What skills and experience we're looking for
• The Sittingbourne School
• £27,752 - £29,264 FTE - SAT D
• 37 hours per week, All Year Round
• Permanent
We are seeking to appoint a dedicated and dynamic SEND Support Officer to join our fantastic SEND department and be part of a team dedicated to ensuring all students with special educational needs receive fantastic support and education so they can make excellent progress across the board. You will join a talented and dedicated department, with a strong teamwork ethic and passionate commitment to improving attainment. This post offers an excellent opportunity to be part of the school’s exciting upward journey. Applicants will show enthusiasm for joining our dynamic and supportive team, and will be able to demonstrate the highest standards of delivery in order to raise attainment at all levels.
What the school offers its staff
The Sittingbourne School has two Specialist Resource Provisions (one Hearing Impaired Unit and one Speech and Language Unit). In addition to these units, the school has a higher than average proportion of students with EHCPs in mainstream classes. Therefore, meeting the wide range of needs of our students is an essential part of everybody's role here at the school.
The Sittingbourne School is a large, oversubscribed school built on a strong sense of community, making us a warm and very special place to be part of. Our staff work tirelessly to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of every child. However, we are not a school where we allow ourselves to be defined or limited by the pastoral care we offer. We are ambitious for all of our students to achieve as highly as possible and we never forget that teaching and learning is our core business. Our motto is “Empowered through learning” because we believe that through excellent teaching and a fantastic curriculum every child can succeed, be happy and change their lives. Therefore, we are driving to ensure every child consistently receives high quality teaching and learning in every lesson and engages in a challenging and relevant curriculum.
This was reflected in our March 2023 Ofsted inspection report that states how, “Staff have high aspirations for what all pupils can learn and achieve. This level of ambition is evident throughout the school”. They also commented on how, “Pupils are proud of how tolerant and supportive their school is” and that, “The vast majority of pupils behave well in school”. The school was graded as “Good” for the third successive inspection.
The successful candidate will join a school with a strong and supportive senior leadership team for whom staff wellbeing is a priority. We appreciate the challenges school staff face and we do all we can to reduce unnecessary workload and cut down on bureaucracy. We take a zero tolerance approach to rudeness and defiance to staff and we make sure that no teacher feels alone when things are tough. Staff also benefit from a wide-ranging programme of ongoing staff development.
Potential candidates with children who are of (or are approaching) secondary school age, may be interested to know that children of our staff are given priority in our Admissions Policy.
Benefits include:
• Local Government Pension Scheme – with a generous employer contribution
• Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC (Additional Voluntary Contribution) Scheme
• Enhanced Maternity Pay
• Employee Referral Recruitment Incentive
• Access to training and development
• Employee Assistance Programme – Wellbeing and advice
• Generous Holiday entitlement of 26 days (SAT A-E) plus Public holidays, that increases on length of service
• Discounts with local and national retailers, cinemas and restaurants
• Cycle to Work scheme
• On-site Parking
Further details about the role
Full details of the requirements of the post can be found in the accompanying recruitment pack.
If you think The Sittingbourne School could be the school for you and you would like more information on the role, please email Laura Jewiss (Laura.Jewiss@swale.at) or email Sarah Scott-Drysdale to arrange a visit to the school (sarah.scottdrysdale@swale.at).
Please note that we reserve the right to bring forward the application deadline if we feel we have a strong field of applicants early on. Therefore, early application is advised.
Applications should be made via Kent Teach or by submitting a completed application form to Sarah.ScottDrysdale@swale.at. Please note, we cannot accept CVs.
If you experience any difficulty in completing the application form, please contact recruitment@swale.at or 01795 905989 (option 2).
We are happy to discuss any support you may need during your application process as part of our reasonable adjustment approach.
In accordance with current GDPR compliance we will not keep any details / application forms on file once the position is filled.
Interview Dates: w/c 17th March 2025
Swale Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from ROA and will require an enhanced DBS disclosure.
Swale Academies Trust schools will conduct an online check of shortlisted candidates in line with the Keeping Children Safe In Education guidelines.
Commitment to safeguarding
Swale Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from ROA and will require an enhanced DBS disclosure.