Thank you for your interest in working at Whitefield School.

 At Whitefield School, pupils – all of whom have different needs and abilities – are given the support and encouragement they need to access the curriculum, make progress and flourish. As any member of the staff team can tell you, watching pupils develop, learn new skills and grow in confidence is hugely gratifying and is a reward rarely experienced in other professions. Every day our staff leave work knowing they have made a difference to the lives of their pupils and their families.

Whitefield School has been on a fantastic journey in recent years and has made significant strides forward. This is therefore a very exciting time to be joining our community and every member of staff has the opportunity to play a key role in giving every pupil an exceptional learning experience.

 As a part of the Learning in Harmony Trust, Whitefield School has access to high-quality continuous professional development opportunities. Likewise, there are a number of pathways for colleagues to develop their careers and we will always do what we can to help them progress their careers within our Trust.

 We aim to recruit people who demonstrate that they share our values, are highly motivated to pursue professional excellence and are committed to providing the highest standards for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.  We welcome advocates for those with SEND. We know first-hand just what, given the right support, children and young people with SEND can achieve and we relish working with others who also recognise the valuable contribution they can make to society.

 We hope you are excited about this opportunity to join Whitefield School and Learning in Harmony Trust.

Core Purpose:

To ensure, in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team, that pupils continue to have every possible opportunity to enjoy school and to make outstanding progress by:

•  teaching an agreed timetable; acting as an excellent role model for colleagues;
•  providing the guidance training and coaching which will enable staff to maintain consistently outstanding teaching and learning;
•  monitoring and evaluating the quality of curriculum planning,  teaching and learning;
• developing, monitoring and evaluating systems to track pupils' progress through accurate assessment, recording and reporting;
• following up the outcomes of progress tracking so that appropriate strategies are put in place to support any pupil whose progress has slowed;
• making a significant contribution to organising and delivering opportunities for staff development;
• co-ordinating opportunities for shared working and sharing successful practice across the Trust;
• developing the environment within the school to support teaching and learning;
• contributing to the continuing evaluation and development of practice across the Whitefield School;
• fulfilling the role of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead as part of the wider Safeguarding responsibilities.

Responsibilities:

• To support teachers to work within the school's bespoke curriculum to plan activities which enable students to enjoy learning and make outstanding progress.
• To ensure that staff have the information, training and support which they need to deliver an outstanding curriculum, to help students establish effective communication and develop confidence and autonomy and to respond confidently to challenging behaviour, moving and handling needs and medical needs.
• To support planning and staff deployment so that all students, including those with severely challenging behaviour and those with extreme medical needs, have access to appropriate learning activities within the school and the wider community.
• To support staff to work in partnership with parents, sharing clear information about the school curriculum and their children's targets and progress and fully involving them in decisions relating to their children.
• To support staff to use appropriate strategies to help all pupils make as much progress as they are able.

Key Responsibilities:

• To work alongside the Leadership team and in partnership with pupils, families, teachers, the Family Support Team, careers advisors and social services.
• To support the Senior Leadership Team to monitor the quality of teaching, learning and Curriculum.  
• To lead an area of curriculum, assessment or teaching and learning across the whole school.
• To teach within a school
• To chair PCRs and other meetings in relation to individual pupils.

Line Management Responsibilities:

• To take responsibility for performance management for identified teachers and learning support staff.

           Deputy Designated Lead for Safeguarding

• is a member of the wider SLT
• takes lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection.
• has sufficient time within their role to undertake the duties of the post and will be supported to delegate key tasks (but not the final responsibility) to deputies and to other appropriately trained colleagues.
• attends external training annually with regular updates so that they are fully aware of statutory requirements and ongoing developments.
• is always available during school hours or makes sure that a member of the safeguarding team is available, to discuss concerns and take appropriate action swiftly.
• ensures that referrals to social care are made swiftly and are backed up with accurate and thorough information and followed up as necessary.
• monitors all children and young people in need of support and the action being taken to support them and their families, following up any concerns.
• works with social care where children and young people have been identified for support through the ‘Child in Need’ procedures, attending relevant meetings or ensuring that an appropriate person does so, making sure that clear and accurate reports are provided and that the school carries out any tasks assigned through the child protection process.
• works with social care where children and young people have been identified as experiencing, or at risk of experiencing significant harm, attending relevant meetings or ensuring that an appropriate person does so, making sure that clear and accurate reports are provided and that the school carries out any tasks assigned through the child protection process.
• works with the local authorities via the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.
• liaises with the designated teacher for Children who are Looked After and the Headteacher of the Virtual School.
• liaises with the local authority social care teams and other agencies as necessary, in line with the systems set out in ‘working together to safeguard children’.
• reports to SLT and to the Executive Team at least termly so that they are able to monitor the effectiveness of safeguarding and are aware in general terms of the key issues.

General Responsibilities:

All employees are expected to:

• Undertake any training commensurate with the post.
• Show a responsible attitude to health and safety issues and have due regard for their personal safety and that of others.
• Support, uphold and contribute to the development of the school's equal rights policies and practices in respect of both employment issues and the delivery of services to the community.

The Learning in Harmony Trust reserves the right to vary or amend the duties and responsibilities of the post holder at any time.