Student Support Lead (Mental Health & Wellbeing)

About Us

At the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), we believe teaching is a fundamental societal good, both a privilege and a responsibility. We are looking for an experienced and compassionate Student Support Lead (Mental Health and Wellbeing) to lead student support in the areas of mental health and wellbeing for our Initial Teacher Education programmes and on behalf of our partners for the High Performance Initial Teacher Training programme.

About the Role

This is a pivotal new role at the National Institute of Teaching, shaping the support and wellbeing experience of trainees throughout their programme. You will lead on all aspects of mental health and wellbeing, ensuring trainees can access the help they need to thrive. You will also work with colleagues across the Student Support team to ensure a coherent support offer with the delivery of wider student support services including disability and inclusion.

Working closely with colleagues across NIoT and Teach First, you will be a key point of contact for student support services relating to mental health and wellbeing. You will provide expert advice, oversee casework, manage relationships with external support providers, and help ensure our services, policies and processes deliver an outstanding student experience.

This role would suit someone with significant experience in mental health, counselling or wellbeing services who combines sound judgement, empathy and professionalism with the ability to build strong partnerships and drive service improvement.

Closing date: 14 August 2026

Interview date: 27 August 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

Corporate responsibilities

• To ensure that the responsibilities of the role are carried out in a way which reflects the mission and the values of the national institute.
• To be aware of and observe all policies, procedures, working practices and regulations, and in particular to comply with policies relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Confidentiality, Data Protection and Financial Regulations, reporting any concerns to an appropriate person.
• To comply with all reasonable management requests.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Ensure the delivery and management of mental health and wellbeing services for the participants
• Provide specialist advice and guidance to Teach First and NIoT staff on mental health, wellbeing and counselling services and ensure compliance with policies relating to these areas.
• Ensure clear policies and procedures are in place and are being implemented, and manage referrals to appropriate external bodies or support services as required.
• Lead and manage the activities of colleagues responsible for student support.
• Oversee NIoT’s relationships with external support providers in connection with the HPITT programme.
• Coordinate with programme delivery staff to ensure that support is in place for participants needs including triaging to other support services where required.
• Manage individual cases and support colleagues by providing specialist advice and guidance.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with key NIoT and Teach First stakeholders, supporting and implementing any policy or process changes in partnership with delivery staff.
• Work closely with NIoT and Teach First stakeholders to understand, advise on and drive improvements in mental health and wellbeing services, reflecting the needs of the student population and ensuring NIoT meets appropriate professional, statutory and regulatory standards.
• Lead or support key projects within student services, working closely with members of the Professional Services teams.
• Ensure that records relating to student support are maintained in line with contract, compliance, quality and data protection requirements.
• Be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to health and safety, security and reporting concerns in accordance with procedures.
• Demonstrate commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• All staff who create, receive, and use records in the course of their job are responsible for ensuring that records are managed appropriately. It is therefore likely that this post-holder will have responsibility for record-keeping as part of the role. Employees are required to be conversant with the Institute’s policies and procedures on records management.
• To ensure that support is provided for trainees who disclose through the harassment and sexual misconduct reporting tools
• To manage communications regarding the service and promote the service to increase visibility and accessibility
• To sit on the viva assessment panels for a maximum of three days per year to support the process.

Key responsibilities for the Student Support Lead (Mental Health and Wellbeing) fall into four areas:

Student Support Services and Service Delivery

• To ensure the delivery and effective management of a comprehensive range of mental health and wellbeing services.
• To lead and manage the activities of colleagues responsible for student support, ensuring high performance, value for money and effective risk management.
• To oversee NIoT’s relationships with external support providers, ensuring services delivered through these arrangements are high quality, responsive to trainees’ needs and value for money.
• To ensure the student support service is responsive to the needs of the student population and contributes to an exceptional student experience.
• To ensure that reasonable adjustment plans are implemented and delivered appropriately, in particular where they relate to mental health and wellbeing

Casework and Specialist Advice

• To manage individual cases, providing specialist advice and guidance to colleagues, programme delivery staff and trainees as appropriate.
• To ensure that processes and procedures for mental health and wellbeing support and interventions meet the needs of participants
• To provide specialist advice and guidance to Teach First and NIoT staff on mental health and wellbeing.
• To coordinate with programme delivery staff to ensure that support is in place for participants wellbeing and mental health need.
• To manage referrals to appropriate external bodies and support services as required.
• To ensure casework is conducted with appropriate confidentiality, sensitivity and adherence to data protection requirements.

