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.
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 sets us apart are the strong relationships we have; staff know our students and families well, fostering an environment where students flourish and are motivated to be their best.
We serve an area of deprivation with a strong moral purpose: to ensure students have the opportunity to transform their lives through the best education they are entitled to. We value practitioners who are committed to continuous improvement and excellence in their field. Leaders invest heavily in the development of employee talent across all areas of Academy life.
We invest in our staff's workload, wellbeing, and professional development. If you share our passion for making a real difference in the lives of young people, we would be delighted to welcome you to our team.
To view the Support Staff recruitment booklet, click here, Click Here
If you have any questions or would like to visit the school, please contact Abigail Davies at a.davies@bishopsgarth.outwood.com
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.
Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) places staff development at the heart of its strategy to deliver excellence, aiming to recruit, develop, and retain the best staff through the Outwood Institute of Education (OIE).
What will we do for you?
We offer a supportive package focusing on professional advancement, secure benefits, and work-life balance:
Secure Pay & Pension: Competitive salary, automatic pay progression, and enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Training & Progression: Access to diverse CPD opportunities, including apprenticeships and vocational qualifications.
Flexibility & Leave: Flexible family policies, enhanced occupational benefits (with no qualifying period), and 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays for non-term time staff. (Holiday for part-time staff is calculated on a pro-rata basis)
Wellbeing & Perks: Dedicated mental well-being strategy, free on-site parking, employee discounts, and access to a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.
If you are looking for a rewarding, supportive role where you can truly make an impact, we encourage you to apply now.
Further Information on employee benefits can be found Click Here
To find our more about working for Outwood and to read a message from our CEO please Click Here
Please note, we reserve the right to close advertisements early, either on the advertised closing date, or sooner if required.
Outwood Grange Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments are made in accordance with safer recruitment practices and the statutory guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education. Online checks will be carried out on all shortlisted candidates, and all appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and checks regarding suitability to work with children.
We are an award-winning multi-academy education trust with passion, purpose and people at our heart. We manage 41 transformative primary, junior, secondary and Post 16 schools up and down the North of England, from Redcar to Nottinghamshire, each celebrating very different identities but driven by a shared vision. Each academy is individually shaped around the community and children it serves.
We’re incredibly proud of how far our kind, creative and talented teachers and support staff go to make life better for our pupils and their families. It’s why we have built such a leading reputation in education and taken failing schools to Ofsted-rated outstanding in a record amount of time.
We are committed to putting students first, raising standards and transforming lives.
