St. Luke’s School

Special Educational Needs

Application Pack for the post of Teacher

Introduction

St Luke’s School is part of a formal association of schools with The Collett School and Forest House Education Centre. Across the three schools, the Executive Headteacher leads the combined provisions, based in Hemel Hempstead, Redbourn and Radlett.

St Luke’s School occupies a large site and was originally built as a secondary comprehensive school in the village of Redbourn. It has suffered fluctuating numbers in the past, though as a result of the high demand and changes in local authority designation of the school, we are looking to regrow in size and, in the age range of pupils we provide for. Moving from a Year 5 to Year 11 provision for children with complex needs including SLCN, MLD and ASD, we are now a provision from Year 3 upwards. We will be consulting to become an all through age school from 0-19 years, supporting children with complex needs including MLD, ASD, SLCN as well as more pupils with SLD, PD and PNI as an area special school.

The school is faced this year with an overspend of £150K and has to reduce staffing to comply with statutory funding requirements. As such, the school is in a complex situation where the restructuring of staffing is meaning some staff have been made redundant to reduce staffing costs, whilst we are also seeking to accommodate a small growth in classroom provision, where this is critically needed.

The changes in the staffing restructure have increased the accountabilities of middle leadership including line management and the focus on raising standards. The school’s determination to reduce unnecessary teacher bureaucracy is also shifting some of the jobs typically held of senior teachers to non-teaching staff. The postholder will join a team of teachers working with children of a similar age to share planning, assessment and moderation. We have our own system of assessing pupils’ work that is easy to manage and helpful for pupils, parents and staff.

This is a challenging, but exciting time to be part ofspecial educational needs where the impact of the each member of staff will continue to shape the school for the next generation of pupils. Visionary development, a keen focus on standards, a sharp understanding of procedures, systems and data analysis will support the school effectively in what we’re needing to do and what’s required for where we’re heading.

Best wishes,

Stephen Hoult-Allen

Executive Headteacher

Job Title:Teacher

Reports to:Department Lead Teacher, Head of School, Executive Headteacher

Salary RangeSt Luke’s Pay Scale: M-Scale and Upper Pay Scale with SEN point, Fringe.

Hours:Teachers’ Pay and Conditions

Job context

St Luke’s School is a special educational needs school for children with cognitive disabilities. These include complex learning difficulties including MLD, SLCN and ASD. Many children of the school have additional needs including medical needs. The school welcomes staff withhigh skills and standards, who have a commitment to their continued professional development.

Purpose of the job

To deliver high quality teaching and facilitation of learning for children with SEND in order for them to make good or better progress. To impact greatly on pupils’ learning through effective planning, assessment and moderation of standards that support innovation and a relevant curriculum. To ensure children are safe and kept safe, whilst developing the skills and knowledge to develop independent skills in keeping themselves safe.

To assist the Headteacher in the leadership and management of the school by:

  • Keeping children safe
  • Fulfilling the expectations of your paid position
  • Being a strong advocate for change and champion school improvement
  • Conveying a positive ‘can do’ attitude and presenting a ‘united front’ to secure successful outcomes for pupils and the school
  • Supporting the development and achievement of the school’s vision to secure success and improvement
  • Working in partnerships to promote the continuity of the school’s provision
  • Helping to secure the commitment of the wider community to improve our young peoples’ prospects in the mainstream world by developing, nurturing and maintaining effective networks
  • Ensuring compliance with School policies and, other statutory requirements of schools, employment and the law

Key Responsibilities

Mainduties

All teachers work within the statutory conditions of employment set out in the current School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

Strategic Direction and Development of theSchool

  • Contributetoschoolprojectswhichaimtomeettheaspirationsoftheethos,visionandaimsof the School and School Improvement and Development Plan
  • Lead by example in helping to create a productive schoolethos
  • Supportthedevelopmentofourprovisionforpupilsuptoyoungadulthood(post-­‐16)
  • Take ownership of your own continued professional development and seek to advance your skills for the benefit of the school and your own personal goals
  • Share and demonstrate a commitment to Teacher-led Development Work and Action Research to improve your own teaching and the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning

