Lead Counsellor

Job overview

• Location: Farnborough, Hampshire
  
• Working Pattern: 16 hours per week, term time only
  
• Start date: January 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter
  
• Application Deadline: 9am Monday 01 December 2025
  
• Interview date: 09 December 2025
  
• Salary: Management Grade 2.A £19,609.92 pro rata term time only (£57,461 FTE)
  

The Prospect Trust is a leading Multi-Academy Trust in the South of England, with an aim of providing outstanding education for all learners within a family of local academies. There are currently four academies within the Trust: The Sixth Form College Farnborough, Tomlinscote School, Frimley C o E Junior School and St Marks C of E School.

Key strengths of The Sixth Form College are:
○ ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted
○ Achievement of high grades with excellent value added;
○ Outstanding teaching by a team of experienced and motivated staff;
○ Exceptional levels of support for students both inside and outside of lessons;
○ Innovative use of IT to promote learning embedded as a regular part of normal teaching.

The Role:
We are seeking a dynamic individual with proven experience in managing teams who is ready to embrace the challenge of leading and developing a vital service within our college community. Our counselling provision is delivered by a dedicated team of qualified counsellors during term time, supported by volunteer hours from counselling students on placement. The team is further strengthened by three Clinical Supervisors, who provide professional supervision to our volunteers. As Lead Counsellor, you will take responsibility for managing all aspects of the service, ensuring it operates to the highest standards of ethical and professional practice in line with BACP and AUCC Guidelines. This is a role that demands vision, organisation and the ability to support others—qualities that will enable you to guide the team effectively and foster an inclusive environment.

You will play a critical role in helping students reach their full potential by actively promoting inclusion, identifying barriers to participation and learning and working to remove them. Your leadership will ensure that the counselling service not only meets professional standards but also makes a tangible difference in the lives of young people.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives on responsibility, values collaboration and is motivated by the chance to shape a service that empowers students. If you are ready to bring energy, expertise and commitment to a role that truly matters, we would love to hear from you.

Interviews: Tuesday 9th December 2025

If you would like to have a further discussion before applying for this role please contact the HR team on team_HR@prospecttrust.org.uk.
Please complete the attached application form and equality monitoring form and email all completed applications to recruitment@prospecttrust.org.uk by 9am 01 December 2025.

Early applications are encouraged, as the Trust may at its discretion elect to both interview and select candidates before the advertised closing date.
The Prospect Trust takes the control and processing of employee data very seriously and is committed to acting in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation; please read the attached applicant privacy notice which explains how your data is processed.

Prior to the interview, an online search will be conducted by HR, to identify any past or current incidents or issues that might affect your suitability to work with children and undertake this role. Please note this online search will be carried out only on publicly available information and be limited to issues relating to your suitability to work with children and/or in an educational environment. Issues that arise will not automatically be a bar to your employment at the Trust but may be discussed with you at interview. This is in line with statutory guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified applicants, however all disabled applicants who meet our minimum criteria will be invited for an interview.
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The Prospect Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people within our care and requires all staff and volunteers to share and demonstrate this commitment. The job description fully sets out the safeguarding responsibilities of the post. Any future offer of employment remains subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including enhanced DBS clearance, a health check and references.