Pastoral Support Officer

What skills and experience we're looking for

The Ruth Gorse Academy is seeking to appoint a dedicated and passionate Pastoral Support Officer to join our pastoral team. This rewarding role focuses on supporting students’ wellbeing, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, playing a key part in ensuring every young person feels safe, supported and able to thrive.

Working closely with the Head of Year and senior leaders, the successful candidate will provide targeted pastoral support to students with social, emotional and behavioural needs. They will take a lead role in safeguarding and child protection within the year group and build strong, positive relationships with students, families and external agencies. The role includes supporting behaviour management, including on‑call duties and internal support provision, as well as tracking and monitoring student progress using pastoral and school information systems such as CPOMS (a system used to record and monitor safeguarding and wellbeing concerns) and SIMS (the school’s management information system). The postholder will also contribute to Early Help Plans, attend multi‑agency meetings, and support student transitions at key points.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• GCSE qualifications (Grade C / 4 or above) in English and Mathematics
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding and experience supporting students with social, emotional and mental health needs
• Experience working directly with children and young people, ideally within a secondary school setting
• The ability to remain calm, professional and solution‑focused in challenging situations
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with families and a range of external professionals
• A genuine passion for supporting young people and removing barriers to learning

What the school offers its staff

As a trust, we want to ensure that professionals at every stage in their career have the opportunity to enjoy expert support and training. We are pleased to offer a generous benefits package to our team – as we work together to create a rewarding future for all including:

• Membership to a local government pension scheme.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential professional advice and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• A commitment to continued investment in our professionals, supporting every member of staff throughout their career in the trust.
• Discounts and online offers at major high street/online retailers.

Further details about the role

About us:

The Ruth Gorse Academy strives to provide inspirational education for all students irrespective of their background or experience. Through exposure to outstanding teaching, the expectation of impeccable behaviour, and a consistent focus on building resilience; we aim to prepare all students with the skills and characteristics required to thrive personally, professionally and within society. This was recognised by Ofsted who graded the academy as Outstanding in October 2023.

If you would like to know more about our The Ruth Gorse Academy, please visit our website at

How to Apply:

If you’re as excited about this opportunity as we are, a Job Description/Person Specification and application form is available to download from The GORSE Academies Trust website ( by email to [email protected] or by telephone on 0113 253 1600.

If you submit an electronic application, we will not require a hard copy. CVs are not accepted.

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will be shortlisted and invited to interview while this advert remains live, if a successful candidate is found the advert will be withdrawn.

Our recruitment process is designed to be inclusive and accessible. Applications are welcomed from people with disabilities as defined by the Equality Act. If you would benefit from any adjustments during the application or interview process, please inform us so we can support you appropriately.

We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to full employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure and barring service check. We promote diversity and aim to establish a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds.

Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK – either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. Please note that, as a sponsor licence holder, we only provide sponsorship for teacher vacancies.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.