Job Description
POST TITLE: SENDCo
REPORTING TO: Head of Children’s Services
REPORTING TO: Cornerstone Teaching Pay Scale + Additional Responsibilities Allowance
Main Purpose
The SENDCo will
- Fulfil the professional responsibilities of a teacher, as outlined below and in conjunction with the policies referred to in the Trust’s staff policies.
- Meet the expectations set out in the Teachers’ Standards.
Duties and responsibilities
Teaching, Learning, Recording and Assessment
- Identify and adopt the most effective teaching approaches for pupils with SEND and share approaches with colleagues.
- Monitor teaching and learning activities to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
- Liaise with other schools, pre-schools and professionals to ensure continuity of support and learning when supporting and transferring pupils with SEND (e.g. 0-25 SEND team).
- Demonstrate exemplary teaching practice across the school, meeting the teaching standards in all areas.
- Work with colleagues to set challenging targets for raising achievement among pupils with SEND.
- Ensure robust tracking systems are in place to collect and interpret assessment data allowing the school to identify ‘value-added’.
- Set up systems for identifying support of, assessing and reviewing provision for SEND children.
- Implement My Plan Assess, Plan, Do, Review process to support SEND, setting up and leading TAF meetings and EHC Plan annual reviews, ensuring appropriate agencies are involved and provide support for SEND children, including additional funding.
- Update the Head of School and governing body on the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND.
- Develop understanding of learning needs and the importance of raising achievement among pupils.
- Work with parents regarding their child’s progress and support.
- Ensure that school monitoring systems (e.g. provision maps) are up to date and all stakeholders are fully informed about support programmes in place/planned.
- Ensure provision maps are monitored regularly, are live documents and their impact is assessed and progress can be evidenced.
- Ensure all members of staff recognise and fulfil their statutory responsibilities to pupils with SEND and understand the importance of QFT taking ownership of additional provision and the progress children (with SEND) make in their class/teaching group.
- Take the lead in ensuring intervention programmes target the right pupils and staff expertise is deployed appropriately.
- Provide training opportunities for learning support assistants, teachers and other stakeholders to learn about SEND and work with other colleagues to deliver training on specific intervention programmes.
- Take the lead in liaising, co-ordinating and managing external support offered to the school.
- Arrange and lead TAF meetings.
- Be the lead professional and record using Early Help/Right for Children.
- Be responsible for the liaison with external agencies.
Whole-school organisation, strategy, and development
- Use IT tools fully to provide effective and high-quality education, deploying the latest approaches for blended learning.
- Disseminate good practice in SEND across the school.
- Contribute to Senior Leadership Meetings regarding the effectiveness of SEND provision in the school and be prepared to share this information with other stakeholders.
- Identify resources needed to meet the needs of pupils with SEND and advise the Headteacher of priorities for expenditure.
- Positively contribute to the management of pupil behaviour across the school.
- Contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of the school’s policies, practices, and procedures, to support the school’s values and vision.
- Make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school.
- Attend and take a constructive part in staff meetings, inset days and any other school arranged training sessions.
Health, safety, and discipline
- Promote the safety and wellbeing of pupils.
- Maintain good order and discipline among pupils, managing behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment.
- Be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people within the school, raising any concerns following school protocol/procedures.
- Act within, the statutory frameworks, which set out the professional duties and responsibilities and in line with the duties outlined below. Take responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people within the school.
- Escalate concerns in a timely fashion and through the correct tools as directed to you.
Professional development
- Take part in the school’s appraisal procedures.
- Take part in further training and development to improve own teaching.
- Where appropriate, lead or take part in the appraisal and professional development of others.
- Regularly review the effectiveness of your teaching and assessment procedures and its impact on pupils’ progress, attainment, and well-being, refining your approaches where necessary responding to advice and feedback from colleagues.
- Keep up-to-date with changes in SEND, both locally and at national level, attending local groups and conferences as required and disseminating information to SLT.
Communication
- Communicate effectively with pupils, parents and carers and other professional bodies as required whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Use IT systems efficiently and effectively to communicate and collaborate.
- Respond quickly to emails and messages.
Working with colleagues and other relevant professionals
- Collaborate and work with colleagues and other relevant professionals within and beyond the school.
- Develop effective professional relationships with colleagues.
Personal and professional conduct
- Uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school.
- Have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies, and practices of the school, and maintain high standards of attendance and punctuality.
- Understand and act within the statutory frameworks setting out their professional duties and responsibilities.
Management of staff and resources
- Direct and supervise staff assigned to them.
- Contribute to the recruitment and professional development of teachers and support staff where appropriate.
- Deploy resources delegated to you taking care to ensure these are maintained to a high standard and looked after responsibly.
Other areas of responsibility
- To demonstrate a commitment to the full life of the school and to work with all members of staff to ensure the success of whole school initiatives and assemblies, fayres & fund raising, open evenings and other activities as they occur in school.
Please note that this job description is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the work to be undertaken, commensurate with the grade. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the postholder will carry out. The postholder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role, as directed by the Headteacher or your line manager.
The post requires you to teach students in the age range 2 to 11 years as consistent with the ages of students attending this Academy Trust. This job description is not your contract of employment or any part of it. It has been prepared only for the purpose of school organisation and may change. It may be amended at any time after consultation with you.
Person Specification
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