Art Therapist

Highgate School • Highgate Senior School • 1w ago

Job title: Art Therapist
Job Type: Part time, 8am-4:30pm with 30 minutes unpaid for lunch, 3 days per week, term time only
Salary: £24,000 (FTE £40,000)
Department: Pupil Health and Wellbeing
Reporting to: Head of Pupil Health and Wellbeing
Location: Highgate Senior School
Start: 22nd April 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter
Closing Date: 31 March 2025 at 5:00 pm

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The Art Psychotherapist will have responsibility for providing individual creative therapy to pupils, to maintain confidential records and collaborate with the Head of Pupil Health and Wellbeing, Clinical Mental Health Lead, Wellbeing Practitioners, School Nurses, Pastoral staff and other professionals as required. The Art Psychotherapist may also implement group support sessions for pupils as required, in liaison with those staff listed above. The post will be based in the Senior School (Y7 - 13) however there may be a requirement to work with pupils in our Pre-prep and Junior settings also. The Art Psychotherapist will play an important role in facilitating emotional expression for pupils who are experiencing difficulties and in communicating and liaising with relevant school staff in the best interest of the pupil.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Health and Wellbeing department is made up of qualified nurses, pupil wellbeing practitioners, counsellors, the Head of Pupil Health and Wellbeing and a Clinical Mental Health Lead. The department has its own centre in the school, slightly separated from the classrooms, to allow a private and calm atmosphere for pupils. The Health and Wellbeing team work closely together, supporting pupils on an individual basis and also working with pastoral staff to promote our medical and wellbeing messages to the wider school community. Each therapist and wellbeing practitioner has their own office. There may be some requirement to work in the Junior School and Pre-Prep on a case-by-case basis. These sites are a ten-minute walk away, on Bishopswood Road.

'Working as part of the Health and Wellbeing team feels very collaborative, and it's satisfying to see our pupils thrive thanks, in part, to our care of them.'
- School Nurse

Job Description
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

To provide Art Psychotherapy to pupils in the Senior School experiencing a range of emotional difficulties that might be impacting on their personal, social and educational life through individual sessions.
To diversify the Wellbeing Team's offer to incorporate sessions that are centred around the Arts
To showing versatility within their practice, offering talking-based interventions where suitable and appropriate.
To promote a supportive, safe, and inclusive environment that nurtures and allows pupil concerns to be explored.
To think and work creatively in engaging young people to address their mental health difficulties.
To work closely with Head of Pupil Health and Wellbeing to promote positive wellbeing and mental health in the School.
To maintain confidentiality in line with Highgate's wellbeing protocols, (except in those circumstances in line with the School's safeguarding practice and policies.
To be responsible for the maintenance of their own professional development and show a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD)
To maintain appropriate records and keep these secure, in line with the School's data protection obligations
To maintain appropriate links with the pastoral team, other Wellbeing Team members, Clinical Mental Health Lead and Head of Pupil Health and Wellbeing to discuss matters related to Wellbeing provision
To ensure ongoing review and evaluation of practice.
To liaise with other members of staff responsible for the health and wellbeing and pastoral care of pupils as required
To keep up to date record of attendance of sessions.
To be alert to trends and patterns of behaviour among young people at School and communicate them to relevant staff. To be willing to identify ways in which the School community could respond to address such issues or problems
In conjunction with other members of the Wellbeing Team, to contribute to the production of a termly and annual report on the use of the service and the types of issues being addressed.
To attend meetings with the Deputy Head (Pastoral) and other pastoral staff as required and as appropriate within agreed confidentiality guidelines
To play a role in the maintenance and promotion of a robust culture of Pupil Safeguarding and Welfare among all members of the Highgate School community, in accordance with national and School policies
To provide consultation and supervision to staff, including guidance on support for pupils and training on the themes of emotional and mental health awareness, where appropriate
To support the School's initiatives to promote the wellbeing, health, pastoral care and personal development of pupils.
To identify, in collaboration with the Head of Pupil Health and Wellbeing and Clinical Mental Health Lead, the best-fit support for pupils and their peers who are dealing with co-occurring difficulties.
To advise on, and sometimes facilitate, group pupil interventions in collaboration with pastoral team, e.g. for restorative conversations following friendship issues.
To support the Pupil Wellbeing Practitioners in supporting pupils who access the Wellbeing Centre on a drop-in basis, when able.
To attend weekly Wellbeing team meetings and fortnightly departmental planning meetings
To assist in events organised by the Health and Wellbeing department to promote pupil health and wellbeing

The Art Psychotherapist may also be required by the Head to undertake any other appropriate duties, which may be needed from time to time. These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide and they are not exhaustive.

Person Specification

Criteria
How will these be tested or verified?
Qualifications
Essential:
- Membership of a relevant and recognized professional body (UKCP, BACP, HCPC)
- Qualified to work therapeutically with children and young people/adolescents.
Desirable:
- Membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP)
Experience
Essential:
- Demonstratable experience delivering Art Psychotherapy to children and young people
- Capacity to deal sensitively with difficulties raised by pupils, in line with Highgate's pastoral policies and sanctions system, working in partnership with Highgate's designated staff in charge of pastoral care.
- Demonstrable experience of working inclusively with the intersections of an individual's identity such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and race.
- Experience working with young people with marginalised aspects of their identity.
- Working knowledge of Safeguarding and Child Protection issues and good practice, particularly relating to safeguarding obligations for schools (KCSIE).
Desirable:
- Experience working in a school setting, with proven understanding of the role of a psychotherapist within a school environment.
- Experience delivering short-medium term interventions to young people.
- Experience working with neurodiversity.
Ability / Skills / Personal Attributes
Essential:
- Confident, calm and emotionally resilient when dealing with a range of stressful situations involving pupils, parents and staff.
- An open, inclusive, and curious approach to pupils and their presenting needs.
- Ability to work creatively and use a range of creative tools in engaging young people to explore their emotions.
- Ability to work independently and manage caseload.
- Friendly, sympathetic, sensitive, discreet and supportive personality
Desirable:
- Willing to make a full contribution to the life of a busy co-educational independent day school.
- An exemplary attendance record in his/her present and previous employment

Benefits

Location | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.

Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered with a generous 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.

Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.

Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).

Lunch | A complimentary lunch.

Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.

Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks' full pay, then 10 weeks' half pay) and paid dependant leave.

Working at Highgate
A culture of community, kindness and belonging

Highgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.

Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.

Following a visit from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in September 2024 to assess Highgate's regulatory compliance and school standards, we are pleased to share the inspection findings, which reports compliance in all five areas and a 'significant strength' in our teaching expertise.
Staff wellbeing

Highgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.

The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.

We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.

More details about working at Highgate can be found here:

Work with us Aims + Ethos

'A fun, collaborative and forward-thinking environment with a real sense of community'
- Philippa Studd, Junior School Principal

Charitable work and sustainability

As an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible - through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham - an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.

Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.

As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.

Application procedure

Closing Date: 31st March 2025
First Interview: 3rd April 2025

Contact: Recruitment Team are happy to answer any questions about this post.

Early Application: Applications will be considered 'as and when' received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Apply here

Inclusion

We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
Safeguarding

As this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate's Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.

Please read before you apply

Highgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policies

Please note that this role is 'exempt' from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not 'protected' (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice

In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.