Job Description
B A R N A R D CA S T L E S C H O OL
School Counsellor
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL | BARNARD CASTLE | COUNTY DURHAM DL12 8UN | UNITED KINGDOM
The History of Barnard Castle School
Barnard Castle School has its roots in the medieval past and its eyes set firmly on the future. The school traces its origins back to the nearby Hospital of St John, which was an educational and religious community established by John de Balliol in 1229. He was also the founder of Balliol College in Oxford and his passion for learning remains central to our philosophy today. In 1883 with a gift from Benjamin
Flounders, a Victorian philanthropist, and the proceeds of St John’s Hospital, the present main School building was constructed. Tony Jackson, the School’s tenth Headmaster, was appointed in September
2017 as “Barney” embarked on an exciting new era.
The School
‘When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things’
This motto perfectly sums up what Barnard Castle School - or ‘Barney’ as it is affectionately known
- aims to do in preparing its pupils for life beyond its doors. Through creating an inspirational, compassionate and unpretentious environment, Barney aims to develop young adults with character.
Our staff believe that our pupils should be confident, resilient, intellectually curious, tolerant and driven, with an undercurrent of humility, and are prepared to live, embrace and lead in an ever- changing world.
‘Parvis imbutus tentabis grandia tutus’
The School has a genuine warmth amongst its 722 pupils and 180 staff, which fosters a strong sense of community and endeavour. It is highly unusual to find a school where pupils from Year 9 and Year 11 sit at a table for lunch together sharing a conversation, discussing their latest sports fixture or drama rehearsal. However, this attitude is ingrained in a Barnardian from very early on. The co-educational and cross-year group atmosphere starts in the journey from the Preparatory School (ages 4-11) right through to the state-of-the-art bespoke Sixth Form Centre in the Senior School (ages 11-18). A Barney pupil is quick to make someone else feel at ease, whether that is through simple encouragement or a warm smile.
Whilst we are extremely proud of what our pupils achieve academically, we also recognise the importance of preparing the next generations for an evolving and increasingly competitive global marketplace. To do this, we focus on developing the individual character of every child, and during their journey with us, we aim to cultivate vital life skills through building relationships amongst the pupil body and teachers alike. Each pupil has a dedicated Tutor who meets with them several times a week to discuss anything from pastoral issues to academic progress.
We want our pupils to develop a balanced mindset for life. This requires confidence, resilience and compassion, all built up over a period of time, and in a variety of ways, both within and beyond the classroom. It also requires that most important quality: humility. At our core is an unpretentious and humble outlook, and it is this combination of confidence and humility that allows our pupils to light up a room.
We want staff who believe in our purpose as educators and are proactive in immersing themselves in school life during term time. We would like them to role model the qualities we hope to install in our pupils throughout their journey from the Prep School through to the end of the Sixth Form. Teachers are expected to take part in the extensive extra-curricular “Mind, Body and Soul” programme that runs between 4pm and 5pm and can choose to offer an activity that they are passionate about. We believe in fostering lasting relationships and contact time with pupils outside the classroom is what makes the
Barney difference.
BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL | BARNARD CASTLE | COUNTY DURHAM DL12 8UN | UNITED KINGDOM
The School (cont’d)
The School is situated in its own extensive grounds on the outskirts of an historic market town, recently noted as being the safest in England, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is well-resourced and enjoys an enviable reputation for its pupils’ achievements on a broad variety of fronts. It is also in proximity to and enjoys close relationships with departments in the universities of Durham, York and
Newcastle.
Continuous improvement and investment have produced a number of new buildings, including the
MacFarlane Building which houses Physics and ICT, the Atha Fitness Centre, an extension to our Prep
School including a new Science Lab, and the new purpose built Sixth Form Centre.
Further details about Barnard Castle School may be found in the Independent Schools’ Yearbook and on the School’s website www.barnardcastleschool.org.uk .
Our Vision
● To be viewed as the leading independent co-educational boarding and day school in the North of England.
● To foster the concept that ‘Barney is for Life’, imbuing a real sense that to be a
Barnardian is something special and life-lasting.
● To make an impact: in Barnard Castle, County Durham and the wider world.
● To place the School in an even stronger position for future generations to enjoy all the benefits of a Barney education.
Our Purpose
● Through creating an inspirational, compassionate and unpretentious environment, we aim to develop young adults with character.
● They are happy, confident, resilient, intellectually curious, tolerant and driven, with an undercurrent of humility, who are ready and prepared to face, embrace and lead in an ever-changing world.
