Behaviour Mentor - Dorset Grade 7 – Grade 9 (Dependant on Qualifications) 37 hours per week Monday to Friday, Term time only We are looking for an enthusiastic and inspirational person to: • Provide support and guidance to children and those engaged with them in order to reduce exclusions, increase attendance and raise attainment by working to remove barriers to learning. • Provide a complementary service to teachers and support staff and undertake work, care and support programs to address the needs of children who require support to raise learning participation and access to the curriculum. • Work within an extended range of networks and partnerships and assist in brokering support to enhance learning opportunities, as well as contributing to the improvement of services to children and families The ideal candidate: The position is challenging but rewarding and will require you to work both alongside teachers and other education professionals as well as independently, under teachers’ direction, supporting the work of groups of children and individuals. Duties are varied, depending on the age and special needs of the pupils concerned. We are looking for a good team player, who is patient, understanding and has the ability to establish a rapport with young people within the Centre and in the community. Further Information The Forum Centre values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines. The pro rata salary shown is based on the number of hours and weeks worked and includes appropriate paid annual leave and bank holiday entitlements. The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted at the start of employment and again if leaving part way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year. This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. Keeping Children Safe in Education The Forum Centre will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern. About Us Information about the school: The Forum Centre is a Pupil Referral Unit based in Blandford, Dorset. We also have a satellite site at The Orchard in Lytchett Minster. We are a small team of dedicated professionals providing education for pupils who are excluded, at risk of exclusion and those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. We teach children from 7 to 16 years old. We are committed to inclusion and aim to reintegrate pupils back into mainstream education and/or further training. We work with small groups teaching core and other relevant subjects.