Pastoral Support Mentor

• Company: Plumpton College
• Closing Date: 08-07-2026
• Location: Plumpton, Lewes
• Salary: Up to £29,762 per annum (pro rata - TTO)
• Hours: Full Time | 37.5 hours per week
• Contact Email: recruitment@plumpton.ac.uk

Description

Closing date: 08/07/2026 

Interview date: 16/07/2026 

Start date: 24/08/2026 

Plumpton College is seeking a compassionate, proactive and student-focused Pastoral Support Mentor to join our team. 

This is an important opportunity to support vulnerable, disadvantaged and at-risk students by providing consistent pastoral mentoring, early intervention and practical support that helps them attend, engage, feel safe and progress successfully through college. 

About the Role 

As Pastoral Support Mentor, you will report to the Student Attendance and Engagement Coordinator and work closely with cohort leads, curriculum teams and specialist support services to provide timely, individualised support for students facing barriers to participation. 

You will act as a trusted adult for an identified caseload of students, offering one-to-one pastoral mentoring, regular check-ins and practical guidance. Working within a tiered support model, you will help identify concerns early, coordinate support effectively and reduce the risk of disengagement, escalation or withdrawal. 

This is a non-teaching pastoral role focused on improving attendance, engagement, inclusion and retention through strong relationships and preventative support. 

You will: 

• Provide one-to-one pastoral mentoring and act as a trusted adult for vulnerable, disadvantaged and at-risk students. 
   
• Build positive relationships that promote trust, belonging, confidence and engagement. 
   
• Identify early signs of disengagement, poor attendance or emerging risk, and coordinate timely support. 
   
• Triage referrals and signpost students to appropriate internal and external services. 
   
• Work closely with curriculum, attendance and support teams to improve student participation, inclusion and retention. 
   
• Support students through transition, re-engagement and reintegration. 
   
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to meetings and intervention planning. 
   
• Deliver at least one student enrichment activity during the college day. 
   
• Promote equality, diversity, inclusion and safeguarding in all aspects of the role. 

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about supporting young people and committed to helping students overcome barriers and succeed. 

About You 

We are looking for a caring and capable individual with strong interpersonal skills, a student-centred approach and experience of supporting young people who may face additional challenges. 

Essential: 

• Experience of supporting vulnerable, disadvantaged or at-risk young people, ideally in an education setting. 
   
• Experience of one-to-one student support or mentoring. 
   
• Understanding of early intervention, pastoral support and referral processes. 
   
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
   
• Ability to build positive relationships and work collaboratively with colleagues. 
   
• Strong organisational, record-keeping and problem-solving skills. 
   
• A flexible, adaptable and student-focused approach. 
   
• Experience of positive behaviour management. 

Why Join Us? 

At Plumpton College, we live our values—Ambitious, Professional, Enterprising, Passionate, Supportive and Progressive—in everything we do. 

You’ll benefit from: 

We offer a competitive salary alongside a generous benefits package, including annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays and efficiency days at Christmas, depending on the working pattern for the role. Staff have access to a pension scheme and comprehensive CPD opportunities. As a Disability Confident Committed employer and a signatory of the Menopause Pledge, we are proud to foster an inclusive and supportive workplace. 

New colleagues benefit from a structured induction and supported probationary period, as well as a strong coaching culture with in-house Level 5 trained coaches. 

Employees also enjoy a range of lifestyle and wellbeing benefits such as eligibility for a TOTUM card and Blue Light Card, free eye tests, free use of our onsite gym, cycle-to-work scheme, discounted Plumpton wine and courses, free onsite parking, and an Employee Assistance Programme. 

Our commitment to staff wellbeing and community is further demonstrated through regular networking events, active EDI and Sustainability committees and social events at Christmas. 

Basic working hours are 08:30 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, although some flexibility may be considered for the right candidate. Some evening and weekend working will be required to support student activities, recruitment events and wider college activities. 

We reserve the right to interview or close the vacancy early should we receive a high number of applications. Early applications are strongly encouraged. 

Plumpton College is committed to the promotion of equal opportunities and is dedicated to pursuing non-discriminatory policies and practices and eliminating unfair discrimination on any basis. 

Plumpton is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of learners and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. 

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Employment cannot begin until the appropriate DBS clearance has been received and considered. 

Apply now to join a forward-thinking college and help make a lasting difference to students through pastoral support and mentoring.