Job Scope
The SDO works closely with students, school staff, and external agencies to provide timely support for at-risk students, and to promote a safe, inclusive, and nurturing school culture grounded in positive discipline and restorative practice.
A. Morning Engagement from 7am to 7.35am
- Be present in the canteen and open court during morning arrival to build positive rapport with students.
- Observe student demeanour and flag any immediate concerns (e.g. distressed students, unusual behaviour) to relevant Form Teachers or Year Heads promptly.
- Support orderliness and noise management in the canteen during the morning period.
B. Recess & Lunch Supervision
- Be on active lookout during recess and lunch periods in the canteen, corridors, and common areas.
- Monitor student behaviour and intervene early to de-escalate tensions or potential conflicts.
- Engage students proactively - mingling, mentoring, and building rapport as part of a positive discipline presence.
- Document and report incidents observed during these periods to the relevant Year Head on the same day.
C. Discipline Case Investigation & CCTV Support
- Assist staff in investigating discipline cases by reviewing CCTV footage as part of fact-finding.
- Document a clear and factual summary of findings, including time, location, persons involved, and the sequence of events.
- Document the outcome of each discipline case, including the actions taken, consequences applied, and any follow-up measures agreed upon.
- Ensure all case records - statements, CCTV findings, and outcomes - are stored accurately and confidentially.
D. Restorative Practice
- Conduct restorative conversations with both victim(s) and perpetrator(s) following discipline incidents.
- Work with Year Heads and Form Teachers to determine the appropriate restorative intervention (e.g. restorative dialogue, circle, or written agreement).
- Document the outcomes of restorative conversations and follow up on agreed actions to monitor progress.
- Model and reinforce restorative language and approaches in day-to-day student engagement.
E. At-Risk Student Support
- Assist in identifying, supporting, and monitoring students with social, emotional, behavioural, or attendance concerns.
- Work closely with key personnel (e.g. Year Heads, Form Teachers, School Counsellors, Student Welfare Officer) to develop appropriate intervention plans.
- Provide case support including home visits where appropriate to support student discipline and welfare.
- Maintain accurate case notes and documentation for student support and engagement efforts, ensuring confidentiality.
- Assist in reporting and evaluation processes related to student development outcomes.
F. After-School Programmes
- The SDO supports two types of after-school programmes for students with identified needs:
- After-School Detention (ASD) - a structured consequence for students who have breached school rules, conducted with consistency and firmness.
- Supervise students during detention, ensuring orderliness and purposeful use of time.
- Maintain attendance records and follow up with parents/guardians of students who are absent.
- After-School Intervention (ASI) - targeted programmes designed to equip students with the skills and dispositions needed to make better choices
- Monitor student attendance and document observations as structured feedback for teachers.
- Work closely with Form Teachers and Year Heads to ensure continuity between in-school support and after-school intervention.
G. Student Profiling & Collaboration
- Work closely with Student Development Department staff, Form Teachers, and Subject Teachers to understand students profiles and needs.
H. Patrol & Community Culture
- Conduct regular walkabouts within the school to maintain positive discipline through observation, mingling, and mentoring.
- Engage in regular patrolling outside the school area after school from 1.30pm to 2.00pm to ensure the safety and discipline of students and to infuse a positive community culture.
I. Administrative & Other Duties
- Maintain orderliness of classrooms and facilities used for after-school programmes.
- Any other duties as assigned by Head of Department (Student Development) and School Leaders.
Requirements
- Registered with the Ministry of Education.
Qualifications:
- Candidate must be a former MOE Primary School teacher or possess relevant qualifications in Education, Counselling, Social Work, Psychology, or a related field.
Experience:
- Must have at least 2 years of working experience in student welfare, social services, community work, or a primary school setting experience in school-based student development or pastoral care roles is an advantage.
- Knowledge of child protection policies, basic counselling techniques, and case management processes is preferred familiarity with MOE frameworks and school operational culture is an added advantage.
Skills and Competencies:
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage students, staff, and families from diverse backgrounds.
- Able to work independently and collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team environment.
- Skilled in de-escalation, with the ability to remain calm and self-regulated during tense interactions, modelling composure for students.
- Applies boundaries and consequences consistently, fairly, and without bias, so students experience discipline as just rather than arbitrary.
- Observational and surveillance literacy - able to review CCTV footage systematically to reconstruct incident timelines, identify key actors, and extract relevant evidence to support case documentation.
- Statement documentation - able to conduct structured, age-appropriate interviews with students to obtain clear and accurate accounts, and to record statements objectively without editorializing.
- Incident reporting - able to produce timely, factual, and well-organised incident reports that meet school and MOE documentation standards, capturing essential details for case follow-up and escalation where necessary.
- Attention to detail and record accuracy - maintains precise and up-to-date case records, ensuring information is retrievable and auditable for review by Year Heads or school leaders.
- Disposition and Approach:
- Believes that behaviour is communication - able to look beyond surface conduct to understand the unmet needs or lagging skills driving a student's behaviour.
- Restorative in orientation - inclined to repair relationships and rebuild trust rather than default to punitive responses.
- Strengths-based mindset - sees students as capable of growth and frames interactions around building skills, not assigning blame.
- Prioritises genuine rapport with students as the foundation for any behavioural intervention.
- Passionate about working with at-risk students, with empathy and emotional resilience for those from complex and challenging backgrounds.
- Proactive, adaptable, and possesses a good working attitude with a willingness to learn and take on new challenges.
Contract Period: From 1 Sep 2026 to 31 Dec 2027
Working Arrangement
- School Term: Monday to Friday: 7am to 4pm (inclusive of 0.5 hour lunch break)
- June and December school holidays: 8am-5pm (inclusive of 0.5hr lunch break).
- Services are not required on Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted public holidays
Location: Woodlands
Salary: $3,500 - $3,800 per month
EA License No.: 96C4864
Reg. No.: R26161270 JOEY TAY YI TING
