Head of Student Support and Wellbeing Services

Background

The Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) has its origins in schools founded in 1919 by Grace Cone and in 1922 by Olive Ripman.  The Cone and Ripman Schools were pioneers in providing suitably talented children with a general academic education in conjunction with specialised training in dance, drama, music and art, preparing young students for professional careers in or connected with the theatre.  In 1939 the two schools amalgamated to become the Cone Ripman School.  Today ArtsEd continues to support a world-renowned co-educational independent vocational school for pupils aged 11-18 years as well as a professional conservatoire with two main divisions offering BA and MA degrees in Acting, a BA degree in Musical Theatre and Foundation courses in both disciplines.  All these are currently validated by City, University of London and accredited by CDMT.  We also offer a wide-ranging programme of part-time, weekend and holiday courses for all ages through our ArtsEd Extra department.

Purpose of the Role

The Head of Student Support and Wellbeing Services will be responsible for the leadership, development, organisation, planning and overall management of the Student Administration, Support and Wellbeing Services. The postholder will ensure a range of services that deliver general and specialist information and advice to students alongside operational wellbeing and disability support. They will ensure that the services follow best professional and sector practice and are compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements. The post holder will promote integration and collaboration between teams and the wider services at ArtsEd to meet specific needs and promote student wellbeing generally.

Under the leadership of the Deputy Principal, the post-holder will be required to work in close collaboration with colleagues in the Schools of Acting and Musical Theatre and in other professional services departments. They will have line-management responsibility for the Student, Support and Welfare Officer, Counsellor, Skills Support Tutor and Gym and Wellbeing Coordinator posts. They will serve as a member of the HE Administration Management Team and institutional committees, sub-groups and working groups as required.

Key responsibilities

• Support the Deputy Principal in ensuring that ArtsEd meets the conditions of registration with the Office for students and the requirements of other regulatory and professional bodies. This includes the preparation for and management of any audit and review visits from these bodies.
• Act as a source of expertise for ArtsEd on matters related to student wellbeing and disability services, including relevant legislation and regulations, and to assist in the development and implementation of appropriate policies and procedures.
• Monitor and review service effectiveness to ensure continual improvement, developing quality frameworks and audits to facilitate external benchmarking, and provide appropriate reports when required in support of planning.
• Work proactively and in partnership with the course management teams, and with colleagues within the Higher Education Administration teams to ensure that student wellbeing and disability services are seamlessly coordinated within ArtsEd.
• Take lead responsibility for managing complex and high risk student welfare cases and serve as a Designated Safeguarding and Welfare Officer.
• Produce regular reports relating to the outcomes of student administrative, support and wellbeing mechanisms for senior academic committees and the Board of Trustees.
• Work with colleagues to ensure that published information around student support, wellbeing and disability services is regularly maintained across different media and is compliant with regulatory and professional bodies.
• Be proactive in identifying and escalating areas of risk to the student experience or institutional reputation.
• Together with colleagues in the HE Administration team and the Deputy Principal to play a key role in the review and development of student induction activities and information across the ArtsEd, in relation to Student Wellbeing.
• Line manage the Student Support and Wellbeing Officer, Counsellor, Skills Support Tutor and Gym and Wellbeing Coordinator.
• Build partnerships with local NHS services as well as other health and voluntary agencies to ensure a holistic joined up service for the benefit of students and
• Ensure appropriate business continuity arrangements are in place.
• Oversee the production and use of a range of support and wellbeing guidance and learning resources for both students and staff to ensure student engagement and promote student wellbeing and
• Oversee the design, development and delivery of workshops for students and staff relevant to all aspects of student support and wellbeing and
• Oversee relevant areas for student engagement and feedback and be the main contact with the Student Union.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of Data Protection and Freedom of Information requirements and provide training and support to the team when policies change and/or issues arise.
•  Undertake any other duties or tasks as the Deputy Principal may, from time to time, reasonably require. This may include support for graduation activities and the contribution to the broader work of the HE Administration Team

Additional Information
The post holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the Institution’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

The post holder must accept responsibility for ensuring that the policies and procedures relating to Health and Safety in the workplace are adhered to at all times.

The post holder must respect the confidentiality of data stored electronically and by other means in line with General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) the Data Protection Act 2018.

The post holder must ensure that all work is carried out in professional and timely manner, with appropriate confidentiality and sensitivity.

The post holder must have a good understanding of and adhere to Safeguarding and welfare requirements as well as how to fully apply the Safeguarding and welfare rules when supporting students.

The post holder must promptly undertake required training necessary for the role as well as any institutional training required.