Assistant Headteacher – Lead for Inclusion

Ark Castledown Primary Academy

Ark Leadership Scale L1 to L5 (£41, 672 - £45, 988)

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is a successful and popular school in the heart of Hastings. Our Academy continues to report pupil outcomes significantly above national averages in all areas and was in the top 1% of most improved schools nationally after our first year of transition to an Ark Academy.

As part of the Ark schools network we are committed to making sure that every child has access to a great education and real choices in life. We know that great schools need great leaders, which is why we offer you the very best training and support at every stage of your career.

Due to the promotion of our current Inclusion Lead, we are seeking to appoint a highly motivated Assistant Headteacher to join our Teaching & Learning/Inclusion Team.   This role will involve leading on learning provision for our SEND pupils and more generally leading on inclusion across the academy.  The role would also include being the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the academy.  We can offer you excellent opportunities for professional development as well as the support and guidance of an experienced and outstanding senior leadership team.  You will also benefit from considerable administrative and teaching support in the form of our Academy Safeguarding Officer and Inclusion Manager, (who manages our pastoral care and Learning & Engagement Mentors) plus an Admissions Clerk and SEND Admin Support Officer.

The successful candidate will:
·         be a qualified teacher with the knowledge and experience of teaching pupils with special educational needs
·         have experience of working, or a desire to work, with pupils with special educational needs
·         have experience of leading and managing staff in developing and implementing effective provision for        vulnerable pupils
·         have a good knowledge of Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance
·         have good literacy and mathematical skills
·         be hard working and adaptable to change
·         have a secure understanding and knowledge of observing children’s learning
·         be willing to undergo training in order to obtain the SENCo qualification
·         have knowledge & understanding of record preparation and keeping in relation to SEND pupils
·         evidence of leading on an impact that has improved pupil outcomes
·         be willing to support teachers new to the profession through mentorship & coaching

As part of the Ark Hastings network of schools, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work across the Hastings cluster with school leaders (rated as Outstanding by Ofsted) and SEND teams at Ark Little Ridge and Ark Blacklands Primary Academies to shape the vision for SEND provision. 

If you have a passion for education and supporting pupils with special educational needs, we can offer you support and challenge to develop further. By joining the Ark schools network you will gain access to an exclusive range of benefits including comprehensive CPD, training and best-practice sharing opportunities, reduced gym membership, large retail discounts as well as the unique opportunity to apply for international exchanges and other scholarship prospects.

Interested in this exciting opportunity? If you have any questions and would like to arrange a visit please contact Paula Fitzgerald on 01424 444046, or email pfitzgerald@arkcastledown.org to arrange a visit to the school.

To apply please go to http://arkcastledown.org/vacancies. The closing date for applications is 9 am on Monday 11^th November 2019.

Location: Hastings
Start date: 1^st January 2020 or 20^th April 2020 (depending on availability)

Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: Ark Leadership Scale L1 – L5

Closing date: 9am on Monday 11^th November 2019

Interviews:  Monday 18^th November 2019

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is committed to safeguarding children; successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.

Job Description: Assistant Headteacher - Inclusion

 
Salary:                      Ark L1-L5
Responsible for:   Leading and managing inclusion
Start date:              1^st January 2020 or 20th April 2020 (depending on availability)

Location:                 Hastings, East Sussex

Job Purpose

To be accountable for the leadership and management of the SEND and other areas of inclusion across the academy.  Developing and leading an inclusion team in order to secure effective teaching and learning and ensure all children have access to all curriculum areas with appropriate support.

Areas of responsibility and key tasks:     
             

      Teaching and Learning

• ensure a safe, positive, inclusive atmosphere that supports the needs of all pupils in the centre;
• ensure progression in pupils’ language levels through assessment, planning, delivering  and reviewing appropriate sequences of teaching in collaboration with speech and language therapy services;
• use a range of teaching methods and set clear learning objectives through agreed schemes of work, developed in line with the Academy development plan;
• evaluate the teaching for SEND pupils regularly by monitoring teachers' plans and through work analysis, identify effective practice and areas for improvement, and take appropriate action to improve further the quality of teaching.
• provide coaching and mentorship to newly qualified teachers and trainee teachers

Designated Safeguarding Lead

• take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety)
• key tasks as set out in Annex B of the Keeping Children safe in Education guidance which is updated on an annual basis.

Communication with parents and carers and other stakeholders

• regularly and effectively update parents and carers and ensure they are fully informed of their children’s successes and progress;
• prepare reports and updates as requested for governors, SLT and the local authority;
• Liaise effectively with external professionals providing input to inclusion department

This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time it was drawn up.  The post holder may be required from time to time to undertake other duties within the school as may be reasonably expected, without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. This is a common occurrence and would not justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.

Person Specification: Assistant Headteacher - Inclusion

Qualification Criteria

• Qualified Teacher Status
• Qualified to teach and work in the UK
• ICT confident and competent
• Evidence of recent relevant professional development in the area of SEND
• SENCo qualification or willingness to obtain qualification
• Designated Safeguarding Lead qualification or willingness to obtain qualification
• Prevent training or willingness to obtain qualification

Experience

• Experience of teaching and learning in the primary age range
• Experience of teaching across more than one key stage
• Experience of working with children who have identified special educational needs
• Experience of leading on/supporting the management of Safeguarding within a school environment
• Experience of working collaboratively with external professionals in school
• A consistently good or outstanding classroom practitioner able to lead by example.
• An understanding of how to use assessment effectively to inform planning for good teaching and learning
• Consistent and effective planning of lessons to meet all pupils learning needs
• Excellent classroom management skills
• Ability to create an effective and challenging learning environment that supports communication development
• Involvement and commitment to all aspects of school life.
• Knowledge of strategies and techniques for raising pupil attainment
• Experience of leading and managing a curriculum area
• Experience of leading a team of staff
• Evidence of leading on an impact that has improved pupil outcomes
• Experience of writing training content and delivering training to staff groups

• A proven track record as a good or outstanding teacher
• Good knowledge & understanding of the National Curriculum
• Good knowledge & understanding of Keeping Children Safe in Education and how best to implement the statutory guidance
• Knowledge of curriculum development and effective pedagogy
• Knowledge and understanding of the range of speech, language and communication needs that may present in school-aged children and how to adapt the classroom environment and curriculum to meet those needs
• Sound understanding of assessment, recording and reporting
• Knowledge of how the effective use of data and target setting can raise standards
• Experience of target setting

Personal Qualities

• Value all children and committed to the development of the whole child
• Relate well to pupils, staff and parents and care about their individual needs
• Able to adapt to changing circumstances and new ideas in a positive and creative manner
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues in a professional manner
• Has high standards of self and others
• Good judgement
• Energy and enthusiasm
• Integrity and loyalty
• Able to build and lead teams effectively