Teachers are responsible for:

  • Devising, Planning and delivering high quality teaching to ensure pupils achieve better than expected progress in learning
  • Identifying changes to the pupil’s SEND as the pupil ages
  • Supporting the co-ordination of provisionthat meets those needs
  • Supporting the monitoring and effectiveness of specific SEND provision made for the pupil
  • Supporting the relevant services for the pupil
  • Ensuring each pupil’s EHCP effectively portrays the child and their needs
  • Liaising with and providing information to the pupils’ parents/carers
  • Ensuring that, where the pupil transfers to another school or educational institution, all relevant information is conveyed to the Headteacher, Office staff and teacher of the pupil
  • Promoting the pupil’s inclusion in the school community and access to the school’s curriculum, facilities and extra-curricular activities.
  • Reading current material on SEND to ensure you are abreast of developments in SEND provision and the role of the SENCO
  • Modelling good practices in teaching and learning
  • Interpreting data to support pupil progress
  • Attending meetings with other outside agencies
  • Adhering to statutory assessment paperwork
  • Supporting colleagues with behaviour issues through training, in class support and strategies for classroom management
  • Thinking creatively and imaginatively to anticipate and solve problems and identify opportunities.
Knowledge and Understanding of:
  • How to keep children safe, with a thorough understanding of Keeping Children Safe in Education
  • What constitutes quality in educational provision at the Key Stage(s) you work with; the characteristics of effective practice and strategies for raising pupils’achievement
  • How to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and good behaviour through effective management andleadership
  • How to seek and use national, local and school data, OfSTED evidence and research findings in your planning and those of the whole school to set the context
  • Understand target setting with national benchmarking and new systems as they are implemented by the Government of theday
  • Examinations, their relevance to our pupils (for now, college and industry requirements) and effective pedagogy for supporting young people with SEND to accessthese
  • National developments in education; specifically those that affect teaching and learning in specialschools
Teaching and Managing Pupil Learning
  • Act as a role model by providing inspirational and creative teaching which secures high standards of learning, behaviour andmotivation
  • Carry out the professional duties of a teacher as set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document and the DFE’s Teachers’ StandardsFramework
  • Ensure your own teaching is at a level appropriate to the expectations of your paygrade
  • Play a significant role in creating and maintaining a climate which promotes and secures good teaching, effective learning, high standards of achievement and good behaviour
  • Implement the curriculum and its assessment; monitor and evaluate practice in order to identify and act on areas forimprovement
  • Actively promote the application of literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum for all Key Stagepupils
  • Help to create and implement positive strategies to celebrate diversity and to promote good racerelations
  • Help to ensure that pupils in the Key Stage develop study skills in order to learn more effectively and with increasing independence
  • Take full or shared responsibility for the leadership and management of an agreed subject oraspect
  • Identify a personalised plan for each of your pupils’ learning
  • Ensure each pupil’s EHCP is managed effectively
Assessment, Achievement, Attainment and Evaluation
  • Play a significant role in making explicit to pupils, parents, teachers and the wider community the school’s high expectations that all pupils cansucceed
  • Support the monitoring, evaluating and reviewing the effectiveness of policies, priorities andtargets
  • Participate fully in regular moderation exercises
  • Ensure moderation files of pupil standards are updated regularly and benchmarked with provision in mainstream and special schools, national expectations and nationalguidelines
  • Ensure teaching support use best practices of marking, monitoring and analysis when assessing pupilwork
  • Ensureaccuracy
  • Meet with your line manager/ SLT to ensure pupils’ progress is monitored and targets are in place for eachchild
  • Ensure each child has a clear portfolio of attainment, achievements and needs and understand how these are being met/ worked towardsmeeting
Managing and Developing Staff and Other Adults
  • Help to sustain effective systems for Performance Appraisal
  • Motivate and help to enable all staff in the department to carry out their respective roles to the highest standards
  • Ensure that constructive working relationships are formed
  • Contribute to the professional development of staff through example, induction, mentoring and in service training (departmental and wholeschool)

