DEPARTMENT OF LEARNER SERVICES – SUPPORT FOR LEARNERS

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post Title: / SEN Manager
Post Ref: / R46
Salary: / £36,260 SCP 38
Status: / Academic
Full time/Part time: / Full time - 1 FTE
Closing Date: / Tuesday 17th June 2014 at 12 noon
Interview Date: / To be confirmed

(The College is undertaking a Job Evaluation exercise and as a consequence it reserves the right to change this salary accordingly. Any such change may be to a higher or lower amount.)

If you have not been contacted within 14 days of the closing date of the position, you should assume that, unfortunately, on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

The information given below is intended to provide an outline of the workload of the job and its role within Preston’s College.

The job description outlines the main duties in general terms only and it not intended to be prescriptive.

The post holder will be expected to work in a flexible, proactive manner to carry out such duties as are necessary and to communicate effectively with all work colleagues.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Preston’s College is committed to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all. Recruitment for positions in the College will be carried out in a manner which accords with best equal opportunities practice. The selection of candidates for interview will be based on the personnel specification and applicants should bear this in mind when preparing their applications and completing the application form.

The postholder will be expected to take a lead role in the promotion of the College policies on Equality and Diversity, Health and Safety and Quality Assurance.

SAFEGUARDING LEARNERS STATEMENT

Preston’s College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All Preston’s College staff and volunteers are required to undertake mandatory Safeguarding training.

The successful candidate for this appointment will be required to apply for Enhanced Disclosure for Regulated Activity through the Disclosure and Barring Service.Further information on the Disclosure process can be found at

Corporate Behaviours

  • To promote and deliver the College vision, values and corporate behaviours that are characterised by:
  • Putting the learner first;
  • Empowering and having respect for others, the College and stakeholders;
  • Being enterprising, innovative and ambitious;
  • Taking personal responsibility and accountability; and a
  • Commitment to reflection, continuous improvement and self assessment.
  • To be proud of Preston’s College and play an active role in a “One College” culture focussed on enterprise, outstanding delivery and growth.
  • To be proactive in the development of a culture within Preston’s College which welcomes diversity and promotes equality, removes barriers to learning and promotes and celebrates excellence.
  • To be proactive, adaptable and flexible in responding to what our learners and the markets require for us to be successful, contributing to the pursuit of excellence and achieving agreed results and outcomes.
  • Support the College’s further development and respond to the needs of a diverse range of learners.
  • Contribute to and participate in College committees, working groups and projects as may be required.
  • Support and actively promote a commitment to the College’s Policies and Procedures including:
  • Equality & Diversity Policy
  • Financial Policies, Regulations & Procedures
  • Health & Safety Policies & Procedures

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB

SEN Manager will act as deputy for the Head of Support for Learners, supporting where the College is named in an EHC Plan and co-ordinating the provision and reviews. They will establish clear lines of accountability, and oversee the quality assurance and impact measures within the SEN structure, to ensure all individual students support requirements meet legal requirements and are effective and efficient.

The principal duties and responsibilities of the post provide a guide to the major areas of responsibility and include:

Management and Leadership in Support for Learners

  • Support the Head of Support for Learners in leading and managing the mission, vision, values and behaviours of the College and ensure these are effectively embedded across the Team
  • Deliver high quality leadership and management to the SEN Co-ordinator, Specialist Teacher Co-ordinator, Transitional Needs Co-ordinator, and the Assistive Technology Technician under your direct line management and integration with the Safeguarding and Learner Support Management structure to facilitate a unified Support for Learners Team
  • Ensure that the College complies with our legal duties as stated in the Equality Act 2010 and Children and Families Bill (incorporating the SEN Code of Practice) requirements, providing opportunities for the disclosure and the provision of support requirements for SEN learners
  • Support the Head of Support for Learners in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the Department’s contribution to self-assessment and the College’s Strategic Plan/Priorities
  • In conjunction with the Head of Support for Learners establish and co-ordinate the effective and efficient use of the support budget across College, in order to maximise the resources available to support students
  • Oversee and be a lead contributor to the development/implementation of, strategies to bring about sustained improvements in the quality of support delivered by the Support for Learners Team
  • Support the Head of Support for Learners by providing relevant information to aid the planning, funding and budgeting for the area
  • Lead the sharing of up to date knowledge on current SEN teaching/support practice, and funding issues associated with Support for Learners,to promote best practice in the delivery of support and across the College in the teaching, learning and assessment for SEN
  • Provide leadership and management to the SEN procedures and assessment processes (e.g. Exam Access Arrangement) ensuring that SEN learners are supported appropriately, fairly and timely bythe effective deployment of for example: specialist supportstaff, appropriate adjustments, cross college staff or other resources
  • Act as a team member within the Department of Learner Services and be fully committed to a team approach

