Teacher of English and Form Tutor

Are you looking for a ‘special’ role and an exciting opportunity? We are actively seeking a talented teacher with a passion for educating boys and girls with additional needs. Our pupils are really well supported and our team operates as a family, all stakeholders work to help our pupils achieve their full potential; come and join us!

 Downland School is a co-educational maintained community special school for pupils aged between 10 and 16 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Our pupils have varying aptitudes and abilities; we are extremely proud of all their achievements and progress. Our pupils have a range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) including Autism (ASC); attachment disorders and Social, Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. We seek to ensure that, by the time they leave us, our pupils emerge as self-confident individuals able to manage their own learning; equipped with the skills and competencies to successfully take the next steps in their lives.

We are a friendly, happy and caring school, providing a positive, inclusive and enriching educational experience for our young people. We view each of our pupils as unique and shape our provision to meet their individual needs and accelerate their progress in a variety of areas e.g. personal, social, and academic and well-being. Our commitment to supporting the ‘whole’ child and their development is underpinned by our strong pastoral systems and our committed and trained staff. At Downland we promote inclusion and equality and celebrate diversity.

Our mission statement is ‘Aspire, Achieve and Thrive’.

We are now looking to appoint a dynamic and ambitious Teacher of English. This is an exciting opportunity to join our enthusiastic, committed and professional team and to teach pupils from year 6 to year 11.

You will have a passion for your subject, be an excellent teacher and have the ability to teach pupils with SEND. You will fully participate in developing English across the school including initiatives to secure outstanding teaching and learning. You will have a strong commitment to the wider pastoral role and wish to make a significant positive impact on our young people’s lives, securing the very best outcomes.

Can you raise aspirations and rise to the challenge?

Key areas of work will include:

·     Teaching the English curriculum to drive up the quality of English outcomes at Downland School

·     Positively contributing to the quality of teaching and learning within the department

·     Supporting the implementation of our whole school Literacy strategy

·     Actively promoting innovation and creativity with a SEN focus across the department, subject and the wider school

·     Focusing strongly on raising levels of progress and attainment through accurate assessment of data which is used across the school, using a range of evaluation methods which align with the school’s self-evaluation processes

·     Focusing on developing the needs of the whole child

·     Teaching mixed ability class groups of pupils with complex SEND

·     Participating fully in all aspects of pastoral care and wider school life

Enthusiasm and commitment to working with and raising achievement for pupils with SEND is paramount to us; you will be expected to actively demonstrate the school’s core values and embrace ‘The Downland Way’.