School Counsellor

Job Overview

Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) is a 14 to 19 academy specialising in Creative, Digital and Performing Arts. The Academy opened in September 2011 and has over 1,000 students. BOA is 100% selective and students must earn a place at the academy through an aptitude process, meaning they value their place at the academy. As a result, behaviour and attitudes to learning are excellent.

We are rightly proud of our most recent Ofsted report (May 2023), which gives a true picture of what life in the academy is like. We highly recommend that you read the report before applying and that you book a tour with a member of the senior leadership team to get a feel for our ethos, meet our fantastic students and gain an impression of the learning environment. Our report can be found here: (https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50223511)

We are delighted to offer this exciting opportunity for an experienced and suitably qualified School Counsellor to join our pastoral, safeguarding and wellbeing team.

The successful candidate will provide a professional and confidential counselling service to students aged 14-19, supporting their emotional wellbeing, mental health and personal development. Working closely with colleagues across the academy, the School Counsellor will help students to overcome barriers to learning, develop resilience and coping strategies, and achieve positive educational outcomes.

We are looking for someone who has a genuine commitment to improving the emotional wellbeing of young people and who can build strong, trusting therapeutic relationships whilst maintaining clear professional boundaries.

The successful candidate will have:

• A recognised qualification in Counselling, Psychotherapy, Counselling Psychology or equivalent
• Membership or accreditation with a recognised professional body such as BACP, UKCP, NCPS or equivalent
• Experience of providing counselling or therapeutic interventions to young people
• Experience of working with adolescents experiencing mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties
• Experience of safeguarding and risk assessment
• A sound understanding of adolescent development and common mental health difficulties affecting young people
• An understanding of trauma-informed and relational approaches
• The ability to build effective therapeutic relationships with young people whilst maintaining professional boundaries
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage complex and sensitive situations with professionalism and empathy
• Strong organisational and record-keeping skills, with an understanding of confidentiality and data protection requirements
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• A commitment to inclusion, diversity and equality
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Experience of working within a secondary school, sixth form or further education setting would be desirable, as would experience of supporting students aged 14-19.
• Training or experience in trauma-informed practice, suicide prevention, self-harm intervention or risk management would also be advantageous, alongside experience of delivering group interventions or wellbeing programmes.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively with our safeguarding, pastoral, attendance and SEND teams, as well as external professionals and agencies where appropriate. This may include CAMHS, mental health practitioners, Educational Psychologists, social workers and other specialist services.

Safeguarding is central to this role. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain an up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding legislation and guidance, including Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), and to understand the limits of confidentiality and circumstances in which information must be shared to safeguard a young person.

NB: Please also read the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

In return, we can offer:

• A stimulating and supportive working environment with well-motivated staff and students
• The opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the emotional wellbeing, development and educational outcomes of young people
• The opportunity to work as part of a committed pastoral, safeguarding and wellbeing team
• Experience of working with students across a broad range of creative, digital and performing arts pathways
• Professional development opportunities
• Opportunities to contribute to wider academy wellbeing initiatives and staff development
• Regular professional supervision and opportunities for continued professional development

Annual Salary:

• Support Staff Scale Point 10 to 24 (£28,608 to £36,581 FTE per annum) - Pay Scales 2026
• This is a permanent position either on a term-time only or term time + 5 day basis
• £24,909 to £31,851 per annum pro rata for term-time only - Pay Scales 2026
• A Local Government Pension Scheme

Holiday and paid leave:

This is a term-time only / term-time only + 5 days position.

For the term-time only + 5 days option, the additional 5 days will be worked during academy closure periods, at dates agreed in advance with the academy.

Annual leave entitlement is incorporated into the salary and is taken during designated academy closure periods, in accordance with the academy's terms and conditions.

Bank holidays and academy closure days will be treated in accordance with the academy's terms and conditions.

We reserve the right to interview ahead of the closing date if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.