Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)

The Royal Alexandra and Albert School is a co-educational, comprehensive state boarding school for children aged 7 to 18 years.

We are a lively and purposeful community of approximately 500 Full Boarders, complemented by around 630 Flexi Boarders, who attend an extended day, and together take part in a rich and wide-ranging programme of after-school and weekend activities and trips. A boarding school at our core, we run Saturday morning lessons and, therefore, offer longer extended holidays for our pupils and staff.

What is a state boarding school? In a state boarding school, the education provided between 8.30 am and 3.35 pm is financed by government through the Local Authority - in our case Surrey County Council. Everything else: the boarding provision, meals and the activities that we run, is financed by the charges paid by parents or other organisations and charities supporting our young people. This means that for staff there is the opportunity to be in a boarding environment with all the opportunities that offers, while also being part of the state education system with a genuinely diverse and comprehensive intake of pupils. This diversity means that our pupils grow up with an understanding of what our society is like and how to contribute and play their individual part, as showcased in a quote from our recent Ofsted report “they learn to be respectful and considerate of others and diversity is celebrated”. Working at our school offers a much broader scope of work, and with a strong focus on pastoral care, offers the rewarding opportunity for staff to be more personally involved in the development of our pupils.

Our school maintains a strong focus on academic results and excellent pastoral care, with our latest results proving this. The latest published (DfE 2019) Progress 8 figure is 0.44, i.e. pupils at RAAS are gaining nearly half a grade per subject above similar pupils nationally (with same prior attainment). In 2021, 68% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above, in both GCSE English and Maths, with 91% of pupils achieving a grade 4 or above in GCSE English and Maths. 41% of all A Levels were graded A*-A 65% of all A Levels were graded A*-B with 23% of students going on to a Russell Group university.

Being a boarding school, many of our staff live on site and form a dynamic and homely community. From the minute you arrive at our beautiful estate you will sense the warmth and enthusiasm which our team exudes, whether in and around the school, out and about on the sports fields, or inside one of our purpose-built boarding houses. Integration into our school culture and community is aided by the support of a mentor, and by having access to great support networks, and excellent facilities, you will find true meaning and personal fulfilment working at our school.

The school dates back to 1949, when an Act of Parliament amalgamated the Royal Alexandra School, founded in 1758, with the Royal Albert School, founded in 1864. Both institutions enjoyed royal patronage for much of their history, and this continues today. Her Majesty the Queen is Patron and the school’s President is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester. The underlying charitable purpose of both institutions is enabled through the Foundation which, with support from other charities, funds around 100 bursary pupils, known affectionately as Foundationers. These are pupils for whom the boarding opportunity is genuinely life-changing, as they come from difficult, unstable and / or disadvantaged homes and are often at risk of going into care.  For many of these children, boarding at the school provides the first experience of stability for them and access to positive adult role models. To date, the school and its founding institutions have helped over 20,000 bursary pupils.

The beautiful grounds and community atmosphere of The Royal Alexandra and Albert School offers a unique and rewarding working environment. Set in a landscaped country estate consisting of 260 acres of beautiful parkland, woods and gardens, in Gatton Park near Reigate, Surrey, we are within a short distance of Gatwick and Heathrow airports, with excellent links to London, making us an ideal location for staff to work and live. Our large site provides extensive sporting facilities, including floodlit all-weather sports pitches, a state-of-the-art Fitness Centre, indoor swimming pool and Equestrian Centre.

At The Royal Alexandra and Albert School, we are extremely proud of our rich heritage, yet pride ourselves on being future-focused. We believe that attracting and retaining the best talent in our school is fundamental to drive our school forward towards our future vision. We value the contributions of our team to promote our ethos of collaboration, continuous improvement and high performance. We are a community of lifelong learners and encourage our teams to pursue professional growth by facilitating a rich learning and development culture. Our academic teams are tasked with developing and delivering advanced and creative learning practices to ensure our pupils flourish and achieve academically. Our support staff team is highly skilled, and their expertise is integral to helping our school operate at a high standard across all functions. In addition to the skills required, we welcome prospective team members who will play a full and active role in the pastoral and co-curricular life at our school, which is paramount in ensuring the secure and caring boarding environment we strive to provide for all our pupils.