Cover boarding assistant

Cover Boarding Assistant – Lady Elizabeth School

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Description

Boarding House Parent (HP) is responsible to the Head of Boarding (HOB) for the health, academic, social, and pastoral welfare of each pupil in his/her care. The HP will seek to encourage and inspire the members of the house not only to achieve excellence in academic and extra‑curricular activities, but also to develop their social skills by living harmoniously with others. In short, he/she will help students develop into confident, mature, civilized and successful young people. This is especially relevant for LES boarding due to our uniquely International intake and mixed gender and Key Stages.


Boarding Procedures, Management of the House and Staff

It is expected that the HP will follow all boarding procedures and promote the management of the House By:

* Fulfilling the requirements of the School's policy on Safeguarding Children.
* Ensuring the British National Minimum Standards for Boarding are implemented.
* Managing efficiently the organisation and resources of the Boarding House in line with agreed procedures.
* Having overall responsibility when on duty reporting to the Head of Boarding.
* Ensuring that all staff know and can implement the emergency procedures and ensure that they understand their delegated responsibilities.
* Ensuring that staff going off duty effectively communicate all relevant information to staff coming on duty and record information as required.
* Ensuring that boarding policies are consistently adhered to by all boarding staff and students.
* Being aware of new developments and legislation as it relates to boarding and ensure any new policies initiated in the School are understood and adhered to.
* Keeping accurate, up to date records.
* Contributing to the Boarding House Staff documents.
* Working in close partnership with all Boarding Staff to ensure the operational effectiveness of the House.
* Working closely and in partnership with all Boarding Staff in preparing any required reports for students.
* Ensuring that the travel arrangements of all the students are managed effectively.
* Ensuring unescorted travel arrangements are fully staffed and that boarders are safely collected and delivered to airports as appropriate.


Pastoral care

To ensure there is appropriate confidentiality within the House; To act in loco parentis and therefore to accept the overall responsibility for the welfare, health, safety, discipline and care of the students; To be available in the boarding house when a child is off school during the school day; To ensure safety and security of all Boarders at all times; To encourage a culture of learning, creativity and development in the House, to ensure that the conditions and supervision in boarding are conducive to academic progress; To ensure there are proper procedures in place for signing in and out for boarders; To ensure the observance of school uniform/dress code, maintaining the excellent presentation and appearance of all Boarders; To oversee the arrangements regarding weekend leave, half terms and holidays, laundry and pocket money; To foster, with the support of the House staff, the establishment of a happy and caring environment within the House, by listening, understanding and responding to the Boarders needs; To develop, in the Boarders, a collective responsibility to be aware of the difficulties or problems of others, and to offer such support and help for each other, as appropriate; To manage behaviour and discipline in the house, supporting the schools’ disciplinary policy by encouragement and reward and by a clearly understood and fair system of sanctions, and foster an acceptance of the Schools’ code of conduct; To inform the Head of Boarding and Pastoral care of serious cases of breaches of school rules; To advise and support Boarders at a time and place which is conducive to good communication, concerning any emotional, social or behavioural problems they may have; To ensure that the individual circumstances, needs, strengths and weaknesses of each Boarder are identified and known by yourself and other staff, so that the individual opportunities, talents and potential are developed and maximized; To deal with problems that have been referred to the House and in cases of difficulty to refer these to the Head of Boarding or Head of Pastoral Care, as appropriate; To monitor and support the involvement of Boarders in extra‑cultural activities and their personal development; To organize, lead or staff the program of extra‑cultural activities available to the Boarders at evenings and weekends; To provide opportunities for leadership within the House; To keep suitable records of Boarders progress, welfare, health, emotional problems, achievements and misconduct; to provide such reports and references as may reasonably be required; To keep accurate records both in hard copy and electronically; Organise the induction of new Boarders into Boarding House life; Ensure each boarder completes an induction program both in school and in boarding and records are kept in individual student files; Being familiar with the home background and personal history of each member of their house. This involves establishing good relationships with parents and being available to discuss any relevant concerns as required; Being alert to any changes in a pupil’s home circumstances that might give rise to concern and sharing this information with the relevant boarding and teaching staff; Building up a sense of belonging and unity within the House by encouraging good interpersonal relationships between members of the house – within each year group and across all year groups and between house staff and students; Monitoring the effective use of students’ time and encouraging participation at school and within the boarding house; Keeping a record of any particular pastoral needs or concerns where relevant and informing the HOB of any concerns; Liaise with the school nurse where relevant; Arrange and accompany boarders to medical appointments as and when required; Being an effective link between the pupil and their teachers, whilst also liaising closely with the students’ tutor as required; Taking part in social events for students which encourage integration and a strong sense of community amongst borders; Rewarding and recognizing the achievements of the students on a regular and consistent basis; Daily checks on room cleanliness and ensuring that house rules are adhered to in terms of expectations throughout the house; Scoring individual rooms daily and awarding rewards and sanctions at the end of each week as appropriate; Make time to discuss any concerns; check student voice feedback and report any issues (positive or negative to the HOB ); HP should ensure, as much as possible, that they know where their boarders are at all times and check that all are present last thing at night and first thing in the morning; HP should ensure that Preparation Times are adhered to and that all students are studying; HP should support individual students or groups during their prep time in house; HP should support students with transport as part of their role. Though this is not compulsory but if they do they must ensure student safety as much as possible; HP must advise on food preparation, kitchen cleanliness and safe food hygiene and storage practices for students wishing to participate in cooking snacks and small meals; HP to ensure the snack bar is stocked at all times and that the use of this area is cleaned after each individual student use; Carry out a full fire evacuation every 5 weeks, recording times and behaviours.


