Head of Centre

Job Title: Head of Centre

[Employer hidden — view at passion-project.co.uk] Tees Valley

Location: Based at Tees Valey Community Church, Stockton-on-Tees

Salary: £35,045 - £42,045

Hours: 37.5 per week, 39 weeks per year

Contract type: Permanent, with a 6-month probation

Start date: 1st September 2026, or as agreed upon appointment

Reporting to: Acorn Directors

Organisation and Role Context

● Acorn Centres serve young people on the margins of education through a close partnership with the local church.

● Young people that come to Acorn are experiencing barriers that prevent them from succeeding in mainstream education, which often include complex educational, social, emotional, and mental health needs. These sometimes present themselves through challenging behaviour.

● Our Centres deliver innovative and tailored social and educational interventions for young people. We utilise imaginative curricula and resources, passionate staff, and creative methods of engagement to educate young people and bring about holistic change.

● The Head of Centre role blends a range of teaching and relational skills, human resource skills, financial skills, and enterprise skills with the values of a vibrant Christian faith to establish, deliver, manage and grow an excellent alternative education provision.

● You will lead a small local staff team consisting of 2-3 staff, supported by volunteers from the church. You will also be part of a wider network of Acorn staff from other Centres across the country, who meet online together regularly to pray, share ideas, and receive training and development.

● You will report to the Directors at Acorn, will receive pastoral support from the church-based Centre Support Team and have access to specialist advisors, trained counsellors and therapists through an employee assistance programme.

● This role requires flexible use of time. It is paramount that the Head of Centre is present during times that young people are participating in Acorn provision. Planning and preparation currently take place after school-hours and on Wednesdays. In addition, the Head of Centre will attend graduation ceremonies, after school activities, referral interviews, reviews, school or referrer meetings and any other event that would ensure a high quality of service.

Job Tasks

● Work in partnership with the Centre Team to plan, resource, and deliver programmes for the young people. This will include planning and delivering lessons in English and/or Maths and/or Science, and other agreed areas of the curriculum, and involvement with occasional after-school activities.

● Be inventive around curriculum, ensuring that learning is tailored to meet the individual needs of the learners and is underpinned by Acorn’s core values of Love, Grace, Compassion, Forgiveness and Hope.

● Assist in team teaching and supporting in lessons led by other staff.

● Be willing to share your personal journey of faith and your understanding of the gospel with the young people, advocating opportunities for exploring the Christian faith. This may include after-school courses (such as Youth Alpha), leading Thought for the Day/Assembly with a faith-led focus, and other opportunities.

● Be prepared to pray for, and under appropriate guidance, with, young people, parents/carers and other stakeholders.

● Lead the team in applying good classroom practice, including the use of trauma informed and therapeutic approaches and support for young people with SEND needs.

● Develop positive and supportive relationships with the young people at the Centre, getting to know their individual personalities, circumstances, and interests.

● Implement a culture of high expectations for behaviour and engagement from the young people.

● Lead the team to identify individual learning needs of young people and to establish Individual Learning Plans to appropriately meet these needs.

● Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young persons who use the Centre.

● Lead team to help in tackling issues such as child protection, substance abuse and other social issues that prevent whole person development.

● Be trained as the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the Centre, connecting with local agencies and procedures, and leading the Centre’s response to safeguarding concerns, with the support and oversight of Acorn’s senior safeguarding lead.

● Foster and develop relationships with parents or carers, encouraging active involvement with their child’s programme, and linking them with the support the church can offer.

● Responsibility for ensuring the suitability of the environment, facilities, and premises, in line with Health and Safety Policy.

● Be trained to act as First Aider and/or a Fire Marshal.

● Lead the team in the effective operation of Centre systems and processes and implementation of policies.

● Responsibility for ensuring effective administration and maintenance of records relating to young people’s attendance, behaviour, concerns, progress, basic information, contact records and any other information required, in line with Acorn’s policies, procedures and with appropriate levels of confidentially and data protection.

● Management of the Acorn Centre’s budget.

● Liaison and marketing with clients and stakeholders, including selling places on programmes.

● Represent Acorn appropriately when dealing with external agencies.

● Participate fully in all Acorn developmental and networking opportunities, such as staff events (including occasional overnight travel), training and online staff meetings.

