UXBRIDGE COLLEGE Job Description Team Leader Student Support Title of Post: Section: Grade: Reporting to: Responsible for: Base: Team Leader - Student Support Student Services SO2 Director of Student Services Senior Student Support Officer Senior Student Liaison Officer 2 x Student Support / Liaison Officers Uxbridge - with days at Hayes as and when necessary PURPOSE OF POST: To plan, develop and maintain the student support provision of the College. To take the lead in Safeguarding and Child Protection, Student Financial Support, Student Disciplinaries, Learner Voice and Student Liaison, ensuring that the Student Lounges and common areas provide a varied programme of enriching activities. The post holder will also be the College s designated Safeguarding Officer. DUTIES: Safeguarding 1. To ensure that Safeguarding issues are dealt with promptly and effectively and that more serious matters are referred to the Director of Student Services immediately. 2. Liaise with the Safeguarding team at the London Borough of Hillingdon about vulnerable and looked after children to ensure relevant College managers and staff are aware of the situation regarding these students. 3. Work as the College designated Safeguarding Officer and participates as a member of the College Safeguarding Committee. 4. Work as one of the College trainers on Safeguarding and runs training sessions on Whole College Training Days and as required to ensure that all College staff have been trained. 5. Provide expert advice and guidance to College staff and Directors about Safeguarding issues affecting College students. Team Leader Student Support updated Sept 2011 1
6. Make safe and sound judgements about Safeguarding issues in order to protect students and contribute to the College achieving Outstanding at Ofsted Inspections. Support for Students 7. To support the Director of Student Services in ensuring a high quality student support service is provided at all times which makes a significant contribution to the outcomes of Every Child Matters for College students. 8. To plan and develop the service in order to maximise provision for students, and to contribute to local community initiatives for young people as appropriate. 9. To manage and distribute Learner Support Funds, the College Fund and other sources of financial support available to students, in line with budget and the general principles of fairness and equality of opportunity. To ensure that this distribution meets the standards required by external auditors. 10. To manage the Student Council elections, co-ordinate Student Council activities, including the Executive and to complete an annual review of the Student Council Constitution. 11. To lead on the Student Voice programme, ensuring students have genuine opportunities to raise issues and that effective mechanisms exist for the College to provide a response to student issues. To ensure all Schools are appropriately represented and contribute to the Student Voice. 12. To oversee and develop the effective functioning of Student areas, ensuring that they attract students from all curriculum areas, provide activities contributing to the outcomes of Every Child Matters, and develop outreach activities to other open access areas of the College. 13. To manage all Stage Three disciplinary procedures, including the accuracy of letters sent to parents/guardians, ensuring students are aware of the support available to them. 14. To provide a range of general support for students, for example Oyster Cards, housing and benefits advice, and to provide external referral to specialist services where appropriate. Quality and Evaluation 15. To prepare reports for SMT and the Governing Body about Student Support and Liaison Services activities and analyse the data by gender, age and ethnicity. 16. To seek external accreditation or recognition for services provided e.g. via Matrix accreditation 17. To implement a quality assurance system for Student Support programmes and complete an annual self-assessment report and action plan. Team Leadership 18. To supervise the Senior Support and Senior Liaison Officers and ensure referrals related to persistent student punctuality and attendance problems are followed up quickly. Team Leader Student Support updated Sept 2011 2
19. To supervise the Student Support / Liaison Officers in order to provide adequate supervision of Student Support activities associated with the College. 20. To ensure external liaison with agencies that provide additional support for students. 21. To undertake appraisals for the Student Support team process in consultation with the Director of Student Services. Funding 22. To ensure that Student Support activities are supported in line with budget and that financial procedures comply with the requirements of the College Finance Department and external auditors. 23. To identify, plan and develop activities appropriate for the area which draw upon external sources of funding. 24. To revise and update College policy on the allocation and distribution of Learner Support and other funds on an annual basis, ensuring that government funding guidelines are incorporated and implemented. 25. To supervise the management and distribution of the Learner Support Fund and all other funds available to support students in consultation with the Director of Student Services. Policies & Procedures 26. To work with the Director of Student Services in developing and revising the cross College Student Disciplinary Policy and Procedure. 27. To collate age, gender and ethnicity data relating to student disciplinaries and develop and implement any resulting action plans. 28. To ensure that all letters sent to students regarding the College Student Disciplinary Procedure are accurate and enable the process to run smoothly. Other duties 29. To provide a secure, safe and friendly learning environment including compliance with all relevant health & safety regulations. 30. To comply with the College s Equality and Diversity policy and to represent Student Support on the College s Equality and Diversity Forum, and contribute to the development and implementation of a College-wide strategy for student equality and diversity. 31. To complete the documents necessary to comply with College Human Resources policies e.g. self certification forms, annual appraisal forms (not 3 and 6 month reviews), and ensure all staff attendance records are completed weekly on Empower. 32. Participate in and contribute to training activities and keep knowledge and skills up-to-date through appropriate staff development courses. 33. To assist in promotional functions organised by the Directorate, including open days. 34. To actively promote and uphold the College Code of Conduct and ensure all students abide by this code. Team Leader Student Support updated Sept 2011 3
35. To encompass and promote the College vision, mission, purpose and objectives in all aspects of the Student Support Service. 36. To carry out other duties as may reasonably be required. Further Education is an every changing service and all staff are expected to participate constructively in College activities and to adopt a flexible approach to their work. This job description will be reviewed annually during the appraisal process and will be varied in the light of the business needs of the College. Team Leader Student Support updated Sept 2011 4
Person Specification Team Leader Student Support Essential Desirable How assessed?* Qualifications Educated to A Level standard or equivalent AF/Cert Counselling skills qualification (or similar) accredited by a recognised national body or willingness to work towards such a qualification AF/Cert Knowledge, Skills and Experience Experience of working with students in an educational support setting Experience of dealing with Safeguarding issues and ability to demonstrate sound judgement with respect to these issues Ability to work with and relate to people of all ages and backgrounds Experience of managing student disciplinary issues Good team leadership experience An understanding of Every Child Matters and its relevance in Further Education Strong understanding and commitment to Equality and Diversity and the ability to apply it in the working environment Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Knowledge of national support agencies Knowledge of the benefits system Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages, particularly Word and Excel Ability to maintain accurate records, both manual and on a database Good written communication skills AF/T Excellent customer service skills Good numeracy skills for budget control /T Good literacy skills for report writing /T Personal Attributes Responsible, reliable and able to work flexibly without direct supervision Willingness to travel between Uxbridge and Hayes Willingness to work flexibly when required Competencies Support staff should be able to demonstrate competency in all of the following areas: Communication Planning and Organising Working Together Customer Services Adaptability/Flexibility *Evidence of criteria will be established from: AF = Application Form IV = Interview T = Test (Literacy/numeracy test at interview stage) Cert = Certificates checked at interview and on induction Team Leader Student Support updated Sept 2011 5