Arnfield Independent School has an exciting role available for a permanent, full-time Outdoor Education Manager to join our professional and growing team of employed outdoor education staff and freelance instructors based at Arnfield Tower Activity Centre in Tintwistle. If you can engage, motivate, and enthuse vulnerable and often challenging young people through outdoor education then we want to meet you. If you are appropriately qualified and suitably experienced, able to work confidently as part of a team and lead one-to-one sessions, we can offer you the chance to make a genuine difference to young people's lives, as well as the competitive salary and supportive environment you'd expect.

About Us:

Established in 1997 and based in the High Peak, we are an Independent School based in Glossop (Ofsted rated Good with elements of Outstanding – March 24) that supports the education of looked-after children, aged 11–17, as part of a well-established Care Group. The school uses a variety of teaching strategies including one-to-one classroom teaching, ASDAN and outdoor education to support students to re-engage with education, build confidence in learning and achieve meaningful educational outcomes, enabling them to take greater control of their lives as they transition into further education, training or work.

Our children and young people come from throughout the United Kingdom and, occasionally, abroad. They live in one of our three outstanding residential care homes where our support workers and team of psychologists help them deal with a wide range of complex issues resulting from social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in their formative years. Whether they are with us for short-term respite care, intensive crisis intervention work or longer-term placements as they transition towards semi-independence, we want to help them learn, grow and achieve so that they have every opportunity to succeed in later life.

Our curriculum is innovative and varied because the children we educate have complex individual needs. We pride ourselves on being nurturing and supportive, and on using tailored strategies to engage our young people so that they can overcome their disadvantages. We value diversity, resilience, passion and ambition and demand our staff are committed to providing the highest level of educational support for children experiencing crises. So you'll need to share this passion for improving the lives of young people; providing them with the best possible education while they're with us and the greatest opportunities to thrive when they leave.

About You:

Ideally, you will have a minimum of three years' experience of instructing or teaching in a broad range of outdoor education disciplines including those delivered through residential experiences. You'll also have at least one year's experience acting in a leadership role, be a strong communicator and a good team player, with a proven commitment to your personal development.

You'll be qualified in a range of outdoor disciplines including at least two of the following:

• Indoor/outdoor climbing
• Hill and Moorland leading
• Mountain biking
• Paddlesports
• Caving

And, ideally, you'll hold at least one higher-level national governing body award or equivalent teaching qualification.

You'll also have an appropriate first aid qualification and a valid UK manual vehicle driving license.

Experience working with and an ability to relate to children and young people would be a definite advantage as would demonstrable experience of undertaking risk assessments, a thorough knowledge of safeguarding and outdoor education pedagogy, and some experience of therapeutic environments and practice.

We'll want you to develop our team and our curriculum, working with awarding bodies and other third parties to deliver an innovative take on the national curriculum and other relevant learning programmes. And we'll want you to lead us through our journey to achieving the AHOEC Gold Standard.

Challenging, dynamic environments won't daunt you and you'll embrace the need to work flexibly according to the needs of our young people so will be comfortable with a mixture of day work and longer residential trips that will involve several nights at a time away from home.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, plus sleep-in allowances and time off in lieu to compensate for residential stays
• Induction training and ongoing CPD
• 35 days' holiday
• Company pension scheme
• Staff loyalty and referral bonuses from £50 of vouchers to £500 cash plus additional holidays
• Wide-ranging employee assistance programme for help with professional and personal concerns

Outdoor education forms a core part of the care, behavioural support and practical skills development at Arnfield, contributing crucial lessons as part of our educational provision for children and young people, and promoting physical and emotional well-being. We value diversity, commitment and experience in our staff and offer employment packages that reflect this.

For a full job description, person specification and application form, hit apply now or register your interest via https://careers.arnfieldcare.co.uk/

Important

All the young people we look after are equally entitled to have their needs met in a safe, fair, respectful and balanced way. All staff are responsible for safeguarding and promoting equal opportunities and for challenging any behaviour or practice that discriminates against any young person or colleague based on any perceived difference.

Job offers and continued employment are conditional upon stringent pre-employment checks and thorough referencing to assess the suitability of applicants, as well as the achievement and maintenance of Enhanced DBS clearance.

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