Senior SENCO - Maternity Cover

Senior SENCO

Start date: September 2024

Location: Ark Alexandra Academy, Hastings, East Sussex

Salary: Ark Outside London Leadership Pay Scale, points 8 – 12: £56,910 to £62,794

Hours: Full-time

Contract: Fixed Term - Maternity Cover - until 30/01/2025

Closing date: 9.00 am on 03 May 2024 

The school reserves the right to withdraw this advert if a suitable candidate is appointed before the closing date. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early for this role to avoid disappointment. 

We are excited to welcome applications from ambitious middle or senior leaders, with SEND experience who have the skills, drive, and commitment to help us achieve our ambitions for Ark Alexandra Academy. The successful candidate will work closely with the SLT with a strong focus on improving outcomes for our SEND students. They will have the skills, drive, and commitment to help us achieve our ambitions for the school as we enter the next phase of our improvement journey. 

Experience of primary and secondary education will be an advantage. We are looking for a leader who can demonstrate skills in raising standards and outcomes through supporting teachers to provide strong classroom provision for SEND and vulnerable students.  Working with parents and families will be a large focus of this role, the ideal candidate will have exceptional communication skills. 

As a member of the leadership team, you will be centrally involved in the overall leadership and management of the academy and will help to establish a school culture that maintains high expectations for both staff and pupils.  

For more information, please read the job description and person specification in the information pack available for download.

We’re looking for an individual who:

• Is a qualified teacher and has the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCo) or the willingness to work towards
• Has experience identifying, monitoring and providing effective support for students with SEND
• Experience leading, coaching and motivating people, ensuring professional development and effectively challenging and managing any performance concerns
• Experience of reflecting on and improving practice to increase student achievement 
• Is able to communicate effectively with students of all abilities
• Cares about students, their learning, and their futures
• Can manage behaviour effectively to create a safe, respectful and nurturing environment so that students can focus on learning
• Is committed to participating in professional development programmes and will engage in mentoring opportunities provided by the school and network 

Our school:

Ark Alexandra is a large secondary academy with a Sixth Form provision in Hastings, East Sussex and is the largest secondary in the successful Ark network. A popular school that is heavily over-subscribed, we have grown to have over 1,600 students this year.

Our school is on an exciting rapid upward trajectory. From September 2024, Ark Alexandra will operate as one school across two 6FE campuses. This creates the dual benefit of working within a small school family setting, whilst providing unique opportunities for growth, development and career opportunities that exist in a large school model.

We take a traditional and research-based approach to education with a primacy placed on cognitive science, scholarship and what the best schools do. We are a no-nonsense school where staff can focus their efforts on teaching great lessons. Our focus on extra-curricular activities including DofE, Cadets and rewards trips ensures our students benefit from a range of exciting opportunities.  

Ark Alexandra works closely with our feeder primary schools, Ark Blacklands, Ark Little Ridge and Ark Castledown, all of which have exceptional leadership graded as Outstanding by Ofsted, with Blacklands and Little Ridge being graded Outstanding in all areas.

As a Church of England school, our values of faith, excellence and kindness underpin everything that we do. We have an inclusive admissions policy that welcomes, without preference, students of all faith and none. Our vision is to create a truly great school for the young people in Hastings. We believe that everyone deserves to be accepted, included, and empowered to live a purposeful and fulfilling life.

What we offer: 

• Salary higher than the national pay scales 
• Twice as many training days as standard and network-wide events with Ark colleagues
• Weekly staff training designed to meet the needs of the school 
• Coaching for every teacher 
• Protected co-planning time 
• Access to the high-quality, professional development, including nationally recognised qualifications such as the NPQML and NPQSL 
• Opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the network 

How to apply:

Please click 'apply' on the website you are visiting to complete an online application form. 

Please note: we are unable to accept applications via CV.

If you’re interested in further information about our school, please visit our website – www.arkalexandra.org or to find out more about Ark Schools, please read Why Join an Ark School? from available for download from the application website.

To arrange an informal conversation about the role or an informal visit, please contact HR on ALEHR@arkalexandra.org  

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.