SENCO

This is an exciting opportunity for a creative, ambitious and innovative professional with excellent leadership skills to take the department forward and build on the successes achieved to date. This is a non-teaching role to reflect the nature and pressures of SEND in education today. Working alongside the Deputy Headteacher, you will have the vision to shape and oversee the next stages in Learning Support provision at our school.  

At Plymstock School we believe it is essential to provide a well‐balanced, broad and challenging curriculum for all students. We are committed to ensuring that all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), receive their right to a high quality, accessible and balanced curriculum. We endeavour to raise aspirations and expectations for all students, including those with SEND, by working in partnership with parents/carers and listening to students. 

We are looking for candidates who: 

• Are highly ambitious for our children and who are committed to building their confidence, aspirations and expectations
• Are committed to children and students’ academic and personal development
• Have successful experience of motivating staff and improving performance 
• Have a proactive and creative approach to working with others

Why work at Plymstock School?   

No two schools are ever the same, but we believe that Plymstock School is a truly unique and special place to work. Our objective is simple – we want to be a world-class learning community that enables all young people to succeed.  We are very successful and are the top performing non-selective school in the city, and one of the highest in the South West for Progress 8, Attainment 8 and EBacc. However, our aspirations spread beyond the region and we are aiming to be in the top 1% of all schools nationally.   

We are significantly oversubscribed. Consequently, we are expanding our Year 7 school intake from 260 to 300 students each year.   

In September 2017, we joined forces with a group of four other secondary schools and eight primary schools, to form the Westcountry Schools Trust (WeST). Our mission statement is ‘Stronger together…every child in a great school’. You will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across a network of likeminded schools – sharing new ideas, expertise and pooling resources. WeST also offers excellent CPD opportunities and significant potential career development opportunities.   

Our standards of discipline are very high and consequently teachers really can teach at our school. Our behaviour management system is simple, quick and highly effective. We are a school that still subscribes to traditional expectations for behaviour, and you will find many things that you won’t see elsewhere, such as all students standing when an adult enters a classroom.    

Relationships between staff and students are great and a real strength of this school. Our staff are happy, morale is good and staff turnover is low – people want to work here. We have received much recognition of our work. We are the only school in Plymouth chosen to be featured in the national Good Schools Guide, in addition to being selected as one of the ‘500 Best State Secondary Schools’ by the Sunday Times. Our innovative work with disadvantaged students has resulted in Challenge Partners designating us as a Lead school for Challenge the Gap, in which we lead a hub of other Plymouth schools. 

If you are still interested there are a number of questions we need you to consider next. 

Are you someone who…  

• believes in, and is committed to, our ambition to be world-class
• sees working with young people as a vocation or calling rather than just a job  
• believes that improvement is continuous and that we can always learn more  
• will go the extra mile for our great students  
• stays positive, committed and won’t give up, even when times are tough  
• is polite and respectful to others, and understands the importance of strong and  supportive working relationships  
• has a good sense of humour  
• has an excellent attendance record  
• brings solutions and ideas, rather than problems   
• is open to new ideas and will always give something a try

If you can say yes to all of these and want to work in an exciting and dynamic environment, with an amazing group of students and a top-quality team of staff – then Plymstock School is for you and we would warmly welcome your application. Application forms can be submitted via the TES website or emailed to recruitment@plymstockschool.org.uk 

Closing date: Monday 26th November 9am 

Plymstock School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post is subject to receipt of a satisfactory enhanced DBS clearance.