Principal
Ivel Valley School
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire
- Expired
- Salary:
- L31 to L37 (£81,478 to £94,389)
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2017
- Apply by:
- 20 February 2017
Job overview
An exciting opportunity to lead the next stage of the development of our highly respected local special school and to deliver improved outcomes and life chances for our pupils.
Owing to the impending retirement of our current headteacher, the governors are seeking to appoint an inspirational leader to build upon our many existing strengths and to drive forward our school to deliver a truly exceptional education and comprehensive preparation for adult living for all our pupils.
Our school
Ivel Valley School is a maintained area special school catering for children and young adults aged from 3 to 19 years who have a wide range of complex learning needs and disabilities.
The job
Ivel Valley is a good school, but we want, and intend, to be outstanding. We would like you to help us to achieve it and to realise our ambition to make Ivel Valley School a recognised centre of excellence and leading player in the field of special needs education.
Working closely with the governors and other members of the senior leadership team, you will be expected to set out a dynamic, modern and forward-looking agenda for special needs education that will inspire, encourage and motivate our talented and committed staff to deliver the best possible outcomes for all our pupils; enabling each student to reach their maximum potential. We will look to you to champion best practice, removing barriers to learning and successfully preparing our pupils for adult life in the community.
You will also be expected to play a much wider role as an ambassador for our school, working closely with other local special needs leaders and professionals in helping to shape the future of special needs education across Central Bedfordshire.
About you
This is a challenging and rewarding appointment and we are looking for a highly capable and experienced special needs leader to fill the post. You will already be a successful senior leader who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and you will have extensive knowledge and experience of special needs education, ideally in a range of different special needs settings. You will have practical experience of improving and driving forward teaching and learning, and monitoring pupil progress and achievement in a special needs environment. You will be an excellent communicator who is used to building strong, effective teams within school and effective partnerships with the wider community and other professionals. You will be dynamic, innovative, enthusiastic and energetic, think strategically and thrive on responsibility. If you think you have what it takes, then we would like to hear from you.
Our offer
In return, we offer an exciting opportunity to shape and influence the outcomes for a group of exceptional children and young people who face many difficult challenges; to innovate and lead change in a happy and welcoming school that is committed to high expectations and success for all; to work with supportive governors, an enthusiastic senior leadership team and dedicated, skilled staff; and the chance to make a very real difference to the lives of children and young adults with special educational needs across Central Bedfordshire. Responsibility, opportunities for further development and a competitive salary commensurate with the challenge accompany the appointment.
Closing Date for Applications:9.00 am on Monday 20th February 2017
Shortlisting:Wednesday 1st March 2017
Interviews:Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd March 2017
Further details are available to download from this site or from www.epm.co.uk.
We encourage and expect prospective candidates to make an informal visit to the school prior to applying for this position. Please contact Alison Cobb on 01767 601010 or at alison.cobb@ivelvalley.beds.sch.uk to make an appointment.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Ivel Valley School is committed to the protection and safety of its pupils and all posts within school are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all sections of the community.
Attached documents
- Principal Job Pack1493337
- Principal Information Pack2354647
- CBC SEND Vision and Strategy Report144545
- CBC SEND Vision and Strategy Report (2)267745
- CBC SEND Vision and Strategy Report Appendix 2 Strategy190144
- CBC School Organisation Plan1789482
- CBC Partnership Vision for Education96344
- Application Form168196
- Application Form Guidelines170677
- Equal opportunities monitoring form169540
About Ivel Valley School
We are the Area Special School for the east of Central Bedfordshire and aim to provide a high quality, calm and caring learning environment, where pupils and staff are encouraged to reach their true potential. The school provides high standards of education for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities aged 3 – 19. The main school operates on two sites which are within ½ a mile of each other; the school site and the college site. Additionally, we have three satellite classes based on a local mainstream school site.
We have experience and expertise in addressing the needs of pupils with moderate, severe, and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Many of our pupils have additional needs, such as sensory or physical difficulties and a significant proportion of the school population are on the autistic spectrum. A small number of our pupils have particularly challenging behaviours.
Our catchment primarily serves pupils who are resident in the east of Central Bedfordshire; however, with the agreement of the Local Authority, we also accept pupils from neighboring authorities and further afield. All our pupils have either a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan in place.
The school is located in Biggleswade and operates from two main sites, both conveniently situated close to the town centre, chiefly catering for school and college age pupils respectively. We also maintain lower and middle school classes, which are successfully collocated within a local mainstream school. We also run a successful after school and holiday club for our pupils.
In addition to providing the full range of special educational services for our pupils, we are commissioned by the Local Authority to deliver an autism advisory service and an outreach service to mainstream schools. We are also commissioned to provide an Early Years Support Service to parents and early years' settings in the east of Central Bedfordshire, for children with complex needs.
We are a significant local employer and work closely with health and social care colleagues. Our annual budget is in excess of £4million.
Our last Ofsted inspection was in May 2018. We were assessed as being Good across all areas.
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