SEMH Mentor

Role:SEMH Mentor Academy:Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth Start Date:01/09/2026 Salary (Actual Salary):£25,744 Working Pattern:Temporary position for 1 academic year,32.5 Hours Per Week, Term Time, Plus 5 Days Are you a highly qualified and experienced professional ready to deliver targeted, high-level support that drives academic attainment, particularly at GCSE level? Join us as a SEMH Mentor, in partnership with Stockton Virtual School, utilising your expertise in developing regulating/coping strategies to mentor students. This role involves managing complex student caseloads, providing specialist knowledge on adaptations, leading statutory reviews, and ensuring bespoke intervention programmes deliver measurable academic progress. Working in partnership with the LA Virtual School and other stakeholders is vital to the success of the role and the key focus is on improving outcomes for children in the care of the local authority (LAC). Being a key adult for a Looked After Child (LAC) is far more than an administrative designation; it is about becoming a consistent, predictable anchor in a world that has often been profoundly unstable. For a student experiencing the care system, a key adult serves as a safe harbor, an emotional regulator, and a fierce advocate within the school ecosystem. By offering unconditional positive regard and a reliable presence—meeting them at the start of the day, celebrating small victories, and providing a quiet space when things overwhelm them—you help repair relational trauma and build the secure attachment necessary for learning. It is a role that requires deep empathy, patience, and resilience, balancing the delicate act of holding high expectations for their future while deeply understanding the invisible burdens they carry into the classroom every day. This position involves leading an action research project to monitor, assess, and report on student progress and attendance. You will analyse the resulting data to deliver strategic insights for academy governors, leader and Virtual School.

As a SEMH Mentor, you will drive student success by providing tailored guidance, encouragement, and practical support. Working with pupils, you will help them navigate complex barriers to learning—focusing on developing emotional regulation and coping strategies, boosting motivation, and inspiring higher aspirations.

Candidates must be knowledgeable of the needs of students with learning difficulties and disabilities and the SEND Code of Practice. An understanding of Attachment Aware and Trauma Informed practice would be desirable.

Welcome from the Principal: As Principal, I am immensely proud to introduce you to Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth. Located near key commuting routes in Stockton-on-Tees, our academy is a place that will capture your heart. Our dedicated staff has a relentless pursuit of improving student lives, giving them a launchpad to fulfill their ambitions. This is an improving school. What s