What skills and experience we're looking for
As the Director of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for the Trust you will be the strategic lead for all aspects of SEND. You will provide guidance and support across each of our schools in the Trust, ensuring pupils with special educational needs attend, participate and achieve well in line with their peers. You will establish high quality working relationships with our Headteachers, Senior Leadership Teams and SENDCOs to drive SEND provisions within the Trust.
Through your skilled leadership you will oversee the implementation relating to SEND in all aspects of the statutory guidance for education. You will contribute to the strategic objectives of the Trust by driving a Trust-wide vision and leading a culture of high expectations, access and achievement. Your deep understanding of SEND and alternative provisions will ensure best practice and full compliance across all our schools.
What the school offers its staff
If you feel you have the right skills and attributes we are looking for, then we will be delighted to hear from you. If you would like to find out more about the position please contact the HR Department on 01282 855500 or careers@romerocat.com
Further details about the role
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership of SEND
• Be responsible for the development and coordination of the whole Trust SEND strategy, and maximise the benefits of being in a Trust.
• Provide strategic leadership for Special Educational Needs across the schools within the Trust to ensure that pupils with SEND attend, participate and achieve well.
• Lead the Trust team of SENDCOs supporting SENDCOs to share best practice and learn from each other.
• Lead the development of Special Educational Needs and inclusion with school and Trust leaders to ensure robust and coordinated strategies for the identification and support for pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning are in place in each school.
• Review and further develop consistent staffing structures across the Trust that ensure effective support for pupils with SEND, ensuring effective deployment of staffing and resources at school level.
• Ensure the Trust maintains up-to-date knowledge on legislation, whilst meeting it statutory obligations and legal requirements in relation to our cohort of SEND pupils.
• Ensure that the quality of education for pupils with additional needs or disabilities is ambitious and of high quality.
• Monitor and analyse the attainment and progress of all pupils with SEND holding Headteachers, Senior Leadership Teams and SENDCOs to account.
• Analyse and interpret relevant national, local, Trust and school data, research, and inspection evidence to inform all relevant policies and practice.
• Lead on CPD strategy for teaching and support staff across all schools in order to maximise achievement for pupils with SEND/additional needs, including the delivery of Trust wide training.
• Support and influence teaching strategies to embed teaching for learning policies, and be the advocate for adaptive teaching to remove barriers to learning.
• Quality assure all aspects of pupils with EHCPs, including the application phase, funding, implementation of the plans and reviews ensuring statutory responsibilities meet the SEND code of practice.
• Oversee the coordination and consistent approach of special and access arrangements in internal and external examinations for pupils with SEND.
• Maximise the Trusts access to funding to support pupils with SEND.
General Leadership Responsibilities
• Demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding of the Trust vision and its main priorities.
• Commit to providing an outstanding consistent pupil experience through collaboration and the sharing of good practice.
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• To be a visible, proactive presence in our schools, promoting equality of educational opportunity and ensuring the quality of SEND provision.
• Use data effectively to identify our most vulnerable pupils who are underachieving and, where necessary, ensure senior leaders create and implement effective plans of action too support those pupils.
• Provide support and advice with complex cases at interim and annual reviews and during transition.
• Develop processes of self-evaluation, peer review and external monitoring across all the Trusts schools.
• Take responsibility for the preparation and presentation of performance measures and processes required, to enable monitoring of performance outcomes for all vulnerable pupils.
• Contribute towards the performance management of SENDCOs.
• Provide ongoing support and advice to SENDCOs, Senior Leadership Teams and Headteachers ensuring a timely response to enquiries.
• Ensure appropriate response to complaints and lead on escalated and required complaints in conjunction with the CEO and Governance Lead.
• When and where required, to support the schools in working effectively and in partnership with parents and carers to secure the best outcomes for pupils.
• Develop effective links and partnerships across primary and secondary schools linking with local authority services for SEND.
• Prepare to work and support in an underperforming school until the provision is improved.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of SEND provision ensuring continuous improvement and development.
• Attend all Catholic Life & Standards Committee meetings providing appropriate reports for committee members.
Additional supporting information – specific to this post
The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive. Romero CAT may require the post holder to undertake duties commensurate with the level of the role. As part of your wider duties and responsibilities, you are required to promote and actively support Romero CAT’s responsibilities towards safeguarding.
Romero Catholic Academy Trust expects all staff to work effectively as part of a team or teams. As a minimum, this requires a clear appreciation of the Catholic faith, our special ethos and commitment to serving society, dealing with people politely and tactfully, communicating with colleagues both formally and informally, modelling the Catholic Education Service and Romero CAT’s Code of Conduct and reflecting the Diocesan values. You must carry out your duties with due regard to current and future policies, procedures and relevant legislation. These will be drawn to your attention in your induction, ongoing performance reviews and through Romero CAT communications. All staff are required to maintain confidentiality as required.
This post does not require a faith commitment within Romero Catholic Church however, candidates but be supportive of the ethos, vision and values of the Trust and not do anything to undermine the faith commitment of the Trust. In line with all staff within the Trust, they will be required to sign a Catholic Education Service Contract.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.