School Counsellor - The Royal Grammar School (Boys)
Location: High Wycombe
Term time only
Salary Type: Bucks pay
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: 11-16.5 hours per week over 2 to 3 days
Interviews to be held: asap
About us
RGS is an exceptional place. We have a vision to be seen as world class in offering those most naturally able the best that a state funded school can offer. We have a proud tradition, dating back to the 13th Century of educating young men, and we are excited about becoming co-educational in the Sixth Form from September 2025.
You will very much enjoy working with the students here who are courteous, committed, caring and entertaining.
Support staff at RGS provide a vital role in ensuring that the School not only runs smoothly but continues to develop. Whether joining one of the administration teams, being a technician, a support assistant, gap student, and working on the finances or around the extensive school estate, RGS welcomes colleagues from all backgrounds to bring an added dimension to our staff body. A range of roles exists from part time, term time only to full time and support staff have excellent opportunities to contribute towards school life. Although we do not ask our support staff to undertake teaching roles, we warmly encourage participation in school trips and co-curricular activities.
Salary, benefits and wellbeing at RGS
Support staff are paid on the RGS scales, which are closely related to the locally negotiated Buckinghamshire Council pay range. For the benefit of support staff, the School participates in the Local Government Pension Scheme. We are a mutually supportive team and endeavour to ensure that all staff have a healthy work / life balance.
We offer
Excellent pension scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Free membership of the School’s Fitness Suite
Free use of the swimming pool
Tax efficient purchases of gadgets through the tech scheme
Staff common room with free tea & coffee
On site hot and cold food
Social functions/concerts/plays etc
Car parking onsite
Accommodation (limited)
Long service awards
Wellbeing
Staff football
Staff Yoga
Staff badminton
Staff tennis
Staff touch rugby
Christmas party
Secret Santa
Secret buddy
Wellbeing group meetings
Common Room cake day
Wellbeing week
End of term get-togethers
Staff birthday cake breaks
Full details are on our job description, however, here is a brief summary:
- working closely with the Assistant Head, Student Development, and the Student Development Assistant to provide a comprehensive counselling service for students with a variety of emotional and psychological needs.
- providing individual counselling sessions to students, addressing their personal, social, emotional, or educational concerns;
- employing and developing therapeutic interventions to support and empower students, fostering confidence, independence, reflection, and resilience;
- making appropriate referrals to other agencies with necessary consent;
- liaising with staff members where appropriate and with student consent;
- maintaining appropriate and secure records, and providing information/reports for service review and evaluation;
- delivering sessions in one-to-one or group settings
About you
We are looking for a candidate with recent experience of working as a counsellor for children/young people aged 11-18. Knowledge or experience of working in an educational environment is desirable, but not essential. The ideal candidate will possess:
a Level 4 Diploma in Counselling or equivalent;
BACP accreditation or working towards it;
ability to liaise and refer with other local services, including CAMHS;
demonstrable understanding of the developmental, emotional, social, and educational issues of children and young people;
flexibility - Making counselling work for students means a lot of changes to appointments, often at short notice, persistence and patience;
knowledge of the Children's Act and legislation pertaining to children;
excellent written and verbal communication skills;
discretion and trustworthiness;
problem-solving skills;
professionalism and the ability to work within defined standards and procedures;
a calming nature and the ability to comfort others;
excellent interpersonal and time-management skills;
motivation to promote the mental health and wellbeing of students;
high tolerance with the ability to understand different outlooks on situations;
ability to think clearly in any emergency situation;
sound judgement skills;
ability to work both independently and as part of a team; and
a commitment to the ethos, vision, and values of the Royal Grammar School.
Other information
Visits to the school are warmly welcome. To arrange a visit or to find out more about the role, please contact our school office on the number below. Please send completed application forms to the email address below.
All staff, visitors and volunteers understand safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility and that they must be diligent to help secure children’s safety and wellbeing.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:
* All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
* All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and2023).
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