About The Role
Contract Dates
10/07/2024 – 12/08/2024
THE SITE
Camp Dragon is located in beautiful and leafy North Oxford, just a short walk from the city centre, Jericho and beautiful university parks. A large school with excellent facilities that still manages to have a small, homely feel Camp Dragon gives our staff and students 22 acres to play with and be able to enjoy beautiful spacious facilities without sacrificing a city location.
Designed by language learning experts and qualified play workers, our summer camp provides an immersive learning experience for children aged 8 – 12 from around the world. Explore a range of themes through interactive lessons, inspiring workshops, and amazing activities. With up to 80 young learners Camp Dragon is a truly unique camp encouraging young people to discover, develop, and dare.
The Role
SBC House Parents take an integral role in the pastoral care of students, with responsibility for the day-to-day running of a boarding house and the safety and welfare of the students within it. House Parents take the lead in the boarding houses, supported by a small team of staff to create a welcoming, positive, and vibrant community. It is integral that House Parents are responsive and able to meet to the individual and collective needs of students.
Ways we support our House Parents:
- Fully paid DBS check
- Extensive, paid, on-site training prior to student arrival
- All meals and accommodation included
- CPD and Appraisals
- Staff Wellbeing Initiative
- Access to Employee Assist Programme (EAP)
- Continual support for all staff from the Head Office Team, both on the ground and via phone/email
- Online safeguarding and prevent training
- Professional, fun and supportive environment
Additional Role Specific Support
- Paid attendance of a certified First Aid Course
Remuneration: Paid weekly, one week in arrears. The weekly rate received for House Parents is £680 PLUS any accrued holiday to be paid at the end of contract)* Food and accommodation are included for all residential SBC staff.
House Parents are required to work intermittently throughout the day, beginning with wake-up duties, and finishing with lights-out. House Parents work six days out of seven and will have one full day off per week.
Main Duties:
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- Overseeing the day to day running of your boarding house and holding overall responsibility to support, supervise and account for all students through the daily routine to include:
- Wake-up and preparation for the day
- Leading the daily house meeting
- Safely walking between the house and other site facilities
- Morning break times and mealtimes
- Overseeing student activity sign-up and preparation for activities.
- Social time within the house
- Juice and biscuits, bedtime routine and lights out.
- Lead a morning briefing & evening debrief with House Duty staff.
- Take overall responsibility for the welfare & wellbeing of all students in your house
- Encourage and facilitate positive social interaction between students
- Be available and approachable to all students, addressing student behavioural issues in a professional, empathic & positively reinforced manner
- Oversee and attend to students with any issue, including, but not limited to, illness, hygiene, homesickness, friendships, management of belongings, phone use, etc.
- Maintain clear and up-to-date House Logs, ensuring all behaviour and medical issues within the house are recorded and reported.
- Be responsible for attending to unwell students; making arrangements with doctors when necessary.
- Attend daily House Parent meetings with managers
- Ensure houses are kept safe and clean and oversee students boarding routines.
- Develop a strong house identity & community. Instilling strong values of equality, celebration of diversity and respect.
- Induct staff members to the workings of the boarding house
- Work alongside other staff to plan in-house activity nights
- If applicable, establish in-house reward systems, house themes and competitions
- Take a key role during arrival and departure days to include:
- Ensure the House is prepared and well-presented.
- Welcome and attend to students & parents arriving at the boarding House.
- Prepare students for departure to include packing and departure logistics.
- Take a role within the weekly excursion programme:
- Support students to prepare for excursions including management of pocket money
- Attend pre-course House Parent training & complete a First Aid course (arranged by SBC) to act as a school First Aider
- Be committed to the safeguarding and welfare of students in your care
- Adhere to all Health and Safety measures (including COVID safety measures, risk assessments and other policies and procedures)
- Be on call/overnight duty up to 6 times per week
- Assist the management in the effective day to day running of the school
About You
SBC PERSON SPECIFICATION
All members of staff employed by SBC will be expected to bring certain key qualities to the operation. There must be a professional interest in working with young people and particularly international children. Safety and welfare of the students is of paramount importance at SBC and a practical enforcing of this belief should be a quality exhibited by all staff.
We look for staff who are:
- Approachable & empathic to the needs of students
- Enthusiastic & engaging
- Diplomatic, responsible & motivated
- Flexible within the summer school environment
We expect all SBC staff to be able to communicate effectively with our students, using an appropriate level of language to suit the group. SBC staff must demonstrate patience, empathy and an emotional awareness towards students both individually and in within a group setting. We expect all staff to take control of students and to manage discipline and behavioural issues in a firm, positive and constructive manner.
Essential
- Experience working with children in a professional & residential capacity
- Experience of, and genuine enjoyment of working with children
- Strong communication skills, ability to work under pressure, flexibility
- Ability to take control of & lead a group of children on activities & during excursions
- A strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation and processes in practice
- The ability to work collaboatively with students and taking a strenghts based approach to help students develop their self esteem, confidence and resilience
- Strong organisational skills
Desirable
- Experience of residential international summer schools
- Experience of the UK boarding environment
- Experience of working within the education sector
About Us
Founded in 2008, Summer Boarding Courses have united students from around the world through education. Delivering award-winning, future-focused courses that strike the perfect balance between academic and social enrichment.
Our courses unlock potential and ignite a spark for long-term success.
Our residential summer courses take place at some of the UK’s top boarding schools and university college campuses, including Eton College, Oxford University Colleges and Headington School. We carefully select our campuses to ensure that they provide the perfect environment for our students to live and study.
Over 15,800 students from 152 nationalities have been welcomed to study with us to date.
Whether it’s preparing for future studies, developing 21st–century skills or building confidence, the knowledge gained on an SBC course allows students to go forward and apply what they have learnt to other areas of their education and beyond; giving them the necessary skills to achieve their future goals.
The EL Gazette publishes a league table based on British Council inspections, and SBC have been ranked Number 1 from 2018 to 2023. We are very proud of this achievement and will continue to grow and develop our courses to offer students extraordinary experiences.
SBC is the only multi-campus summer school provider in the UK to have achieved a perfect 15/15 areas of strength by the British Council. A true hallmark of educational quality.
TO APPLY
We want to make sure we do all we can to set candidates up for success in this process. If you require any adjustments to help you at interview and/or you have any questions at all, please contact us at: recruitment@summerboardingcourses.co.uk
Please note, as this post involves direct contact with vulnerable children, it is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account.
SHOULD YOU BE SUCCESSFUL
- Any gaps in your CV will be enquired about and must be explained satisfactorily
- You will have to prove your Right to Work in the UK
- You will provide the details of two recent and relevant referees who we will contact and specifically ask about your suitability to work with children and any concerns.
- You will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS), and equivalent if you live, or have lived, outside of the UK
- You will be asked to state that you have no known reason why you cannot work with children
- Official identification and certificates will be required for our records
Please be aware that SBC may conduct online searches for shortlisted candidates as part of our legal duty to meet out safeguarding duties.
SBC SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT
Summer Boarding Courses is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We have a comprehensive Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and procedures in place which all employees, volunteers and contractors are expected to adhere to.
SBC EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY STATEMENT
We operate a policy of equal opportunities and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of sex, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin or disability.
Source – House Parent Jobs | Indeed.com
