CEDARS Short Stay School – Teacher of LAC – English & Literacy
May/June 2017
Dear Applicant,
Thank you very much for your interest in the post of Teacher of Looked After Children, based at CEDARS Short Stay School in Knutton Newcastle,to work across Newcastle under Lyme, the Staffordshire Moorlands and The Hollies Short Stay School in Stafford and South Staffordshire. As you can tell we need an outstanding teacher who can work with our most vulnerable children, teaching English & Literacy, other curriculum areas & life skills etc.and give them a positive economic future. I hope that this information will help you decide whether this would be the appropriate next step for you in your career and in the next stage of the development of Staffordshire County Council Virtual School.
Sarah Rivers is the Head of the Staffordshire County Council Virtual School – who has received the funding for this post (and a similar one South of the County) from the DfE. It is currently a one year fixed post from September 2017 to August 2018, this pilot project is accountable to Sarah Rivers, but based in the North atCEDARS Short Stay School in Knutton Newcastle.
All six Staffordshire Short Stay Schools are constantly looking to improve the quality of provision for all our students on and off site. We work in close partnership with mainstream schools, as well as the alternative providers and many different agencies - especially the LAC team of staff and Social Workers. We have a complex programme of learning opportunities for between 50 – 80 students in each of the Short stay Schools; each of them have been referred to us for a variety of reasons. We will take students who have been permanently excluded or are at risk of this. The majority of our students have a social or emotional or behavioural difficulty. As a group of experienced staff we are dedicated to giving each student a set of 'tools' or strategies to help them overcome these difficulties or at least learn how to live with them in what is expected by our society. By doing so, we are then able to empower each student to achieve academic and social success with positive POST 16 destinations and a range of appropriate qualifications.
This post is to raise the attainment and achievement of all Staffordshire’s LAC students in English & Literacy and other curriculum areas to enable our students to make rapid progress in the core areas to underpin the improvement of all other curriculum areas.
Approximately 2 days will be based with CEDARS pupils across Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands and 2 days with The Hollies pupils based across Stafford & South Staffs – directed by each of the Head teachers; 1 day Planning; record keeping; data analysis etc. and direct weekly line management meetings with Sarah Rivers and her Virtual School team of staff. [Travel expenses etc. will be covered.]
The successful candidate will join a very friendly, supportive and highly committed professional team of staff and dedicated Management Committee. This newly created post will enable the right person to develop professionally as well as shape the future of enabling all Staffordshire’s LAC students achieve the success that they fully deserve.
I would very much like to invite you to visit CEDARSShort Stay School to have an informal look around. You can always contact me at school to discuss any aspects of this post. We must appoint the right person for this key role– interviews should always be a 2 way process.
Should you decide to apply for this post then please complete the Staffordshire application form R6 and provide a letter of application (no more than 2 sides of A4; font size 12) in which you address the following:
a)Your educational philosophy of teaching and raising attainment with challenging & vulnerable students;
b)Your professional experiences and your personal skills and attributes, that would enhance the development ofEnglish & other curriculum areasto raise the attainment and achievement of Staffordshire’s LAC students who are on roll in our Short Stay Schools (PRUs).
c)Your understanding of what a LAC student needs to become a successful Young Person.
Thank you in advance for your time and commitment in applying for this post – we do appreciate the work that you will have put into your application. We are looking forward in receiving it.
Yours sincerely
Pam Clulow Sarah Rivers
Headteacher at CEDARS Virtual School Headteacher
K Rogers Teacher of LAC Application Pack APRIL 2017