Lead House Parent – The Royal Ballet School

Closing Date: 11 September 2026
Telephone: 020 7836 8899
Email: jobs@royalballetschool.org.uk
Salary: Circa. £43,000 per annum
Employment Term: Full Time

To apply, please visit: https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/information/work-with-us/current-vacancies/

Application Closing Date: 11 September 2026

 

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

To lead and manage the House team at Aud Jebsen Hall (Years 12 and 13) in delivering excellent, compliant, pastoral care for the students.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE:

The successful candidate will be a qualified teacher (academic or artistic), or have extensive experience in managing a senior boarding house and will be responsible for the 1 and 2 Year students at our Upper School in Covent Garden. They will ensure that our students have a secure and supportive ‘home from home’ during term time, as well as the day-to-day management of the House team and domestic services. Suitable training and ongoing support will be provided. This role will be in addition to a reduced teaching timetable.

 

CONTRACT TERMS:

Start date: 1 January 2027

Location: Aud Jebsen Hall (118 Warwick Way, London, SW1V 4JB) with regular travel to Upper School (46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9DA)

Salary: Circa. £43,000 per annum

Hours: Full-time with two evenings per week and three weekends per term (plus exeats) off duty (although staff may be called upon in an emergency). Every effort will be made to provide a 24-hour period of non-contact time per week. Where this may not be possible for timetabling reasons, then suitable arrangements for equivalent periods of non-contact time will be made. When ‘on call’ , staff should be within 30 minutes of the House and be conscious that they could be called upon to be on duty.

House staff must be resident overnight during term time but they may ask permission from the Assistant Principal, Pastoral & Welfare (APPW) for occasional absences for special occasions. No holiday may be taken during term time, the last week of the summer break or when there is planned INSET. This position also requires two weeks of work during our UK Summer Intensive Courses. Off Duty is free time and staff are not required to be present within the House. However, in the case of a real emergency it is expected that all staff will help out if required.

 

MAIN DUTIES:

  • Lead the day-to-day running of the House, ensuring the School’s Boarding Principles, Boarding Handbook, policies and procedures are consistently implemented
  • Create a safe, structured, caring and enabling residential community in which students can flourish artistically, academically and personally
  • Lead and manage the House team, including the Assistant House Parent and Resident Graduate Assistants, providing clear direction, delegation, supervision, feedback and support
  • Promote and safeguard students’ physical, emotional and pastoral wellbeing, ensuring safeguarding and health and safety requirements are consistently followed
  • Act as a Level 3 Safeguarding-trained Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, working with and reporting to the DSL in accordance with School procedures
  • Oversee and complete House compliance checks as directed by the APPW, ensuring any concerns or required actions are appropriately addressed and escalated
  • Act as a first point of contact for parents and carers on routine House and boarding matters
  • Ensure effective communication and liaison with the Healthcare, Catering, Pastoral and other School teams regarding students’ needs and the effective operation of the House
  • Provide and oversee high-quality pastoral care and support for boarders outside the routine School day
  • Plan and oversee an engaging and appropriate programme of trips and activities, ensuring relevant safeguarding, staffing and risk management arrangements are in place
  • Ensure effective House communication, handovers and record keeping, with significant student welfare, safeguarding, medical or operational matters appropriately recorded and escalated
  • Undertake other duties reasonably required within the scope of the role, which may include academic support at the Upper School in Covent Garden.

 

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Essential Criteria –

  • Degree educated with relevant professional qualification and / or extensive pastoral experience at management level
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • A positive outlook, good sense of humour and able to stay calm in a crisis
  • Good listener who can build effective relationships with students, staff and parents
  • Able to establish a strong rapport with students, assert authority when needed and maintain appropriate boundaries
  • Proactive in approach and able to show initiative
  • Able to cope effectively with possible situations of conflict
  • Good administration skills and IT literate
  • Flexible attitude towards duties and working patterns in order to fulfil the requirements of the role
  • Professional but approachable demeanour
  • Empathy with the aims and ethos of the School.

 

SAFEGUARDING DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and recognises that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. The School expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment to children’s safeguarding and to share this child-centred approach. This approach means that staff must consider, at all times, what is in the best interests of the child. Additionally, the following is expected of all staff:

  • To uphold the School’s policies relating to safeguarding and child protection, behaviour, health and safety and all other relevant policies
  • To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young persons for whom you are responsible and come into contact with
  • To report any safeguarding concerns using the relevant channels, such as informing the Designated Safeguarding Lead, in a timely and appropriate manner
  • To ensure full compliance with all statutory regulations, particularly the most recent Keeping Children Safe in Education, and to communicate concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, other relevant staff of The Royal Ballet School or local children’s services as appropriate.

 

This job information cannot be all encompassing. It is inevitable over time that the emphasis of the job will change without changing the general character of the job or the level of duties and responsibilities entailed. Consequently, this information will be periodically reviewed, revised and updated in consultation with the post holder to reflect appropriate changes.

We are committed to creating an environment where all our employees feel part of our team and can flourish, regardless of their background. We’re proud to be an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.