Managing resources, the Teacher will:

  • Work with the Leadership Team in the process of recruiting staff of the highest quality when required
  • Work with the Leadership Team to set appropriate priorities for expenditure and allocation of funds to ensure effective resources across Key Stages
  • Manage, monitor and review the range, quality, quantity and use all available resources in order to improve pupils' achievements, ensure efficiency and secure value for money for those you teach

Managing Own Performance and Development

  • Demonstrate resilience
  • Abide by the school’s Code of Conduct
  • Take responsibility for your own professional development
  • Use effective ICT skills for teaching, learning and management
  • Prioritise and manage your own time effectively
  • Work calmly under pressure and to deadlines
  • Sustain personal motivation and that of your colleagues
  • Work collaboratively to support yourself and colleagues in achieving Performance Appraisal objectives
  • Motivate and help to enable all staff in the school to carry out their respective roles to the highest standards
  • Contribute to the professional development of staff through example, induction, mentoring and in service training
Relations with Parents and the Wider Community
  • Actively seek opportunities to develop effective relationships with the community to extend the curriculum and to enhance teaching and learning in the KeyStage
  • Create and maintain an effective partnership with parents of pupils in your class to support and improve pupils’ achievement and personaldevelopment
  • Ensure that parents and pupils are well-informed about all relevantmattersregularly – this might be daily/ weekly/ bi- weekly depending on the child and theirneeds

Knowledge, experience and skillsets

The postholder must be able to demonstrate the:

  • Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing across a wide range of audiences
  • Ability to complete work to a high standard of accuracy and presentation
  • Strong numeracy skills and literacy skills (minimum of GCSE grade C in English and Maths)
  • Evidence of computer proficiency, including Word and Excel
  • Experienced knowledge of computerized systems including SIMS
  • Enjoyment of working in a school environment
  • Experience of secretarial and administrative work
  • Experience of financial administrative tasks
  • Attention to detail with accurate record keeping
  • Ability to use standard office software
  • Ability to work in a team
  • Ability to read, comprehend and be able to apply policies consistently over time
  • Ability to understand the curricular requirements of the school, including statutory requirements
  • Ability to work with a minimum of supervision and within a team
  • Ability to work with initiative and to tight deadlines
  • Good organizational skills

Safeguarding children

  • In accordance with the school’s commitment to follow and adhere to the Department for Education’s child protection guidance and all relevant guidance and legislation in respect of safeguarding children, the Head of School is required to demonstrate commitment to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people in the school.
  • All staff are required to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in relationships with children and with all members of the school community and outside agencies, and exercise sound professional judgement which always focuses upon the best interests of the pupils and the school.
  • All staff are also required to know and comply with the DfE document ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (April 2014).
  • All staff are required to have satisfactory Enhanced DBS clearance.

Equalities

Be aware of and support difference and ensure that pupils and colleagues have equality of access to opportunities to participate, learn and develop. The school does not tolerate exploitation, prejudice or bullying with regards to learning or physical disability/difficulty, age, gender, sexual orientation, transgender, mental health, religion, nationality or ethnicity.

Health and Safety

  • Be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection; and report all concerns to an appropriate person.
  • Follow school procedures for moving and safe handling, first aid and Hertfordshire Steps behaviourprogramme.
    Make the team aware of situations where it is not safe for you to intervene and hand over to another member of staff ensuring the child(ren)’s safety and others’ well being.

DBS – Disclosure and Baring Service

  • This post is classed as having a high degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
  • An enhanced disclosure will be sought through the Hertfordshire County Council’s pre-employment checks.
  • Further information is available from the Hertfordshire ‘grid’ for education.