Support for Learners

  • Support the Head of Support for Learners with the development and maintenance of robust systems and procedures which support the production of accurate and timely learner data and establish clear lines of accountability at all levels within the structure
  • Evaluate data fromSpirALS/TEAM and other college software systems ( Proachieve, Promonitor etc), to establish and monitor the services targets and impact measures for learner support, retention, achievement and progression/positive outcomesacross your areas of responsibility
  • Direct regular reviews the of above performance data and strategies to ensure sustained improvements and outstanding performance within the Support For Learners Team and cross college
  • Ensure that appropriate assessments identified at the transitional stage or whilst a learner is on programme are completed including for example: SpLD, Exam Access arrangements, in class observations, and ICT assessments
  • Oversee the provision of timely and relevant information and guidance to current and prospective learners, parents/ guardians and employers in relation to the Support For Learners Service and the College
  • Oversee the maintenance ofhigh quality individualised SEN learner records and data in accordance with the College’s data management and audit procedures
  • Contribute to the creation of a safe learner culture and ensure that the College's procedures for safeguarding,discipline and the code of conduct are embedded and consistently applied across the Team
  • Ensure that all support packages are understood by the departmental area to embed the promotion of inclusion to provide a high quality learner experience
  • Co-ordinate the regular reviews and amendment of the support programmes and costs for each supported learner, in your departmental and line management area/s of responsibility, to ensure that high quality and appropriate support is in place which fosters independence, tapering of support, and positive outcomes
  • Oversee the above for all students in receipt of High Needs funding/Education Health and Care plans to ensure that the SEN Code of Practice’s annual review procedure is adhered to and the learner and their parents/carers are placed at the heart of the process
  • Develop and deliver high quality learning materials, assistive technology solutions to develop a learner’s autonomy and SEN support which provides full year, flexible, and remote/off site delivery ( eg My Course (moodle) and Skype etc)
  • Support the Head of Support for Learners with the development of our SEN provision to meet the requirements of students with more complex needs e.g. Medication administration, care plans or Personal budgets etc.
  • Ensure effective systems are in place to gather and analyse learner feedback and identify appropriate actions to address learner and customer needs and satisfaction

Quality & Planning

  • Direct and actively participate in the quality review processes including observations of support staff to drive up quality cross College in teaching, learning assessment and support delivery
  • Oversee the collation of the SEN learner’s transitional information and in conjunction with the departmental area/s develop an appropriate individualised support programme which is embedded into the teaching, learning, assessment and support provision for the learner
  • Embed and develop strategies to promote a culture of individual and team self assessment/reflection to support sustained improvements in quality and action plan with the Head of Support for Learners ongoing areas for improvement
  • Ensure effective systems are in place to gather and analyse learner feedback and identify appropriate actions to address learner and customer needs and satisfaction
  • Ensure that the College's quality arrangements are consistently applied throughout the Team and that quality control and assurance procedures are maintained
  • Contribute to and lead the Department when required, in ensuring it is suitably prepared for external inspections and audits (e.g. JQA inspections)
  • Ensure the Team employs appropriate strategies to develop and maintain an inclusive culture within the College for all SEN learners

