Teacher of Skills for Life

A qualified teacher, or ambitious graduate seeking to commence a career in education, is sought to teach the Skills for Life curriculum which includes ASDAN qualifications in Personal and Social Effectiveness, primarily to pupils aged 16 to 18: www.asdan.org.uk.

Our teachers are inspiring and creative, supporting one another in transforming the futures of intelligent pupils with literacy and language-related additional challenges, by empowering them.

To lead in transforming the futures of intelligent children who experience Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, by empowering them.

Our School Values are:

Kindness – Spirit - Responsibility

The School:

Nationally celebrated, More House School provides an exceptional, mainstream education for intelligent boys with Specific Learning Difficulties and weakness in their developmental language skills. Providing a transformative education repeatedly recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted over more than a decade, we offer a specialised learning environment for day and boarding boys from Year 4 to Year 13. Our pupils are taught to recognise their strengths and develop their self-belief so that they achieve independence and extraordinary results at GCSE, BTEC and A’ Level, above the national averages. A majority progress to university. Class-sizes are small, with a maximum of 15 pupils.

Delivering a mainstream independent-school experience, both academically and socially, the very broad curriculum affords all pupils the opportunity to discover their strengths, challenging them to fulfil their academic and extra-curricular potential. All boys who attend More House are individually timetabled, with many receiving support through the on-site Learning Development Centre and its qualified therapeutic staff. Judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in its last five School inspections, our most recent inspection (March 2023) graded More House School ‘Outstanding’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ in each of the six sub-sections of the report. The School’s provision for residential boarders was inspected at the same time, and likewise graded Outstanding in every respect. More House is CReSTeD approved, listed in their Specialist Schools category, and is a member of the Independent Schools Association and the Boarding Schools’ Association.

About this post:

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, talented teacher - either qualified, or a graduate seeking to commence an exciting career in teaching Skills for Life predominantly to Sixth Form pupils. The postholder will work with colleagues to assess students’ needs, in order to plan, prepare and deliver learning activities for individuals, groups and whole classes. They will monitor students’ engagement and progress, recording evidence and reporting on students’ achievement, progress and development within the framework of the ASDAN Personal and Social Effectiveness qualification.

The successful candidate will be a driven, adaptable and self-reflective professional who is capable of working collaboratively within a supportive team, ready to design and deliver a bespoke personal and social development curriculum that meets the needs of a variety of learners. Above all, the successful candidate will share our vision for supporting our Sixth Form pupils to develop their personal and social skills and, where appropriate, gain accreditation in an ASDAN Level 1 or 2 qualification. 

Training:

Teachers with a genuine wish to develop their skills in making learning opportunities successful for neuro-diverse learners thrive at More House School.

The School provides staff with extensive, specialist training in developing practice effective in supporting intelligent pupils with literacy and developmental language weaknesses, and associated special educational needs, to succeed and to transform their futures. 

Within their first year, new members of the staff are supported through a programme of weekly induction-training sessions, delivered on Monday afternoons from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. 

During this first year, staff new to the School also complete the School’s fully-funded and nationally-accredited Level 3 Award ‘Effective SEND Support’; a twelve-week, tutored and supported study course with opportunities for further progression. 

This training complements the School-wide, continuous programme of INSET training and preparation days and other ongoing training and development opportunities. The School is strongly committed to supporting teachers’ career development.

More House School offers an Initial Teacher Training (QTS) package to appropriate employees. Where applicable, such an employee would receive close mentoring and support during their first year in the School; after the first year of employment the School will fund, and support the unqualified teacher to complete their PGCE with accredited Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with Buckingham University, allowing them to progress to the Early Career Framework (previously Newly Qualified Teacher) programme within the School afterwards.

Person specification:

Essential

• Undergraduate degree evidencing study in a relevant subject-area.
• Experience of teaching aspects of Personal, Social, Health and Economics Education.
• An ability or potential to teach and differentiate for intelligent pupils with different learning challenges (much guidance and training is provided).
• Ability to make effective use of strategies to motivate and engage all pupils as effective learners and to promote good student relationships and outcomes.

Desirable

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), or Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS).
• Experience of teaching ASDAN qualifications.
• Experience in teaching and supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties, developmental language disorders and associated conditions.
• Experience of delivering extra-curricular activities, including educational visits.
• Experience of using a school Management Information System (MIS), such as SIMS, iSAMS or Engage. (The School uses Engage).

Hours:

8.20 am until 4.30 pm four days a week during term-time and 8.20 am until 5.30 pm one day a week during term-time (involvement in the after-School clubs programme).  Additionally, within the first year only, new staff are required to attend the Monday afternoon induction training programme, from 4.30 pm until 5.30 pm).

(Note: academic terms are typically shorter than those in the state-maintained sector, and School holidays are therefore significantly longer).

To Apply:

Interested candidates are welcome to make an appointment to visit the school for an informal visit in order to learn more about the role and setting.

Closing date for applications:                        Sunday 18th June 2023

Interviews expected to be held on:               Tuesday 27th June 2023

The School reserves the right to interview appropriate candidates in