Discipline

HPs are responsible for the smooth running and general discipline of the house and students’ compliance with School Rules. Serious or recurring breaches of School Rules must be referred to the HOB or appropriate member of the SSLT as appropriate. HPs will promote good discipline within their House by enforcing all the policies set out in the school consistently, maintaining uniformity and consistency in any sanctions which have to be applied, liaising about the sanctions being imposed with the HOB, upholding and enforcing house rules and routines at all times, ensuring consistency and fairness in all dealings with boarders, recording all disciplinary events and sanctions in boarding records and on individual students google file, actively promoting the school’s anti-bullying policy (All incidents of bullying, however minor, should be discussed with the HOB), The HP should keep a simple diary of events as a weekly record of issues in boarding, Preparing minutes following all weekly boarding house meetings and make available to boarders.


Management

HPs are responsible for all practical management arrangements within the house by: Liaising closely with all house staff – support, visiting teachers and domestic staff tutors according to the needs and requirements of the students; Attending all boarding staff meetings; Ensuring there is proper supervision of all meals in the house and that students are eating over the weekend; Ensuring student with special dietary requirements are provided for; HP may be required to prepare and serve breakfasts daily (including weekends) and to prepare and serve lunches over the weekends. This may also occasionally include evening meals at the weekends; Ensuring that there is a responsible adult in the boarding house at all times. A student should never be left in a boarding house alone; Ensuring the usage of the swimming pool is supervised at all times and students adhere to the strict protocols; Ensuring staff never enter the swimming pool with students but supervise pool side at all times whilst the pool is in use; Following school protocols in regards to testing and monitoring swimming pool PH and chlorine levels prior to boarders entering the pool; Reporting any issues with maintenance, decoration and improvements to the fabric of the boarding house, as well as to its fittings and furnishings; Preparing records of any parent, teacher, or staff meetings with boarders and filing in appropriate student file; Ensuring heating/air conditioning/lighting etc are used responsibly and switched off overnight. Lights should be switched off when rooms are not in use; Occasionally transporting students to and from school as required; Recording and Reporting HPs will ensure that all routine paperwork is dealt with efficiently. This includes in particular: The writing of end of term reports for parents; Contacting parents as necessary in liaison with the HOB; Weekend leave documentation; End and beginning of term travel arrangements; Taxi bookings and accounts to be charged; House and trips risk assessments; Fire evacuation reports; Records of medicines administered; Daily registers - morning and night; Trips and excursions registers; Visitors register; Individual boarders’ records and files; Maintenance, faults and repairs log; New Boarder Induction Programs; Daily House Records; Uniform Checks records; Half Termly Newsletters; Sanctions and Rewards Records; Daily bedroom checks and records; Any other written record keeping as deemed necessary by HOB.


