Head of Pastoral & Extra-Curricular Activities

La Garenne International School would like to appoint a Head of Pastoral. The Head of Pastoral is responsible for ensuring a coherent, safe and high-quality student experience across the full 24-hour school cycle, bridging academic life, boarding and co-curricular provision for students aged 4–18.

The role operates at the same leadership level as the Head of Primary & Middle School and Head of Secondary, reporting directly to the School Principal, and works collaboratively to ensure that the school’s mission is supported through a consistent and integrated pastoral approach.
The Head of Pastoral provides strategic oversight rather than operational replacement of existing systems, ensuring alignment between academic, boarding and co-curricular teams, and continuity of care across all aspects of school life, including evenings and weekends.

The nature of this role means that working hours are largely concentrated in evenings and weekends; however, the post-holder is not necessarily required to live on campus, though close proximity is required. Working hours will be defined in consultation with the School Principal to ensure effective SLT coverage across the full 24-hour school cycle.

Leadership & Collaboration
Collaborating effectively with the General Director, School Principal, Head of Primary & Middle and Head of Secondary to ensure alignment across academic, pastoral and boarding provision
Leading the strategic development and implementation of whole-school pastoral systems, ensuring consistency across Primary,
Middle and High School

Acting as one of the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) during key times ensuring 24/7 coverage, ensuring compliance with Swiss and international safeguarding standards
Ensuring effective communication and collaboration between academic staff, boarding teams and co-curricular/activity coordinators
Leading the development of systems that ensure effective sharing of student information across all contexts (academic, boarding and co-curricular)

Providing strategic oversight of all boarding houses (Primary, Middle and High School), ensuring a high-quality and consistent student experience
Working closely with Heads of Section to ensure strong alignment between boarding and academic provision, including behaviour, routines and student support
Supporting Heads of Section in managing complex pastoral and safeguarding cases, ensuring a coordinated whole-school approach

Development and implementation of evening, weekend and co-curricular provision, working with coordinators and service providers to ensure alignment with student wellbeing and development aims
Leading and contributing to staff training in safeguarding, pastoral care and boarding practice
Supporting staff wellbeing alongside the General Director and School Principal
Building strong relationships with students, parents and boarding families, ensuring clear and consistent communication regarding student wellbeing
Acting as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to whole-school strategy and development

Organisation & Administration
Overseeing pastoral systems within school platforms (e.g. iSAMS), ensuring accurate and up-to-date records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and student wellbeing
Developing and monitoring systems for tracking student wellbeing, behaviour and engagement across academic, boarding and co-curricular contexts
Ensuring effective structures for daily and weekly communication between boarding and academic teams
Contributing to the planning and coordination of the school calendar, particularly in relation to boarding, activities and student wellbeing initiatives

Supporting admissions processes where pastoral insight is required
Contributing to accreditation and inspection processes related to safeguarding, boarding and student welfare
Monitoring the quality and consistency of boarding and co-curricular provision, identifying areas for development
General Duties

Upholding and promoting the school’s mission statement and IB philosophy
Maintaining a visible and active leadership presence across the school, including evenings, weekends and school events
Supporting conflict resolution and mediation relating to students and staff
Contributing to assemblies, student events and wider school life
Working with SLT to support continuous school improvement
Making recommendations to improve the overall student experience across academic, boarding and co-curricular provision

Please note that whilst the key responsibilities have been included in this job description, it should be acknowledged that the role is not limited to these activities and can vary based upon the needs of the school / faculty, as directed by the School Principal.