Head of Learning Support - SENCO Maternity Cover

Required: June 2023

Located on an idyllic 87-acre campus on the banks of the River Orwell, Ipswich High School enjoys an enviable reputation of delivering outstanding academic results whilst maintaining a warm, welcoming and happy community of approximately 500 pupils, aged 3-18. 

Working at Ipswich High School suits those who have a genuine commitment to both the academic and personal development of young people. As such, we seek to appoint a Head of the Learning Support Department to cover a maternity contract from May 2023. The successful candidate will be a well-qualified teacher of SEND, ideally holding the national award for SEN Coordination and be able to carry out exam access arrangements assessments, with experience of ensuring that exam access arrangements are managed in line with the JCQ and exam board regulations (for example, holding a CPT3A qualification, or being a qualified specialist teacher with the appropriate accreditations).

The successful applicant will coordinate learning support provision for the duration of the maternity contract across both the Prep and Senior School. Because of the requirement to support up to A Level, candidates need to be familiar with the national regulations for exam access arrangements for all public examinations at GCSE and A Level. Candidates should be aware that, whilst the teaching commitment of the role will cover the 5-18 age range, predominantly this will be 11-16 years and thus the ability to teach either maths and/or English to GCSE level is desirable. 

The successful candidate will be fully committed to ensuring that, for the duration of the contract, Ipswich High School’s learning support provision remains effective, and all the relevant paperwork associated with the role is completed in a thorough and efficient manner.

The successful applicant will join a department which is well regarded for going above and beyond in making a significant difference to pupils who require additional support to reach their potential (evidenced in our SEND value added data). To achieve this, with a small but highly committed team of LSAs, you will ensure the learning needs of pupils continue to be met and that inclusion remains sitting comfortably alongside aspiration and excellence.

There exists a culture of pupils being receptive to receiving learning support and the families of the pupils we support are equally supportive and recognise the difference that the department makes to their son/daughter. Communication skills must be excellent to ensure that this level of reassurance is maintained. Communication amongst staff is also key to ensure colleagues are kept updated, and that quality first teaching remains commonplace.

The ability to carry out psychometric cognitive assessments is desirable, but at a minimum the ability to interpret external reports containing standard scores, scaled scores and percentile ranks for example is required, as well as a working knowledge of exam access arrangements.

A May start date should allow for a short period of handover so that the successful applicant can become familiar with individual pupils, staff and the day-to-day routines of the school and department.

We welcome potential candidates to speak to the current Head of Learning Support if they would like to discuss the role in more detail before applying. Please email d.firbank@ipswichhighschool.co.uk for a mutually convenient time to be arranged. 

Please note, although we are a boarding school and very much welcome applicants who bring relevant experience, we continue to run a Monday-Friday timetable and therefore teachers’ terms and conditions do not commit them to assisting with evening or weekend boarding duties.

Salary:

Competitive and dependent upon skills and experience. Further details of other benefits can be found in the supporting information pack.

How to apply:

Please send a completed application form and letter outlining your experience, suitability and ambitions for the role to the HR Officer at recruitment@ipswichhighschool.co.uk or by post to the address below:

Ipswich High School

Woolverstone

Ipswich

IP9 1AZ

Web: www.ipswichhighschool.co.uk

If you have not heard from us two weeks after the closing date, you should assume that your application has not been successful.

Application deadline: Monday, 20 February at 9 am

Interview date: TBC

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and young people and we expect all staff to share this commitment. All applicants will be subject to pre-employment screening, which includes an enhanced DBS and reference check prior to appointment.