What skills and experience we're looking for
We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and ambitious Assistant Achievement Leader to be part of the Inclusion Support Faculty. Crestwood Community School is one school with two separate campuses serving central Eastleigh with a large Inclusion Support Faculty which is overseen by the Achievement Leader for Inclusion Support. Crestwood Community School has two Resource Provisions and the highest number of students on roll with Education, Health and Care Plans in the local authority. There are also a significant number of students on roll with identified special educational needs. The successful applicant will work with the Achievement Leader to oversee the provisions of students with special educational needs on a specific campus and take an active role in the shaping and monitoring of provisions on offer to students. The ideal candidate will have experience of working with students with special educational needs or be passionate about securing the best outcomes and futures for students regardless of their background or needs. This position would suit an experienced teacher from any subject background and somebody who has a willingness to undertake the NPQ SENCO in the future or already holds the NASENCO qualification. This position is ideal for somebody who is ambitious and seeking career progression in the future.
A member of the faculty who recently started teacher training at Crestwood Community School stated:
“Working in inclusion support has been an incredible journey of personal growth. Being there for students with diverse needs, helping them flourish, has been the most fulfilling part of my job. It's a role that holds a special place in my heart and motivates me to continue working with children in the future. From moments of pure joy to unexpected challenges, every day brings something new and meaningful.”
The Inclusion Support Faculty forms an integral part of Crestwood Community School which offers a safe and inclusive environment for students with special educational needs. The faculty is a highly successful faculty and has a strong reputation in the local community for offering provisions to students with special educational needs. The faculty is a large team which comprises a senior team, wellbeing and pastoral staff and classroom support assistants. The faculty is collaborative and has a commitment to working together to secure the best outcomes for students with special educational needs and ensure that their educational experience is positive regardless of the challenges they may face.
The Achievement Leader for Inclusion Support works across both campuses and has oversight over inclusion across the school and alternative provision. The ideal candidate must be able to work collaboratively with staff at all levels in the school and be able to liaise with key stakeholders in a student’s life. The successful candidate will be a valuable member of the faculty leadership team and will have oversight over a number of Education Health and Care Plans on the campus they operate on. The ideal candidate will have experience in understanding the barriers students face to access education and have knowledge of Education, Health and Care Plans and systems which operate in the creation and monitoring of plans with key stakeholders or be willing to undertake training to understand these systems. The candidate will need to be creative and solution focused to find the best possible solutions to issues which may arise throughout a young person’s educational journey.
For the successful candidate, a commitment to raising standards and a passion for developing young adults is essential: this entails a commitment to all learners, to excellence for all, and a belief that a good school makes a significant difference to learners’ life chances, levels of attainment and the wellbeing of the community as a whole
What the school offers its staff
Crestwood Community School had an Ofsted inspection in February 2024, which confirmed that we continue to be a ‘good’ school. The report stated that at Crestwood “there is a welcoming, friendly atmosphere”. They also said that “teachers and support staff, including those in the early stages of their career, are proud to work at the school. They particularly value school leader's careful consideration of their workload and well-being so that they can focus their efforts fully on pupils’ education.” In addition, Ofsted report that “many pupils, staff and parents describe the school as a ‘big family’. This is a happy school, where staff and students want to be. The #Crestwoodfamily pervades through everything we do.
As a school we take staff well being seriously. We offer staff the following:
• wellbeing weeks, with no commitments scheduled after school
• free lunch every day
• free tea and coffee
• half termly cooked breakfasts
• accrued inset days, taken as twilights, giving staff an additional 4 days off a year
• One wellbeing day per year (during term-time), to be taken at their chosen time (after a qualifying period)
• weekly thank you bulletin
• birthday cards
• heads discretionary leaves of absence for family events
• acts of random kindness
• access to mental health first aiders
Our Head Teacher has a clear vision and an absolute determination to improve the provision of education across Eastleigh. We care deeply about our school, the staff, the students and the community we serve, we are a school with a heart. We as a school are clear about our improvement agenda and we work cohesively as a school wide team. As this was our fifth consecutive “good” grading it demonstrates that at Crestwood we are continually providing a consistent quality in all we do, against a backdrop of tougher standards and criteria to be judged against.
We care deeply about our school, the staff, the students and the community we serve, we are a school with a heart. We as a school are clear about our improvement agenda and we work cohesively as a school wide team. As this was our fifth consecutive “good” grading it demonstrates that at Crestwood we are continually providing a consistent quality in all we do, against a backdrop of tougher standards and criteria to be judged against.
The Inclusion Support Faculty is a large faculty which delivers provisions to students with special educational needs across both campuses. The Achievement Leader for Inclusion Support works across both campuses and is a qualified teacher and SENCO. She is passionate about securing the best outcomes for students with special educational needs. The Achievement Leader is supported by a team of skilled Provision Leads who oversee academic and behaviour on each campus and a Teacher of SEN. The wider team encompasses classroom based support staff, Assistant Provision Leads and emotional support staff, including ELSAs. Crestwood Community School currently has 111 Education, Health and Care plans which is the highest number of plans in the local area. The Inclusion Support faculty has a strong reputation in the local community for the support provided to students which is delivered by a team of skilled and innovative individuals who are solution focused to secure the best plans for students with barriers to education. We operate under a person centred approach to planning which allows staff to create bespoke packages of support around students when required.
It is the belief that High Quality Inclusive teaching is the best strategy to support students with special educational needs and that this takes place in the classroom with subject specialists. However, students who access Inclusion Support are often withdrawn from a subject in Key Stage Three and an option at Key Stage Four to allow them to access additional interventions. In Key Stage Three students access interventions which focus on literacy and numeracy skills which allow them to access the wider curriculum and also social skills. In Key Stage Four students are able to access functional skills in English and Maths and also additional interventions to allow them to access pre-teaching and over-learning of their GCSE subjects. Students who are identified through testing and screeners are able to access tutor time interventions which are delivered throughout the school year. Our ethos is to provide students with the skills that allow them to access the next step in their education or life. We aim to provide them with the knowledge and skills to be successful when they leave school.
We have enhanced our campuses significantly over the past few years. We have refurbished nearly all areas across the school. We have had a new crescent area and roof at Shakespeare which has enhanced the building significantly. The Cherbourg Campus is situated between the town’s two post-16 providers. The site is well maintained with specialist facilities in excellent condition throughout, including 5 new Science rooms and refurbished Sports Hall. In totality we are a school continually on the up and have a can-do-more attitude.
As a new member of staff you will be well supported: we have a comprehensive induction process, and you will be given an Induction Mentor and a ‘professional buddy’. We hold the Investors in People Gold standard, and see professional learning as a major strategic priority.
Further details about the role
Your application should comprise a completed Hampshire teaching application form, and a letter in which you should outline your experience to date, the reasons for your interest in the post and your suitability for it. Please include a paragraph on your philosophy of Inclusion and what specialisms you could bring to Crestwood Community School.
An application form can be found on the school website under School Information- Vacancies.
Applications, with the names and addresses of two referees, should be returned to me, Krista Dawkins, Head Teacher at hr@crestwood.hants.sch.uk.
Commitment to safeguarding
Crestwood Community School and Hampshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks.