SEN(D) pastoral roles grow 20-fold in 2 years – a new opportunity for many?

At Senploy our focus on special needs recruitment gives us a unique insight into the changing roles in special schools and special needs teams in mainstream schools. We’ll use these articles to keep you up to date with changes that may impact how you recruit!

The first area we’ve identified is the growth of specialist SEND pastoral roles in special and mainstream schools – in the past two years we’ve seen a 20-fold increase in jobs in this area that we’ve advertised!

In many ways this mirrors the practice of mainstream schools which have moved to non-teaching heads of year or similar roles over recent years – with specialists able to provide their full focus to children’s pastoral needs without having a teaching role that takes them away from this.

However, Siobhan Stevenitt, SEND Consultant at LFT Recruitment believes the COVID pandemic has accelerated this. She told us, “Over the last year we have also seen a massive increase in the need for pastoral staff and we believe this is due to the recent pandemic and the anxieties and pressures that have come with it. The need for pastoral staff will only increase as awareness around this subject grows.”

We also gained an interesting case study from Sophie Ladd, SENCO and Teacher at Phoenix Park Academy in Grimsby, around the reasons for growth in their pastoral team. Here’s what Sophie said, “when I initially joined a Pupil Referral Unit over seven years ago, the responsibility for delivering pastoral support often fell under the remit of the class teacher.

“Part of the school timetable was dedicated to relationship building through shared enjoyable activities, for the class tutor and their group, which encouraged an in-class key adult system.

“Over the last few years there has been a change in this approach for two reasons. Firstly, expectations of classroom teachers have increased, with regards to academic progress and outcomes, and in turn less timetabled hours for these nurture-based activities are given.

“Secondly, there has also been a significant increase in the amount of pastoral support our pupils seem to require. Where previously a Wave 1 classroom approach would have been sufficient, we are finding pupils now need dedicated small group/1:1 support for their emotional well-being.

“We have a well-established 'care team' system which in its infancy consisted of two non-teaching staff per site who were solely responsible for supporting challenging behaviour across the school. This role has now evolved to meet the pastoral needs of our cohort. The care teams still support pupils with co-regulation during times of crisis, but now take a more proactive approach by advocating trauma informed approaches and delivering Social, Emotional and Mental Health interventions.

“We still prioritise the importance of good relationships with all staff but most pastoral support falls under the responsibility of our care teams now.”

Do you want to improve your pastoral provision?

Here are some ideas that might help you if you’re looking to improve your pastoral provision, want to recruit people to these positions in special schools, or fancy the role for yourself!

What does a pastoral manager do? (Other names include pastoral welfare lead or pastoral support worker)

Pastoral support staff help children with their social and welfare needs as well as helping them to engage with learning. Work may be on a one-to-one basis or in a small group and involves developing strong relationships with these children. The role will often also involve significant interaction with parents and carers and specialist support providers in external organisations. Siobhan Stevenitt adds, “this support can be family or community based or face to face 1-to-1 sessions, which is beneficial to all that have pastoral related needs.”

What are the attractions of a pastoral role?

People are often attracted into pastoral roles because they can focus on the role exclusively and feel they will make a much bigger difference to children than if they were trying to juggle this with additional teaching responsibilities. They may also prefer working with small groups of children or have developed a deep understanding of particular special needs and be able to put this to full-time use.

What skills do pastoral managers need?

As they are responsible for children first and foremost, a background in childcare or education is very useful – some employers are asking for degrees in these areas while others look for college-level qualifications. Some schools and employers prefer to focus on a personality match than academic relevance, whilst many recruiters insist on characteristics such as a calm approach, team working ability and adaptability.

How can pastoral managers further develop their careers?

The role of pastoral manager is an excellent central role in a school that gives those holding the position many choices for career development. They could choose to train as teachers, building on the insight they have gained from a pastoral focused position and using this to support how students with SEN(D) learn. They could take on more senior organisational roles, ensuring excellent pastoral support is delivered across the school. Or they could develop in specialist areas, providing support to children with particular needs such as autism.

Who could be recruited to pastoral roles?

Potential pastoral managers may already be working as volunteers in the sector and be unaware that these roles are available for those without teaching qualifications. They may also be working for youth or health related charities, which are facing economic uncertainty. Pastoral care is a logical step for individuals currently working as a teaching assistant or support worker.

Have you any tips for schools looking to recruit to pastoral SEND roles?

It’s an opportunity to engage with learners on a more emotional level, supporting a deeper understanding of their behaviours and modelling a framework to inform future teaching practice.

Please share any thoughts or opinions about the rise of pastoral care in our schools. This can be done via email [email protected], social media @senployjobsite. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In for more updates.

Updated: Feb 2024