Head of Inclusion/ Student Support Services/ SENCO

Leadership

The Head of Inclusion is an influential leader who

• Builds trusting and productive working relationships with staff, students, parents and support agencies
• Leads the planning, delivery and documentation of a comprehensive student support services programs which address the developmental needs of students across grades from early childhood through to secondary school graduation; including the provision of learning support, talent development for highly able students, and student social-emotional learning and wellbeing
• Consults with division principals and members of the student success team to ensure that students’ personal/learning issues are addressed with sound judgement, that appropriate community referrals are made for specialised services, and that crises are managed in accordance with professional and ethical standards, as well as Singaporean laws
• Collaborates closely with division principals and staff to maintain strong core student services while examining current needs and trends among students and families that the planning and new initiatives could address
• Annually leads the review of the Inclusion Policy and supporting procedures and practices to ensure that it reflects current practices and meets the needs of the students the school serves
• Co-leads with the Head of Human Resources, staff and student well-being committee that includes the implementation of the PERMAH framework, conducting and evaluating well-being surveys, creating and implementing action plans
• Maintains a strong professional learning network and builds strong relationships with peers in other international schools in Singapore and beyond

Management

The Head of Inclusion is a responsive and effective manager of people and processes who

• Identifies training needs and supports and coordinates the delivery of high quality professional development
• Ensures that student support staff remain current with regard to ethical/professional standards and best practices in service delivery through: ongoing research and continuing education, networking and by maintaining appropriate credentials.
• Develops and manages the student support and well-being budget
• Advises the Head of School and Deputy Head of School on hiring needs. Leads the hiring, training and onboarding of student support and well-being team members.
• Keeps an up-to-date dashboard of students receiving services and tracks this over time
• Develops and maintains up-to-date cumulative learning support records for students
• Prepares yearly data informed program performance reviews
• Coordinates student assessments, including MAP and academic, cognitive, behavioural and social-emotional screeners
• Manages the Comprehensive Pastoral Online Management System (CPOMS) to ensure effective documentation of student concerns, support received, effectiveness of these supports while maintaining student confidentiality
• Serve as the school’s Senior Safeguarding Officer. Investigates, documents, and determines appropriate follow-through for all Child Protection/ Safeguarding concerns in Primary and Secondary divisions
• Work with the Deputy Head of School to investigate serious behaviour and/or academic concerns and make recommendations to the Head of School
• Work with the Head of Admissions regarding the screening of students that might require services and assessing the schools ability to meet these needs. Provide input into Admissions Policy
• Professionally supervises student support and well-being members (psychologist, learning support teachers and IA’s, OT, SLP, behavioural and pastoral counsellors, caregiver liaison) through the Individual Work Plan process that includes: providing guidance on setting goals for professional growth and ongoing feedback related to the goals
• Serves as a member of the Academic Board and Examination Board
• Show leadership in areas of the school that may be outside of the scope of this role as assigned

Access Arrangements

The Head of Inclusion ensures that all students can access the curriculum and the services they need by

• Serving as a school-wide resource for faculty, students, parents, and administration in addressing behavioural, SEL and other student support concerns.
• Maximising accessibility and outreach to staff, students and parents through regular communication about services/resources/or new initiatives. 
• Providing professional advice on the provision of educational and preventive programs that may include: Family dynamic policy, Caregiver relationships, Legal issues (in consultation with the General Manager), Family transition, Health promotion, Safety and risk-prevention, Learning support, including social and study skills training, Safeguarding, and Admissions process.
• Coordinating the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of student Behaviour Support Plans, ILPs and other plans, that include appropriate interventions and consequences for student academic, behavioural, and social-emotional concerns.
• Oversee procedures so students can receive formal accommodations (inclusive access arrangements).

Accreditations and Authorisations

The Head of Inclusion ensures that the school meets the standards and practices of the schools accrediting and authorising organisations by 

• Ensuring that the processes and expectations for Student Protection, Support Services, Academic Processes and Student Assessment required by the Singapore Center for Private Education (CPE) are effective, well integrated across all programs and evaluated annually
• Ensuing that the program is evaluated against relevant comparisons and/or benchmarks in order to maximise quality learning outcome for students
• Ensuring that the school meets the IB standards and practices and WASC and Cognia accreditation standards

REQUIREMENTS & EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in special education or related field
• Additional certification/licensing/experience in leading student support programs, school psychology, pastoral counselling
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience in a K-12 school setting
• Broad teaching experience
• Prior experience working in international schools with a significant number of ELL, bilingual and multilingual learners

COMPETENCIES:

• Culturally competent and able to work with culturally diverse staff and students in a bilingual and multilingual setting
• An effective communicator with the capacity to listen, empathize, and connect, as well as teach, present, and motivate
• A lifelong learner who keeps up-to-date with current research and best practices in teaching and learning
• A facilitator able to build strong and productive relationships with students, parents, academic and non-academic staff, and the community
• A change agent, who can motivate and manage positive change in complex environments
• A strategic thinker who is able to see connections between the school’s vision and mission and IB program philosophy and create action steps to move the school forward
• An activator with motivation, energy, and enthusiasm to spare
• A producer who is results oriented and has a strong sense of accountability for student success
• A character builder and role model, whose values, words, and deeds are marked by trustworthiness, respect, and integrity
• An active contributor whose priority is making contributions to the development and success of others