Communication

HP must communicate effectively and regularly within all areas of the school– between parents, Students And Other Teachers. HP Should be in regular contact with, and be the main point of communication between, the parents and the school alongside the HOB; Ensure that these contacts are as regular as possible so that if a crisis occurs good relationships are already in place; Ensure all messages from parents should be responded to within 12 working hours – even if it is just a holding email while you investigate a request or situation further. Likewise, all emails should also be replied to within 12 working hours, with a similar holding response sent if necessary; Contribute to any communications or blogs about the boarding houses to improve the profiles of boarding at LES; Provide regular boarding articles and photos for the Schools’ Weekly Newsflash; Prepare a half termly newsletter and distribute to parents; Prepare half termly reports distributing to parents; Keep in regular contact with HOB with updates on boarders issues.


Marketing

The HP has a vital role to play with regard to prospective parents and students as well as promoting LLES Boarding. It Is Expected That All HP Will:

* Meet all prospective parents/students if required and liaise with the HOB about the arrangements for these visits as well as in matters to do with enrolment;
* HP should be available to conduct tours for parents of the boarding facilities as and when required by the Admissions department.


Working arrangements

All boarding and non-residential staff are flexible to the operational needs of the House and therefore, if required, are able and willing to work and provide cover in the event of another staff member's absence, a student being sick and remaining in the house during the daytime or any other time deemed necessary and requested by the HOB. House staff will be on duty in the Boarding house one week (including the weekend) before the start of the Autumn term and one week after the summer term finishes. In addition, HP will be on duty one day after and one day before each term or half-term break or at the discretion of the HOB. Boarding staff are expected to be flexible in their working arrangements and to support others colleagues in the performance of their roles. This may mean working additional days to cover for an absent colleague. Any additional work for production or organisational reasons will be compensated with time off at another reasonable time agreed with the supervisor by the following week if possible.


Overnight Duty Details

Sleeping-in duty allows rest in an allocated bedroom while remaining on call. Generally, no active work is required overnight unless an emergency arises. Hours spent sleeping in (“mera presencia”) are not included in weekly working hours. Any overnight work for production or organisational reasons will be compensated with time off at another reasonable time agreed with the supervisor by the following week if possible.


Employment Benefits

Leave entitlement: Full time employees are entitled to 36 annual leave days each academic year and leave will be granted in accordance with the company's annual leave policy. Free Tuition for School-Age Children: We understand the importance of education for your family. Therefore, eligible full‑time permanent employees may avail themselves of the benefit of free tuition for their school‑age children, provided that the child successfully gains admission to the school. Free school lunches: we provide free school lunches for employees — a benefit that supports wellbeing during the workday and reflects our focus on making daily life a little easier. Development opportunities: Lady Elizabeth School is committed to offering suitable professional development opportunities for all staff. Access to optional private healthcare plan: As part of your employment, you’ll also have access to a comprehensive private healthcare plan available at a flat rate for you and your family members, which comes with a tax advantage. We see this as an important part of supporting your well‑being both in and outside of work.


General

To undertake such other duties and responsibilities of an equivalent nature, as may be determined and negotiated from time to time. The post holder’s duties must at all times be carried out in compliance with the School’s policies. The post holder must take reasonable care for the health and safety of self, other persons and resources whilst at work, co-operating with management as far as necessary to enable responsibilities under the School’s Health and Safety Policy. The houseparent is expected to be in residence overnight as required during term time. Breaks during the daytime should be taken where possible when Boarders are not in the Boarding House.


Skills, Qualifications And Experience

Experience working with children in a pastoral, residential, or boarding setting. Strong understanding of safeguarding and child protection practices. Ability to maintain discipline and promote positive behaviour. Excellent communication and organisational skills. Calm, approachable, and proactive in dealing with emergencies. Willingness to work flexibly and provide cover as needed. ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles: ISP is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history. ISP Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging: ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high‑performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio‑economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.


Seniority level

* Entry level


Employment type

* Other


Job function

* Administrative
* Education Administration Programs

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