhere with guidance from academy policies.
• To contribute to the evaluation of the counselling service within the Academy compiling an annual report for the Governing body.
• To contribute in any other reasonable fashion to promote the safety and wellbeing of the pupils.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• A recognised professional counselling qualification to diploma level or equivalent
• The ability to make use of counselling supervision (evidenced by a counselling supervisor's statement) Ability to maintain confidentiality within Academy safeguarding procedures
• The ability to work within a time limit Effective communication skills both orally and in writing Ability to work effectively with a range of colleagues both within the Academy and from external agencies
• Counselling experience in a secondary school setting
• Evidence of pastoral experience
• Experience of working with key stakeholders such as a range of vulnerable students, outside agencies, SENCO, AWO, senior leaders, teaching staff, support staff, a range of parents, governors etc

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.