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| Job title | Head of Boarding and Residential Life (Live-in) | |
| Responsible to | Headteacher | |
| Responsible for | Residential Childcare Practitioners | |
| Key relationshipwith | HeadteacherChief Operating OfficerHead of Pupil Support/SENCOAssociate Senior Leader- Culture, Engagement and Pastoral SupportFamily Support and Child Protection OfficerParents/CarersQuality Assurance and Educational Compliance OfficerWider school staff | |
| Job purpose | To provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and safeguardingaccountability for the residential provision, ensuring that it is high quality,compliant, sustainable, and aligned with the schoo's SEMH ethos.This is a senior leadership role within boarding, responsible not only forday-to-day operations but for quality assurance, development planning,occupancy growth, and long-term viability of residential provision. | |
| Key Responsibilities: | ||
| Strategic Leadershipof Boarding andResidential Life | ● Lead and shape the vision for boarding and residential life,ensuring alignment with the schoo's SEMH ethos.● Develop a forward-looking residential development plan focusedon quality, stability and growth.● Strengthen the school's residential offer to families andcommissioners● Contribute to whole-school strategic discussions, ensuringresidential provision is fully integrated. | |
| Leading Practice andPupil Experience | Lead the development and implementation of a coherent 24-hourcurriculum, ensuring that residential life complements and extendslearning, therapy and personal development across the school.Ensure the residential provision delivers a high-quality, structured andenriching lived experience, supporting pupils to develop: Independence and self-careSocial and communication skillsEmotional regulation and resilienceConfidence in themselves and othersOversee and develop a broad and engaging residential programme,including:Trips and visits that broaden pupils' experiences | |
| Outdoor learning and active lifestyle opportunities | ||
| Community access and social inclusion | ||
| • Structured evening activities that are purposeful and meaningful | ||
| Promote an outdoor, experiential approach to residential life, recognising | ||
| its role in supporting SEMH needs, wellbeing and engagement. | ||
| Ensure that boarding actively contributes to preparation for adulthood, including: | ||
| Developing independence and daily living skils | ||
| Building routines, organisation and responsibility • Supporting social interaction and real-world experiences | ||
| Lead staff to deliver consistent, high-quality care practice, ensuring: | ||
| Clear, predictable routines ● | ||
| Calm, relational responses to behaviour | ||
| High expectations alongside warmth and understanding | ||
| • A strong focus on dignity, respect and pupil voice | ||
| Maintain a visible and active leadership presence within boarding, | ||
| modelling best practice through direct work with pupils and supporting staff in real time. | ||
| Ensure all pupils have high-quality, holistic care plans that reflect their social, emotional, educational and therapeutic needs, and that these are | ||
| consistently embedded in daily practice. Create and sustain a residential culture that is: | ||
| • Safe and nurturing | ||
| • Structured and purposeful | ||
| Aspirational and focused on pupil success | ||
| Ensure that pupil voice is central to residential life, with pupils able to: | ||
| Contribute to decisions | ||
| • Shape activities and routines | ||
| Feel heard and respected within the community | ||
| Records, Reporting Ensure that all pupil-related documentation within the residential and Communication provision is accurate, up to date and of a high professional standard, | ||
| including: | ||
| Care records | ||
| • Incident records | ||
| Behaviour logs | ||
| • Safeguarding documentation | ||
| Maintain oversight of the quality and consistency of written records across | ||
| the residential team, ensuring they reflect: | ||
| Professional judgement | ||
| Clear communication | ||
| • Statutory and safeguarding expectations | ||
| Ensure that all records contribute to a coherent understanding of each pupi's needs, progress and experiences within residential provision. | ||
| Lead on the preparation and quality assurance of residential reports, ensuring they: Provide meaningful insight into pupil development | ||
| Reflect progress in independence, social skills and wellbeing Support communication with parents, carers and external | ||
| agencies | ||
| Ensure that key documentation, including care plans and reports, are: Regularly reviewed Shared appropriately | ||
| • Used actively to inform practice Oversee the accuracy and development of residential information on the | ||
| school website, ensuring that it: | ||
| Reflects the ethos and strengths of the provision Provides clear and accessible information for parents and stakeholders | ||
| Supports the promotion and understanding of boarding Ensure that all residential documentation and reporting actively evidences the contribution of boarding to EHCP outcomes, demonstrating measurable progress in pupils' independence, social skills, emotional | ||
| Compliance, Standards and Quality Assurance | regulation and preparation for adulthood Take full accountability for compliance with: | |
| • • Audit | ||
| • National Minimum Standards | ||
| SCCIF expectations | ||
| Lead systems for: Monitoring | ||
| Safeguarding Leadership | Evaluation | |
| Ensure residential provision is inspection ready at all times. | ||
| Lead continuous improvement through robust self-evaluation processes. Provide oversight of safeguarding practice within boarding. | ||
| Ensure all staff : | ||
| • Understand procedures | ||
| Operational Oversight | ||
| • Apply them consistently | ||
| Monitor incidents, patterns and responses to ensure safe and effective practice. | ||
| Work closely with DsL to ensure joined-up safeguarding systems. Oversee the smooth running of residential life, ensuring: | ||
| Maintain a well-ordered, calm and structured environment. | ||
| Leadership of Staffand Team Culture | Lead, motivate and develop the residential team. Model high expectations of professional conduct and care practiceProvide:Regular supervisionReflective discussionsClear feedbackEnsure staff feel:SupportedAccountableConsistent in their approach.Lead recruitment and induction processes. | |
| Financial andResourceManagement | Hold overall responsibility as the budget holder for the residentialprovision, ensuring effective planning, monitoring and management offinancial resources.Set, manage and review the residential budget in line with whole-schoolfinancial expectations and priorities. Ensure that resources are deployed efficiently to maintain a high-quality,sustainable residential provision.Monitor staffing structures and expenditure in relation to:Pupil numbersLevels of needOperational requirementsIdentify opportunities to improve efficiency, value for money and long-term sustainability of boarding provision.Work closely with the School Business Manager and senior leaders toensure financial decisions align with the school's strategic priorities. | |
| Parental andExternalRelationships | Build positive, trusting relationships with parents and carers.Promote confidence in residential provision.Engage with local authorities and professionals where required. Support admissions and discussions relating to residentialplacements. | |
| Environment andResidential Facilities | Ensure the boarding environment is:SafeWell-maintainedWelcoming Monitor standards of accommodation and resources.Ensure prompt action is taken to address maintenance issues. | |
| Safeguarding | Work within the requirements of Data Protection legislation at alltimes.Understand your responsibilities in relation to Safeguarding and child protection and how to highlight any issue or raise anyconcerns. | |
| Remain vigilant to ensure all pupils are protected from potential harm by following safeguarding and child protection policies and protocols. | ||
| Personal Development | Help keep your own knowledge and understanding relevant and up-to-date by reflecting on your own practice, liaising with school leaders, and identifying relevant professional development to | |
| ● | improve personal effectiveness Take opportunities to build the appropriate skills, qualifications, and/or experience needed for the role, with support from the | |
| school ● | Take part in the schoo's appraisal procedures |
Additional Information
It is the nature of SEMH work that tasks and responsibilities are, in many circumstances, unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore, expected to work in a flexible way when the occasion arises so that tasks which are not specifically covered in the job description are completed. These additional duties will normally be to cover unforeseen circumstances or changes in work. If the additional responsibility or task becomes a regular of frequent part of the member of staff’s job, it will be included in the job description in consultation with the member of staff.
You will be required to undertake any other appropriate duties as deemed necessary by the Headteacher.
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