Additional Information

  • The jobholder is required to contribute to and support the overall aims and ethos of the school
  • All staff are required to participate in training and other learning activities, and in performance appraisal in line with the school's policies and practice. All policies, guidance and procedures are located on the school website
  • The duties and responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present. The post holder is expected to accept any reasonable alterations that may from time to time be necessary.

Supervision

The frequency of meetings is determined by the school's performance appraisal policies and practice. Where performance is poor or unsafe, that member of staff will be informed and consideration of the school’s competencies policies may be undertaken.

The postholder is line managed by the Bursar

Physical Effort

To what extent does the job involve physical effort/strain over and above what would normally be incurred in a day-to-day office environment?

  • The job is likely to involve supporting children after falls or accidents
  • The use of Hertfordshire Steps behaviour support procedures, which involves guiding pupils in Stepon and within Stepup the moving and where directed, the physical restraint of pupils
  • Moving and handling children and young people
  • In order to undertake the post effectively, adults will be regularly moving around the school, requiring a degree of physical stamina over the course of a day

Working Environment

The jobholder works directly with teachers and pupils and has routine and regular contact with parents and carers and with external agencies and professionals. Training and CPD opportunities are led by all groups of postholders within the school as well as external providers.

To what extent is the job exposed to objectionable, uncomfortable or noxious conditions over and above what would normally be experienced in a day-to-day office environment?

The job may involve adults being in situations that children and young people hit out, kick, spit, slap, punch, throw missiles, pull clothing/hair, scream, use extreme language and swearing. The job may include clearing up blood or other bodily fluids of children after accident or sudden illness.

Person specification – Teacher

St Luke’s School / Teacher
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Reviewed February 2018
Essential/ Desirable person specifications: / Evidence Sought
Quals / ESSENTIAL: /
  • English and Maths GCSE grade C or above, A’Levels, Degree, Teaching Qualification
/ Certificates at selection event
DESIRABLE: /
  • Masters Degree

Training / ESSENTIAL: /
  • Evidence of continuing professional development
  • Evidence of training in safeguarding including child protection
/ Application form
Selection event
DESIRABLE:
Experience / ESSENTIAL: /
  • A comittment to keeping children safe
  • Comittment to working with SEND
  • Teaching
  • Effective teamwork
  • Managing own CPD
  • Working to deadlines
  • Managing Health and Safety
  • Comittment to wider school events/ activities
  • Effective timekeeping
  • High attendance rates
/ Application form
Selection event
DESIRABLE: /
  • Managing budgets
  • SEND teaching

Knowledge and Skills / ESSENTIAL: /
  • Strong Teaching Skills
  • Strong literacy and numeracy skills
  • Computer literacy across a range of ICT packages
  • Abe to understand national and regional educational services and deliver appropriate strategies
  • Understanding of educational issues
  • Understanding of promoting positive relationships with the wider school community
  • Able to work under pressure, to deadlines and to be able to prioritise workload, work streams and line manage others to effectively deliver outcomes, on time
  • Knowledge of pedagogical issues that impact on learners and the school environment
/ Application form
Selection event
DESIRABLE: /
  • Coaching and mentoring skills
  • Experience of working with children with SEND

Personal
characteristics / ESSENTIAL: /
  • Highly developed interpersonal skills with adults and children
  • Resilience and a positive attitude
  • Willingness to constructively challenge the work of self and others to continually improve own and team performance
  • Enjoyment of working in a school environment
  • Has a determination to improve the outcomes and experiences for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
  • Able to hold accountability and take responsibility for self and others
  • Adaptability to learn new skills and respond effectively to changes imposed and created by the school
  • Solution focused
  • Understand the impact of each individual in a team
  • Commitment to driving up standards and self-improvement
/ Application form
Selection event
DESIRABLE:

Recruitment and Selection Policy Statement