Aspiring SENCO

We are looking to appoint an exceptional, experienced qualified teacher as aspiring SENCO at Harris Invictus Academy Croydon.

About Us

We believe passionately in our mission statement – ‘We Know, We Can, We Will'. We never settle for less and are driven by achievement and success. To be a committed member of the Harris Invictus community is to aspire to learn and gain knowledge. We are able to apply what we know to the outside world. We can do it and we will succeed no matter the circumstances or difficulties we face.

Learning is a journey, and in partnership with parents, we will be there to support when needed, to celebrate successes and to guide our young people as they become the leaders of tomorrow.

At Harris Invictus Academy Croydon, we are very proud of our students; we know they understand the importance of a good education and we know they are committed to achieving the very best outcomes.

Our curriculum leaders know how vital it is to provide a challenging curriculum that will inspire and engage. Providing opportunities for students to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

We know it is important to provide opportunities for students to develop, not only through the taught curriculum, but beyond; through programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the Music in Secondary Schools programme and the Jack Petchey Award. Creating chances for students to really shine and show how amazing they are.

Main Areas of Responsibility

The purpose of your role will be:

• To ensure that Academy practice is compliant with the SEND Code of Practice (2014) and other relevant statutory requirements
• To work with the Academy Leadership team ensuring an ethos of Inclusion within the Academy and a culture of high aspirations for students with SEND
• To work with the Academy Leadership team ensuring the implementation of the Academy SEND Policy
• To ensure that the provision of SEND support is in accordance with the aims of the Academy and curricular policies
• To be responsible for maintaining an accurate and up-to-date Academy SEND Profile
• To be responsible for the accurate identification of SEND need across the Academy, ensuring a rigorous and thorough assessment process
• To be a role model with regard to Quality First Teaching and differentiation within your own teaching practice
• To be responsible for the embedding of Quality First Teaching across the Academy
• To be responsible for the Academy SEND Offer, ensuring high quality targeted interventions enabling students with SEND to make better progress
• In consultation with the Academy Leadership Team, to provide a programme of professional development with regard to SEND, that ensures all staff have the knowledge, skills and understanding to plan teaching and learning effectively and enable students with SEND to make expected progress
• To be responsible for tracking the progress of students with SEND, using a wide range of Academy data relating to progress, attainment, referrals, exclusions, detentions and attendance to identify barriers to learning
• To deploy staff and resources according to the needs of SEND students
• To write a termly report to the Governing body on progress and developments

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• QTS (or equivalent) and a good undergraduate degree
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development relevant to the SENCO role or willingness to undertake this training.
• Knowledge and understanding of national priorities, current curriculum development and an ability to design and implement an innovate curriculum based on students' needs
• A thorough understanding of quality assurance techniques
• An appreciation of student motivation
• An understanding of how professional development contributes to the raising of quality
• SEN experience in a secondary school
• Evidence of successful teaching experience
• Evidence of pastoral experience
• Experience of working with key stakeholders such as parents, governors, employers etc

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, 26 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays) for staff who work across the full year, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.