Role Title: Improvement Partner (Inclusion)

ROLE PROFILE

Role Title: Improvement Partner (Inclusion)

Service Group: Children and Families

Accountable to: Head of Delivery – Setting and School Effectiveness

Post Number(s): To be assigned

Assessed Grade: Soulbury 20-23 (with the possibility of 3 SPAs)

Purpose of job

• To to improve outcomes for all children and young people through the development of an inclusive culture and leading edge practice across all settings and schools within Milton Keynes.

Key Objectives

1 / To lead the development and delivery of projects and programmes to develop and sustain an inclusive culture in settings and schools in Milton Keynes, promoting school to school support and sharing of best and next practice.
2 / To facilitate effective capacity building and improvement processes, enabling settings and schools to use a range of methods to audit, evaluate and improve the effectiveness of their interventions.
3 / To monitor the attainment and progress of underperforming and vulnerable groups across Milton Keynes, providing advice and guidance to the wider team on issues relating to inclusion.
4 / To provide challenge and support to headteachers, heads of centres, teachers and practitioners on issues in relation to inclusion.
5 / To provide advice and guidance to Children and Families Practices, enabling workers to challenge settings and schools to put in place packages of effective support.
6 / To maintain an overview of the quality of practice and interventions within departments and special schools, providing advice and guidance to the Head of Delivery - SEN and Disability.
7 / To manage the work of the EMASS team to raise attainment of under-performing minority ethnic pupils by advising settings and schools, raising their awareness and providing effective teaching strategies for minority ethnic and EAL (English as an additional language) pupils.
8 / To work closely with corporate colleagues to support the local authority in delivering its duties under the Equality Act 2010 (to eliminate discrimination, harassment and bullying, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations).
9 / To maintain an awareness of workforce issues in relation to inclusion and promote the uptake of appropriate continuing professional development opportunities.

Scope

The role demands significant influencing skills as the remit includes responsibility for working across a range ofsettings and schools offeringsupport and providing challenge.

Direct budgetLimited directly held revenue or capital budget.

StaffManagement responsibility up to a maximum of 30 FTE.

Key outputs specific to the role

• To ensure compliance with relevant statutory duties.
• To develop and maintain positive relationships with all partners.
• To ensure high standards of professional conduct.
• To contribute to the development of strategic plans and policy.

Work Profile

1. To lead the contribution to our work to improve outcomes for children, young people and families through:

• Providing effective leadership to create and sustain the platform on which strong local partnerships can be built

• Challenging all schools, settings and services to be outstanding, enabling them to take the lead in driving up standards and only intervening when outcomes are not good enough or where schools and settings are unable to help each other improve

• Developing and maintaining effective services and interventions that enable those children and young people who face barriers to participation to successfully overcome them

• Developing and maintaining effective services and interventions that prevent the most vulnerable children and young people in our community from experiencing additional difficulties and prevent them from suffering significant harm

1. To be responsible for shapingshort, medium and long term plans in line with agreed objectives and expected outcomes.

1. To exercise robust risk management, taking full account of the organisations agreed procedures such as GRACE (Risk Management System).

1. To ensure that appropriate health and safety policy and procedures are adhered to.

1. To build an effective customer focus in line with the council’s public access strategy, and ensure the views and feedback is used to improve services.

1. To implement equality policies and procedures and where appropriate, maintain an overview of compliance.

1. To undertake any duties of a similar nature commensurate with the grade as may be required from time to time.

Milton Keynes has adopted the Ofsted definition of vulnerable children. The two most vulnerable groups are looked after children (children in care) and children with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD). Other priority groups of vulnerable children for Milton Keynes include young offenders, children in need (including young carers) and children with high mobility including travellers. Underperforming groups can be categorised by a range of characteristics or risk factors which include gender, key stage, entitlement to free school meals, language acquisition and ethnicity. Of course, vulnerable groups can underperform when compared to their peers nationally or those in like authorities (statistical neighbours).

Organisational chart

PERSON SPECIFICATION

In this section the Skills, Knowledge, Qualification and Competency requirements to perform the role to a satisfactory standard are set out. The extent, nature and level of the role holder’s knowledge and skills should be specified

AwarenessSome knowledge or skills sufficient to show aptitude and the ability to learn in the particular work area

Significant Knowledge and skills gained through practice and/or qualification sufficient to fulfil the role requirements

ExtensiveKnowledge and skills gained through practice and/ or qualification to fulfil the role requirements and contribute to training others and developing policy and practice in the work area

Examples specific to role / Required / Level / Method of Assessment interview, testing, reference
Essential / Desirable / Awareness / Significant / Extensive
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Technical knowledge and qualifications / -A relevant professional qualification at Level 6 (degree) or above (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications).
-Experience of a senior leadership role in a school or setting.
-Expert knowledge of the legislative framework in relation to schools and/or settings.
-Expert understanding of school and/or setting improvement strategies.
- Qualified Teacher Status.
- Ofsted trained. / Y
Y
Y
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Y / Y / Y
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Y / I
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Planning and organising work / -Thinks and acts strategically within own area of responsibility and in support of other areas.
-Highly developed oral and written communication skills.
-Works strategically across the organisation and with partners. / Y
Y
Y / Y
Y
Y / I
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Planning capacity and resources / -Able to manage a demanding workload without reliance on others.
-Able to use resources flexibly.
-Able to lead and motivate others. / Y
Y
Y / Y
Y
Y / I
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Influencing and interpersonal skills / -Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills.
-Demonstrates strong commitment to the promotion of equal opportunities.
-Uses political judgment and sensitivity.
-Shows a resilience and toughness under pressure.
-Shows a high drive for achievement.
-Shows a high degree of awareness towards the needs of service users.
-Abiltiy to represent the council and work with a range of external partners, including at the regional and national level. / Y
Y
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Y / Y
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Y / I
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PROBLEM-SOLVING
Using initiative to overcome problems / -Highly developed analytical skills to consider a range of possible solutions.
-Able to harness resources and, in partnership with others, think creatively to find unique solutions to long lasting and highly complex problems. / Y
Y / Y
Y / I
I
Managing risk / -Is able to identify, assess and manage considerable risk, putting in place effective strategies to mitigate high risk and protects the council’s reputation.
-Is resourceful and resilient in the face of challenge to problem solving proposals. / Y
Y / Y
Y / I
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Managing change / -Experience of managing change.
-Able to inspire others to follow leadership during the process of change.
-Secure and skilful use of evidence to judge the progress of change and adjust accordingly. / Y
Y
Y / Y / Y
Y / I
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ACCOUNTABILITY and RESPONSIBILITY / -Identifies priorities and undertakes tasks without supervision.
-Is fully accountable for overall performance.
-Is open and honest at all times.
-Has high expectations of own performance and meets them. / Y
Y
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Y / Y
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Y / I
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Managing people / - Experience of people management / Y / Y / I
Managing financial resources / -Experience of managing significant financial budgets.
-Able to account for use of resources to demonstrate value for money across a number of interrelated projects. / Y
Y / Y
Y / I
I

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED All post holders must be able to comply with the council’s core competency requirements which include communication, respect for others, customer service, drive for results, delivering the promise and continuous personal development.In addition for those posts with management responsibilities the competencies will include managing self and personal skills, providing direction, facilitating and managing change, working with people, using resources, achieving results, promoting policy, values and culture, customer service and health and safety.

OTHER INFORMATION The post holder needs to be able to travel to meet service delivery requirement and be available to undertake work outside of normal working hours.

Signed Job holder / Signed Line Manager / Signed / Date