Pastoral Officer

Role overview

Harris Academy Rainham is seeking a seasoned Pastoral Officer to help support students across the academy. This role is based in Rainham, England, and is part of Harris Federation.

The salary for this position is £30,232 to £32,047 a year, based on a 37.5-hour workweek over 42 weeks annually.

About the academy

Harris Academy Rainham is a heavily subscribed 11–16 academy that joined the Harris Federation in September 2016. The school opened a Sixth Form for 400 students in September 2023 and is looking for committed, ambitious staff to grow with the academy.

The academy is built around three core values: Belong, believe, Become. These values shape the culture, behaviour expectations, teaching approach, and wider school life. The academy promotes a disciplined but fair approach to behaviour, uses consistent routines, and places subject knowledge at the centre of learning. Staff are encouraged to challenge educational disadvantage and help students broaden their horizons beyond Havering.

What the school offers

The academy highlights strong career development across both the school and the wider Federation, along with high-quality professional development. It is recognised as a Leading Edge school, with research-informed practice central to its work.

Workload is actively managed through measures such as no graded observations, an early Friday finish, no heavy marking expectations, and sensible feedback policies. Staff also benefit from tailored support and line management from senior leaders, plus opportunities to develop further as the Sixth Form expands.

Main duties

• Support the consistent delivery of the academy behaviour policy.
• Oversee orderly student movement into and out of the academy, and between lessons.
• Work with the behaviour team to supervise students before school, at break time, and during lunch.
• Run detention sessions each afternoon.
• Serve as a contact point between the academy and the local community, including the police, on behaviour-related matters such as truancy sweeps and engagement with local shopkeepers.
• Manage student entry to the breakfast club.
• Check that students arrive in full uniform and follow the agreed process when they do not.
• Make sure faculty points are issued appropriately.
• Follow up when students do not meet academy standards.
• Plan and deliver agreed enrichment and sporting activities with SLT.
• Deal with behaviour incidents, including taking student statements and sharing them with the right colleagues.
• Mentor students on PSPs, support them in lessons when needed, and present progress updates in review meetings.
• Prepare student records for disciplinary panels or exclusion hearings.
• Ensure safeguarding and safety concerns, including bullying allegations, are passed to the relevant staff for investigation.
• Supervise internally excluded students, coordinate with the AP for behaviour on curriculum delivery, and support their return to mainstream lessons.
• Work with teaching staff so suitable work and provision are in place for excluded students.
• Liaise with parents/carers and staff to ensure smooth transitions into and out of internal exclusion.
• Help maintain a calm, structured learning environment.
• Follow up on attendance or truancy concerns.
• Support the reduction of permanent exclusions through alternative curriculum provision and targeted behaviour-for-learning intervention.
• Model the expected standards of conduct for internally excluded students.
• Take further action where students in internal exclusion do not meet the academy code of conduct.

Requirements and experience

Candidates should hold GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above, or an equivalent qualification. They should also have knowledge of behaviour-for-learning systems, the barriers students face in learning, safeguarding and child protection procedures, and basic first aid such as an emergency first aid course.

The academy is looking for someone with at least two years of experience in an inner-city school or another educational setting. The ideal candidate will also have a track record of handling behaviour issues successfully, working with staff to improve behaviour for learning, supporting families, and supervising students for detentions, referrals, and internal exclusion. Experience supporting challenging students and finding more effective ways to meet their needs is also required.

Additional information

Applicants are encouraged to read the job pack before applying, as it contains the full job description and person specification. The academy may interview and appoint before the closing date, so early applications are advised. Applications must be submitted before the deadline through the academy careers website.

Professional development and benefits

The organisation places staff development at the centre of its culture, offering coaching, mentoring, support, and a broad range of training programmes at every stage. Employees can also access career planning and progression opportunities.

The benefits package includes Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, a pension scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, and additional staff benefits.

Safeguarding and equality

The Harris Federation and its academies are committed to safeguarding children and young people, and all staff are expected to share that responsibility. Any offer of employment will depend on an enhanced DBS check, references, an online search, and, where relevant, a prohibition from teaching check.

The federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. It values diversity among staff and students and aims to provide an inclusive, fair, and mutually supportive working environment that reflects the communities it serves.