Job Description

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Actual salary: £35,966.71 - £43,377.85 per annum
Band 5 of the HEARTS Pay Scale (Pt. 29-37 depending on skills and experience)

Start date: From April 2026

Interview Date: Friday, 13th March 2026

Working hours: 37 hours per week / 40 working weeks (46.2 paid weeks)

HEARTS Academy Trust is a family of six schools and an SEMH provision in South Essex, guided by the core values of Happiness, Equity, Achievement, Resilience, Truth and Spirituality.

We are seeking an experienced fulltime Trust Counsellor & Senior Mental Health Lead to deliver therapeutic support and lead our current sector leading mental health strategy, Trust-wide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver Level 3 therapeutic interventions and crisis/trauma support with pupils and staff as required
• Liaise with governance including LAB Boards and Trustees, produce SEMH bulletins and support workload and wellbeing committees
• Deliver CPD via twilights and staff development sessions
• Provide EYFS, DSL and Atrium (SEMH provision) clinical supervision
• Lead Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Champions network meetings
• Facilitate national mental health awareness weeks in schools
• Manage trainee counsellors including recruitment, training, supervision and liaison with training providers

Experience and qualifications for this role:

• Level 4+ counselling/psychotherapy qualification
• Experience working with young people and families
• Experience supporting adult mental health, including in a workplace context
• Skilled in assessing needs and planning targeted interventions
• Crisis management, safeguarding and multi-agency experience
• Knowledge of SEMH national frameworks, policy and statutory expectations
• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Ability to demonstrate resilience, empathy, diligence, care and integrity
• Confident user of digital technologies including Microsoft 365

Please read the recruitment pack and job description for further details.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the advertised date, should we receive enough suitable applicants.

HEARTS Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to the receipt of a satisfactory application form,satisfactory references that meet the requirements as set out in KCSIE, satisfactory online search and an Enhanced DBS check, to include a children's barred list check, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered 'protected' and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974

To view the Trust policies relating to recruitment, data protection and child protection please visit our website: heartsacademytrust.co.uk/policies

If you would like any support or assistance at any stage of your application process, please contact:recruitment@heartsacademy.uk/ 01268 572672. We will be happy to discuss this with you.

HEARTS Academy Trust is an Equal Opportunities employer.

Information about the School

HEARTS is a small innovative Academy Trust of six primary schools and an alternative provision for pupils with SEMH challenges. All provisions are based in the south of Essex. Our values are central to all that we do. We work tirelessly to ensure that happiness, equity, achievement, resilience, truth and spirituality are embedded into the curriculum. Our pupils are well-rounded individuals who are ready to face the challenges offered to them. These values are at the heart of all we do and fundamental to our working relationships as well as our pupils' learning. We have high expectations of our employees and offer support and continued development opportunities for all. We expect our employees to live the HEARTS values in their work and relationships with other employees and the community.

The Trustees are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, online searches, medical check, prohibited from teaching check and references. References are taken up prior to interview. A copy of the Trusts Child Protection Policy is available on our website:- https://www.heartsacademytrust.co.uk/trust-information/policies

We can offer you:

• an excellent CPD entitlement with purposeful training, including Trust-wide twilights throughout the year

• a two-week October half-term

• supportive colleagues who want to provide the best possible opportunities for their pupils

• a highly effective learning environment

• a responsive and involved leadership team

• the HEARTS four-day face-to-face teaching week model whereby all teachers in the trust receive 20% non-contact time. This goes above and beyond the national entitlement of 10% PPA.

• a school with a highly positive culture that supports all staff; mental health, workload and wellbeing are at the forefront of our vision and values

• access to our school counsellor and network of Mental Health and Wellbeing champions

For further information about HEARTS, including policies and procedures, please refer to our website: www.heartsacademytrust.co.uk