The Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust (ODBST) is an ambitious and aspirational family of 15 schools united by a clear focus on school improvement. Our mission is to empower our unique schools to excel, enabling our children and young people to "experience life in all its fullness."

We are proud to serve communities of all faiths and none, with our schools existing to provide exceptional education and care to their local communities. We foster a deep sense of belonging across our Trust, where pupils, parents, staff, and the wider community feel proud to be part of our family.

The Role:

We are recruiting for an exciting new position within our central team to support our ODBST schools with the operational leadership of SEND across the Trust. Our schools are all committed to achieving the very best for all of our SEND pupils and we are looking for someone who can lead this forward on a Trust level, developing and supporting our team of experienced SENDCo's, bringing together excellent practice alongside researching and implementing new initiatives.

The role will be largely school based with work, as part of the School Effectiveness team, and working will be alongside School Effectiveness Partners as well as school leaders. 

The main purpose of the role includes the following key areas:-

• ·        To provide ODBST-wide operational leadership for SEND and inclusion.

•           To translate the ODBST SEND strategy into consistent practice across schools.

• ·        To build SEND leadership capacity in all schools 

Further details of the role can be found in the attached Job Description and Person Specification. 

The Ideal Candidate:

You will be a strategic thinker with strong SEND experience, passionate about making a real difference to the life chances and outcomes for SEND students.  You will bring expertise, creativity, and a values-driven approach to leading and developing our SEND provision.

What We Offer:

•             The opportunity to make a significant impact across a growing family of schools

•             A collaborative, supportive team committed to educational excellence

•             Competitive salary and benefits package

•             The chance to work with passionate educators dedicated to transforming young lives

Being part of a Trust, makes you part of the family and this comes with many opportunities from CPD training and networking to in-house support and career development. 

We are committed to our staff and offer benefits which include:

•             Employee Assistance Programme with Schools Advisory Service - through this programme, staff can access a wide range of support including a GP service, menopause support, counselling and mindfulness, chronic illness support, physiotherapy, fitness services and so much more! 

•             Free flu vaccination vouchers

•             Free eye test for computer users

•             Cycle 2 Work Scheme

•             Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for support staff 

•             Extensive CPD opportunities including (not-exclusively) Trust wide subject leadership groups, mentoring, networking opportunities and apprenticeships 

•             Full commitment to sustainable ways of working, green energy and reducing our Trust emissions to reach net zero by 2035.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.  All post holders in regulated activity are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced check.  The ODBST is an Equal Opportunities employer.  

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975 because it is a post which involves working directly with children or young people and the applicant is required to declare any criminal convictions (or cautions or bind-overs) including those which are “spent”.  The amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013, 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’ and are not subject to disclosure to employers, and cannot be taken into account.  Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Disclosure and Barring Service website: Guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975. It is an offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.