SEN Coordinator (0.4 or 0.6 FTE)

Are you up for the challenge of working in one of the top 4% of schools nationally for progress?

If so, we want you!

We are looking to appoint an innovative, creative and inspiring practitioner to job share with our current postholder to lead our Personalised Learning team.  Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do at Baysgarth and we have built a reputation in the community and in the local authority for providing superb support and opportunities for our SEND students.  Our outstanding and well-established part-time SENCO leads a large team of HLTAs and LSAs as well as teachers with specific TLR responsibilities for SEND.  Baysgarth has grown from 700 to 900 students in only a few years and will continue to grow in the future, which means we need to add to our leadership capacity in this area.  The SENCO role will suit an experienced teacher but there will not be a teaching load associated with the role as we want the successful candidate to focus on ensuring high quality provision for our students.  

The successful candidate will be responsible for the strategic direction and development of the SEN provision at the school, will have experience and knowledge of working with students with a range of additional needs to narrow the gaps and ensure they achieve their best during their time at Baysgarth.   Personalised Learning occupies its own suite of classrooms in the school and delivers bespoke courses to nurture classes in Y7 & Y8 as well as providing support for SEND students in lessons around the school.  At KS4 the team deliver option courses such as Horticulture to vulnerable students and as a result of the support provided our SEND students make excellent progress compared to national figures. 

In November 2016, we moved into our brand-new state-of-the-art campus, which comprises Baysgarth School, Headway Alternative Provision, and Baysgarth Sports Village.  The school has risen quickly to become one of the top performing schools in the region, achieving top 5% outcomes for CVA Progress 8 for three years running and the highest four-year Progress 8 average of all the local schools.  We are oversubscribed in Year 7 every year which reflects the first-class facilities we have on site as well as our fantastic students and staff who make the school a great place to learn.  We pride ourselves on achieving outstanding outcomes in a school with an inclusive ethos that has superb pastoral care and a strong commitment to staff mental health and work-life balance. 

Ofsted visited Baysgarth in October 2017 and concluded that we are a Good school which ‘has gone from strength to strength’ and is making ‘good progress on the journey to outstanding’.  In terms of student achievement, Ofsted reported that ‘Overall progress was in the top 10% nationally … [and] current pupils are making strong progress in all year groups.’  The DfE have concluded that ‘there is no better performing similar school within 75 miles of Baysgarth’ and it is our mission to recruit the most talented staff to continue this progress. 

The Head Teacher has many years’ experience of transforming outcomes in a number of secondary schools and at the heart of his vision is creating and developing close-knit teams, focused on collaboration, mutual support and risk-taking.  The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their commitment to the core principles and values of ambition, fairness, consistency, rigour and putting students first.  

Baysgarth School is an 11-16 local authority maintained comprehensive school with approximately 900 pupils on roll.  The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate pride, passion and positivity and a desire to ensure the school has the highest possible reputation in the local community and beyond.

Baysgarth School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  The successful applicant will be required to apply for enhanced disclosure from the DBS.

If you are inspired by the challenge and responsibility of this opportunity we would like to hear from you.  Further details and an application form can be downloaded from our school website.  If you would like to discuss any aspect of the post, please feel free to contact Andy North, Assistant Headteacher, at the school.

Please submit completed applications to vacancy@baysgarthschool.co.uk .  Please indicate on your application if you are wishing to apply for 0.4 or 0.6 FTE.

Closing date for applications is 12.00pm on Tuesday 26th May 2020

Interviews will be held via video link or in school depending on government guidance at that time