● Support senior leaders within Acorn AP to identify and implement appropriate training for staff.

● Coordinate, attend, fully participate in and, on occasions, lead daily Christian devotionals and times of prayer and worship for the staff team.

● Lead the Acorn Centre as a ministry, pioneering new opportunities to connect young people and their families to the church community.

● Represent Acorn AP and the church in meetings, appropriate external agencies and other public events.

● Take on additional responsibilities and other tasks as your role develops as directed by the Directors.

● Be aware of the opportunity to participate in and promote any residential trips including those with a Faith focus, where young people have an opportunity to explore the Christian faith for themselves.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential Desirable

● Good general standard of education ● An appropriate Teaching Qualification, e.g. including as a minimum English and QTS, PTLLS, or a youth work qualification. Mathematics GCSE at grade A*-C or ● First Aid qualification equivalent. ● Child Protection Designated Person ● Educated to degree level or equivalent. Training.

Skills and knowledge

Essential Desirable

● Able to manage a small team. ● Possess proven skills and strategies for ● Able to engage young people within a engaging with parents and carers to classroom setting. achieve improved outcomes in young ● Possess proven skills and strategies for people. engaging effectively with challenging ● Understanding of trauma, attachment, young people in a classroom setting and and therapeutic practice. achieving recognisable outcomes. ● Understanding of special educational ● Possess proven skills and strategies for needs including social, emotional, and engaging with parents and carers to mental health needs, how they might achieve improved outcomes in young present in young people and helpful people. approaches. ● Ability to teach Maths and/or English. ● Positive and therapeutic approach to managing young people’s behaviour. ● Understand broad issues impacting a young person’s ability to participate in learning and self-improvement. ● Ability to manage and oversee a range of complex needs. ● Highly effective personal leadership and ability to act as a role model for young people. ● Some knowledge of the issues facing the community in which the centre is based. ● Demonstrate good communication, effective written, verbal and listening skills. ● Ability to relate to people from a variety of backgrounds and put them at ease. ● Effective time management and ability to

organise and prioritise own workload and keep to deadlines. ● Ability to respond and flexibly adapt in fast-paced environments. ● Effective ICT skills. ● Commitment to actively pursue ongoing spiritual, personal and professional development of themselves in order to enhance their contribution to Acorn AP.

Experience

Essential Desirable

● Engaging effectively with challenging ● At least two years’ relevant young people in an education or youth teaching/tutoring/youth work experience. work setting. ● A minimum of one year’s managerial or ● Proven track record of working with young leadership experience within an people aged 11-16 years. educational establishment. ● Has experience and capacity in positively ● Delivery of alternative education managing challenging behaviour. programmes. ● Responding to safeguarding concerns. ● Working with young people with special ● Delivery of group and individual learning educational needs or social, emotional, activities in inventive and creative ways. mental health difficulties. ● Involvement in the planning of learning ● Implementing a trauma informed activities and programmes for young approach. people. ● Managing safeguarding concerns. ● Building positive collaborative relationships with young people and adults in a range of circumstances and contexts.

Christian lifestyle

Essential Desirable

● Commitment to actively pursue their ● personal spiritual development, including through regular prayer and reading of scripture. ● Commitment to attend and participate fully in devotions, prayer meetings and staff events to enhance the spiritual relationships within the team. ● Willingness to bring their Christian faith into all aspects of work, including speaking about it with young people and their parents or carers. ● Able to work sensitively with those of different cultures and faiths whilst having their own strong, living, and active Christian faith and a firm commitment to Equal Opportunities. ● To be an active part of a church community. ● Willing to occasionally attend Tees Valley

Community Church services to share the work of the Centre.

Additional

Essential Desirable

● Commitment to promoting and ● safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. ● Complete an enhanced DBS check prior to employment, which reveals no reason for the applicant being unsuitable to work with young people. ● Provide 3 referees – at least one referee needs to represent Christian commitment. References will be taken up after shortlisting. ● Provide evidence of qualifications and suitability to work in the UK and appropriate qualifications. ● Full Driving Licence and willingness to travel to meetings as appropriate.

For further information about this role, please contact [contact hidden]

Apply online here.