What skills and experience we're looking for
We are seeking a dynamic, experienced primary or secondary teacher to join our academy as a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO), starting in September 2025 or sooner. This is a full time, permanent post for an ambitious individual with a passion for supporting students with special educational needs. The position is to add capacity to our current SEND provision.
As a SENDCO, you will work closely with the current Assistant Head SENCO to ensure that the diverse needs of our students are met effectively, helping them to thrive academically and personally. We are looking for a motivated professional with proven experience in working with children with SEND, who holds relevant qualifications such as NASENCO or the National Professional Qualification in SEND Leadership (NPQ).
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a growing academy and make a real impact on the educational journey of students with special educational needs. If you are committed to inclusion, collaboration and delivering high-quality SEND provision, we would love to hear from you.
Having achieved the best results in the school’s history in summer 2023, followed by a visit from Ofsted in May 2024, where we were judged as a strong ‘Good’ in all areas, Buckler’s Mead Academy is going from strength to strength.
Key Responsibilities:
• Ensuring that students with SEND are identified early, their needs are assessed accurately and that effective support is in place.
• Ensuring that the school is compliant with all relevant SEND legislation and guidelines.
• Ensuring that students with SEND are integrated into the school’s mainstream curriculum and activities.
• Able to lead and manage the provision of special educational needs learning support, including the allocation of support time and the writing of individual and group education plans.
• Capable of establishing positive working relationships with partner primary schools and external agencies, including the Educational Psychology Service, Somerset Support Services and specialist teachers to ensure that individual student special educational needs are met effectively and that the requirements of statements of special educational need/EHCPs are fully met.
• Able to manage an accurate SEND Register.
• Capable of establishing positive working relationships with parents/carers and staff across the school and the wider Trust.
• A confident, experienced teacher of students across KS3 and KS4.
• Enthusiastic and willing to try new ideas, taking responsibility for new initiatives.
• Keen to support the teaching of excellence by improving student outcomes.
• Someone with sky high expectations of students, whilst fully appreciating the need to provide encouragement and support to students of all abilities.
• Interested in continuing professional development.
What the school offers its staff
In return we can offer you the opportunity to work with motivated students, the full support of a dedicated and committed team of staff, a supportive induction programme and ongoing professional development, plus the opportunity to work in a developing academy in a beautiful area of the South West. We seek to significantly invest in developing all of our staff. Having joined the Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership in September 2021, we are part of a Trust which is often considered the ‘market leader’ in the South West for school improvement. The successful candidate will benefit from Trust wide opportunities, such as early careers induction, CPD and working with colleagues across Trust schools.
Staff benefits include free on-site parking, membership of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and access for all staff to the Employee Assistance Programme “Health Assured”, which is a telephone based advice, information and counselling service. A selection of meals, snacks and drinks is available for staff to purchase at lunch and break times.
Buckler’s Mead Academy is a highly inclusive academy, serving the east side of Yeovil, Somerset. Our vision as an academy is “an inspiring education for all”. We believe that all members of our community should be given the opportunity to be happy, to achieve, participate and become successful. Our job as professionals is to ensure this happens. All our staff sign up to these aspirations and play a full role in contributing to this vision through inclusive teaching. We seek to recruit dedicated and talented staff, highly committed to making a difference.
Further details about the role
Buckler’s Mead Academy is an equal opportunities employer. The campus is a no smoking site.
Please note that we review all applications on receipt and reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier if we receive sufficient applications.
Commitment to safeguarding
Buckler's Mead is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children. We have a duty of care and the right to take reasonable action, ensuring the welfare and safety of pupils. If staff have cause for concern that a child is subject to any form of abuse, we will follow child protection procedures and inform Children’s Services. Buckler’s Mead meets statutory requirements relating to Disclosure & Barring Service – all staff and volunteers who work with Buckler’s Mead Academy who meet the ‘regulated activity test’ (Freedoms Act 2012) are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check prior to employment.