Policy, Process and Compliance

• To ensure clear policies and procedures relating to mental health and wellbeing are in place and are being implemented effectively across the programme.
• To ensure compliance with NIoT policies on student support, including safeguarding, Prevent, equality and diversity, and data protection.
• To ensure NIoT meets relevant professional, statutory and regulatory body standards in respect of mental health and wellbeing services for the programme.
• To support and implement policy or process changes in partnership with delivery staff at both NIoT and Teach First.
• To embed strong information governance and data quality practice across all student support activity, particularly in relation to sensitive personal data.

Stakeholder Engagement and Continuous Improvement

• To act as a lead contact with Teach First in relation to mental health and wellbeing support for the HPITT programme.
• To build and maintain effective relationships with key NIoT and Teach First stakeholders.
• To work closely with NIoT and Teach First stakeholders to understand the needs of the student population and to drive improvements in services.
• To lead or support key projects within student services, working closely with members of the Professional Services teams across NIoT.
• To stay abreast of best practice in higher education mental health services, and apply learning to NIoT’s student support arrangements.

Essential criteria

• A genuine commitment to the aims of the National Institute of Teaching.
• An interest in the education sector and a belief in the value of teachers and school leaders.
• A degree or equivalent.
• Significant experience of working in student services, in particular in mental health and wellbeing services in higher education.
• Experience of implementing process and policy improvements in relation to mental health and wellbeing.
• Knowledge of safeguarding and Prevent.
• Experience of interpreting procedures and regulations and providing specialist advice and guidance to others.
• Experience of delivering high-quality student-facing services.
• A commitment to student success and supporting students to fulfil their potential.
• Strong relationship management skills, including communication, engagement, facilitation and negotiation.
• Knowledge of data protection regulations and best practices in handling sensitive information.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Experience of managing complex processes in an educational setting.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proficient in the use of MS Office software packages, such as Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Ability to problem-solve to resolve both operational and strategic issues.
• Experience of designing and delivering improvements to processes and/or services.

Desirable criteria

• A professional qualification in one of the areas of student support (counselling, mental health practitioner, mental health social work etc.), or equivalent work experience.
• Further postgraduate training related to student support, wellbeing, counselling or mental health support and interventions.
• Membership of a relevant professional body.
• Experience of policy development and implementation.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Experience of using a management information system or CRM system.
• Experience of working in or with the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) sector.

The NIoT vision is a school system that nurtures the talents of teachers and leaders at all stages of their careers, so they can provide children with the excellent education they deserve. This is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to make a tangible and immediate impact to improve the quality of teacher and leader development at a system level.  

Working at the National Institute of Teaching

Contract: Full time. Fixed term contract for 4 years due to funding.

Salary: £44,075 per annum + benefits (pay award pending)

Key benefits:

• Generous annual leave – 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays), rising to 33 days after five years’ service.   
• Flexible working – we offer flexible start and end working times, with hybrid working in place for all roles.   
• Pension - Entry to the Local Government Pension Scheme.   
• Salary sacrifice schemes – we offer salary sacrifice schemes for bikes, cars and tech!
• Lifestyle benefits – We offer discounts on gyms, cinema, retail and much more!  
• Parenthood leave – We offer above the statutory minimum for maternity, adoption and paternity leave.
• Working environment – We have a stimulating, supportive and rewarding working environment with a dedicated team of like-minded professionals.  
• Support: Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides confidential support for employees on personal or work-related matters.  
• Development: We fully support the development of our staff and ensure that you have a high level of continuous professional development.   

Further information  

We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.   

Notes:

• To ensure a fair and robust selection process, we expect all application responses to be based on your own original thoughts, skills and experience. Our system includes functionality to identify AI-generated content, and applications where responses appear not to be the candidate’s own work may be disregarded.
• We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. 
• This post involves occasional travel and overnight stays, which will be paid/reimbursed by the NIoT.
• Candidates must already have the right to work in the UK, as we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role
• As a condition of employment this post requires a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) with a Children’s Barred List Check and an Occupational Health Check.
• This document is an overview of the role.
• The responsibilities will include but will not be limited to those listed above and it is anticipated that the role will evolve over time and as such the duties may change.
• This document does not form part of the contract of employment.

How to apply

To apply, please visit https://app.beapplied.com/apply/9e4kv2dksv

Closing date: 14 August 2026

Contact us: If you have any queries about this role, please email us at [email protected].