BARNARD CASTLE SCHOOL | BARNARD CASTLE | COUNTY DURHAM DL12 8UN | UNITED KINGDOM
Job Description
Job Title: School Counsellor
Reporting to: Deputy Head (Pastoral)
Purpose
The School Counsellor plays a significant role as part of the wider pastoral provision for pupils and staff at
Barnard Castle School. An integral part of our ‘Twelve To Turn To’ support network around every Barney pupil and a key staff member of the School’s safeguarding team, the School Counsellor provides an important pillar in supporting mental health and wellbeing across the School community.
Responsibilities
To provide a high-quality counselling service to pupils experiencing a wide range of emotional challenges.
To provide support, guidance and advice to parents, carers and the school.
To contribute to the safeguarding and promotion of the welfare and personal care of children and young people as part of the School’s Core Pastoral Team
Specific Responsibilities
To be responsible for the confidential counselling services to pupils and staff.
To be responsible for maintaining appropriate and confidential records.
To liaise with the Deputy Head (Pastoral) and HSMs on a frequent basis.
To provide regular audit information such as numbers, age range and types of problems to Deputy Head
(Pastoral).
To have a thorough knowledge of the Mental Health support services locally and nationally.
To continually review and evaluate the service.
In order to meet the high standards expected of a teacher in our School, the Headmaster is seeking to employ a person with the following qualities, experience, skills and abilities.
Essential Criteria:
- Recognised counselling qualification to at least Diploma level (minimum 2 years duration)
- BACP accreditation and registration with the United Kingdom Register of Counsellors (UKRC) or equivalent.
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
- Experience of working within a school environment or other educational setting
- Demonstratable knowledge and experience of providing high quality counselling and guidance
- An understanding of the range of issues that young people experience
- Good theoretical awareness of models of child development and their impact on the framework used for counselling
- Proven experience of supervised individual counselling with children, especially in the age range of
Year 7 to Upper Sixth (11-18)
- An ability to prioritise and select approaches based on a sound assessment of a student’s needs, escalating, where appropriate, to safeguard the welfare of the child
- A good understanding of effective ways to safeguard and support vulnerable students
- Knowledge of recent development in practice and ability to apply and communicate these with other colleagues
- Ability to work with a range of teams and individuals within a school setting and external agencies
- Ability to support the development of high quality pastoral care across the school
- Willingness to participate in the wider life of the school
- Kindness, compassion and patience
- A genuine interest in and strong commitment to the wellbeing of pupils emotionally, socially and academically, and the development of the whole person;
- Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with teachers, pupils and parents;
- Approachability, accessibility and flexibility;
- Excellent administrative, organisational and ICT skills.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience of working in a multi disciplinary setting
- Experience and understanding of how young people function within groups
- Experience of working in a boarding school
Expectations as a member of Barnard Castle Staff
- To have high professional standards and so be an appropriate role model of reliability, behaviour and appearance
- To relate to children in an atmosphere of trust, frankness and ambition and to engender a climate of mutual respect
- To make sure that pupils meet the School’s expectations of them
- To facilitate the development of children’s confidence, self-esteem, determination, responsibility and personal pride in achievement, behaviour and appearance
- To understand that offering a well-rounded education means engaging beyond the classroom, and therefore contributing to the wider life of the Barney education.
- To contribute to marketing the school and to promote the School to prospective pupils and parents
- To establish and maintain high standards of communication with pupils, staff and parents
- To uphold all the policies of Barnard Castle School
- To take an interest in how the School functions and to convey suggestions for improvement to the
Head of Department, Senior Management Team and Headmaster from time to time
- To subscribe to the Common Room’s ethos of inclusivity, collegiality and helpfulness.
This job description reflects the present requirements of the post and is not intended to be exhaustive.
Staff may be required to carry out such other duties as the Headmaster may reasonably require from time to time.
Duties and responsibilities, may be subject to change and development, the job description will be reviewed periodically and subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.
Support
The School Counsellor will be supported and appraised by the Deputy Head Pastoral, but routine communication will be on-going. Professional development is encouraged.
Appointment Terms, Conditions and Benefits
Type: Permanent contract
Probationary Period: 6 months
Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
Salary: Dependent on experience (pro rated for term time only working)
Recruitment Process
Barney Application Process:
If you feel that you can meet the above requirements, then please submit a
letter of application along with the Barnard Castle School application form to the
Bursar. Only applications containing the requested information will be considered.
Applications should be sent to:
Mr P J Lavery
Deputy Head (Pastoral)
Barnard Castle School
County Durham
DL12 8UN
Closing Date:
Applications will be considered as they arrive.
Information about Interviews:
WWW. B A R N A R D CASTLES CHOOL.ORG .UK
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £25,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Gym membership
- On-site parking
Schedule:
Experience:
- Counselling: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person
Expected start date: 01/09/2023