Senior Pupil Support Officer - Braidburn School

Senior Pupil Support Officer

Braidburn Special School

Salary: £34,452 - £40,501 (pro rata for part time and sessional)

Hours: 25 per week, 39 weeks sessional 

Braidburn School is situated in the South-West of Edinburgh. Braidburn is part of the Firhill Campus along with Oxgangs Primary School and Firhill School. Braidburn School provides a positive learning environment for learners aged 3-18 years where the presumption of mainstream cannot be met. Learners require a significantly modified learning environment. The needs of learners are primarily associated with intellectual disability and visual, sensory, health and medical needs. A significant number of learners have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The maximum school roll, including the nursery is 136 learners. During session 2026-27, the Primary department will comprise seven primary classes: with a further nine classes based in the Secondary department.

The post holder will manage a significant and diverse caseload of children and young people, supervise or mentor a group of PSAs and PSWs and colleagues, working in a busy learning environment, in family homes and other community venues. Time spent on tasks will be defined by the needs of the school and depending on the demands of their caseload and supervisory tasks.

• Support induction
• Staff may spend a minimum of 20% of their time involved in bending, twisting, stooping, kneeling and sitting on the floor.
• Working in accordance with risk management procedures, the post holder will work on a group or 1 to 1 basis with children and young people with a range of social, emotional and care needs, some of whom may have associated dysregulated behaviour for periods of time and require support with self or mutual regulation. This can include incidences of violent or aggressive behaviour directed at staff or other pupils.
• This post holder will have regular contact with children and young people, other colleagues in school and from partner services and parents and carers. At times this may be confrontational with the postholder taking an opposing view.
• The post may involve pushing manual wheelchairs for activities and outings or around the school, as well as assisting with the transfer of pupils into seats in school transport in confined spaces, ensuring pupils are secure.
• The postholder may spend a minimum of 10% of their time carrying out routine personal care of pupils, including toileting and changing of soiled clothing and supervising or manually supporting the pupil to eat and drink using tube feeding and administering medication.

Supervision and management of people

The post holder will manage a significant and diverse caseload of children and young people, supervise or mentor a group of PSAs and PSWs and colleagues, working in a busy learning environment, in family homes and other community venues. Time spent on tasks will be defined by the needs of the school and depending on the demands of their caseload and supervisory tasks.

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We’re interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

About Us:

Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.

Our Culture:

Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.

As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Colleague Support and Wellbeing

As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.

We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.

We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.

Reasonable Adjustments:

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.