Financial and Resource Management

  • Deliver high quality and timely student support records,produced in line with the teams quality, audit and SpirALS/TEAM requirements
  • Manage the estimated costs for support identified at transition, on entry and on programme into a fully costed support plan for the individual student, as required for SpirALS/TEAM which is subsequently reviewed and amended as applicable
  • Oversee the High Needs costs to ensure they are in line with the Bandings/Costs approved by the Local Education Authorities and implement the re-assessment / re-banding process where applicable
  • Utilise College systems and procedures to ensure that the College’s Financial Regulations are adhered to at all times within the Team

People Management and Development

  • Oversee the effective induction, probationary period, target setting, measurement of and management of performance, and identification of staff development for staff under your line management to improve quality and performance
  • Develop strategies to promote personal excellence and development throughout the Support For Learners Team
  • Drive high standards of people management and practices in line with the College's Human Resources policies and procedures
  • Support the Head of Support for Learners to establish a culture and working environment in which people are empowered, encouraged, valued and in which success is acknowledged and rewarded
  • Oversee and contribute to an annual calendar of training of staff both within Support For Learners Team and across the College to champion/promote greater understanding and embedding of SEN requirements and by providing a point of reference for specialist advice
  • Implement the ongoing development of an assigned SENarea of responsibility
  • Quality assure the MyCourse and other materials which support the Team and cross college training and development

Corporate Contribution

  • Support and promote the college’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of learners across the Support For Learners Team
  • Take responsibility for and manage all aspects of Risk Management as appropriate to the role. This includes Health & Safety, Finance, and Corporate Risk Management
  • Comply with all College Policies and procedures (e.g. Health and Safety and Equal Opportunities) and ensure that these policies are followed by students and staff, and are reflected in appropriate support/teaching strategies
  • Undertake appropriate staff development activities that support personal development in relation to this role and maintain your lecturing and SEN skills/ knowledge
  • Take part in appropriate corporate events for example enrolment, induction, marketing, meetings and activities as required
  • Be aware of, and responsive to, the changing nature of the College and adopt a flexible and proactive approach to work
  • Undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required commensurate with this grade, at the initial agreed place of work or at other locations

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Criteria / Essential/
Desirable / Method of Assessment
Experience
Previous experience of teaching or training, preferably in a Further Education setting / E / A and I
Evidence of the application of e-learning and assistive technologies / E / A
Extensive experience of working with a wide range of learners with learning difficulties and /or disabilities (LLDD) / E / A and I
Undertaking exam access arrangements in line with Joint Council for Qualifications requirement / E / A
Qualifications
Certificate of Education /PGCE or Cert Ed / E / A
GCSE English at Grade C or above , Functional Skills English Level 2 or an equivalent / E / A
GCSE Maths at Grade C or above , Functional Skills Maths Level 2 or an equivalent / E / A
Level 2 ICT qualification at minimum Grade C / E / A
A qualification as required by the Joint Council for Qualifications for the assessment of Exam Access Arrangements / E / A
Post Graduate qualification in seen or unseen disabilities / E / A
Evidence of relevant continuing professional development / E / A
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Evidence of up-to–date knowledge and skills in current teaching and SEN support practices/initiatives which promotes inclusion across the whole College / E / A, I,T
Effectively develop and manage relationships with learners, their parent/s or carers, colleagues, cross College teams, and internal/external agencies / E / I
Strong and effective oral, written, organisational, data analysis and planning skills to support the production of appropriate reports as applicable / E / A and I
Champion a quality service which is learner centred and supports continuous quality improvement / E / A and I
cORPORATE EXPECTATIONS
Commitment to the expected corporate behaviours associated with working at Preston’s College / E / I
Commitment to safeguarding, equality and diversity, combating discrimination on any grounds and health and safety at Preston’s College / E / I
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Willingness and ability to work at any site or location given reasonable notice / E / A and I
Willingness and ability to work flexibly throughout the week, this includes evenings and Saturday’s. / E / A and I

Key:A = Application Form I=Interview T = Test

Please note where the person specification states that criteria will be identified through more than one medium i.e. A / I, you must specify how you meet the criteria clearly at all stages in order to comply with the Colleges Recruitment Procedures for Employees and Casual Workers.