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| Start date: January 2024 (or sooner) Contract Type: Full time Contract Term: Permanent Salary: Commensurate with experience Reports to: Joint Headteacher, Pastoral The West London Free School The West London Free School is a non-selective school based in Hammersmith, West London. We are suited to teachers at all stages of their careers, priding ourselves on a supportive working environment and valuing the importance of staff wellbeing. The West London Free School provides all pupils, irrespective of their background, with a Classical Liberal education. By a Classical Liberal education, we mean a rigorous, knowledge rich education that draws from the best and most important work in both the humanities and the sciences. We believe that knowledge is a good thing in and of itself, empowering pupils to understand and take an interest in the world around them. We believe a secondary education is not just a preparation for work, but a preparation for life. As such, we value the knowledge of our teachers, and the passion for their subject that they bring to the classroom. We have a firm but fair approach to behaviour. Senior leaders see it as their core responsibility to ensure all teachers can teach without disruption. School rules are non-negotiable, poor behaviour is met by escalating sanctions, and pupil detentions are centralised and run every day by senior staff. Teachers can therefore prioritise planning and teaching their lessons. Senior leaders at the West London Free School all teach, pay due attention to workload pressures and are highly visible around school. As well as a knowledge rich education, the West London Free School runs an extensive co-curricular programme that encourages children to develop outside the classroom. The clubs are central to the ethos of the school and give pupils the opportunity to try new activities and develop new interests. The school specialises in music and offers a range of sporting opportunities as well as general interest clubs. All staff are encouraged to share their co-curricular enthusiasm by committing one hour a week to running a school club. The Pastoral and SEND Team A robust, caring and fair pastoral system underpins everything we do at WLFS. We know that for pupils to achieve their potential, they need to be allowed to learn in a calm and purposeful environment. Furthermore, pupils must have the confidence to reach out for help, if and when they need it – and know where to find it. As SENDCo, you will have the opportunity to define and develop a vision for how some of our most academically at-risk pupils experience secondary school, distilled from our Core Values of Kindness, Hard Work and High Standards. The culture this vision creates will permeate across the school, in and out of classrooms, and will remain with pupils beyond their time at WLFS. The SENDCo role offers opportunities to develop a range of professional, interpersonal and auxiliary skills, bringing you into contact with a range of highly skilled professionals from across health, social care and education sectors. Key characteristics of the role include: • to ensure that progress of pupils with SEND improves relative to those without SEND • to ensure the school carries out its statutory responsibilities regarding all pupils with an Education Health Care Plan • to support all staff in understanding the needs of SEND pupils by identifying and adopting the most effective teaching practices for pupils with SEND • to liaise with staff, parents, external agencies and other schools to co-ordinate their contribution, provide maximum support and ensure continuity of provision • to undertake day-to-day co-ordination of the school’s SEND provision through close liaison with staff, families and external agencies • to set up and monitor systems for identifying, assessing and reviewing SEND and collect and interpret specialist assessment data • to track and respond to the outcomes for SEND pupils and report these findings to SLT and governors • to identify resources needed to meet the needs of pupils with SEND and advise the SLT of priorities for expenditure • to lead on the performance management of teaching assistants and ensure effective provision of SEND support staff across the school • to manage annual reviews and EHCP assessment requests • to work closely with senior staff in supporting the wellbeing and Safeguarding of pupils; • to liaise with external agencies including but not limited to social workers, police officers, therapists and psychologists • to contribute to the wider school life, such as events, trips, and co-curricular clubs. The successful candidate will have: • an unwavering belief in the role of pastoral care within schools and an ability to communicate that passion to staff, pupils and families; • an ability to navigate the balance and relationship between pastoral care and academic outcomes; • a proven track record of working effectively with SEND pupils • started or wish to start the SENDCo qualification • an understanding of the ethos of the West London Free School, and a commitment to our firm but fair approach to conduct; • a proven track record of creating and maintaining high expectations of pupils; • excellent team-working skills; • excellent communication skills with pupils, families and staff. Rewards & Benefits People are at the heart of our success. We look for talented and ambitious individuals who share our vision for creating an exceptional school and are committed to ensuring that every child has access to the best possible education. We have developed a positive and supportive staff culture at the West London Free School, and we invest in our staff with support, coaching and mentoring as well as external training programmes. We offer: • Teachers’ Pension Scheme for teaching staff • Cycle to Work Scheme • Complimentary drinks • Employee counselling • Recommend a teacher bonus scheme • Staff children have priority admission into the school (after two years’ service) • Season ticket travel loan The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 29th September, although candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The School reserves the right to commence or complete the interview process at any time prior to the closing date. Interviews: will fall shortly after closing date To apply, please complete the application process via the portal you are viewing or complete application form from our website West London Free School - Teaching Staff Vacancies (wlfs.org) and send with a covering letter for the attention of Mr McLaughlin to careers@wlfs.org. CV’s cannot be accepted. Equal Opportunities The Knowledge Schools Trust is an equal opportunities employer. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children. West London Free School and the Knowledge Schools Trust is fully committed to the principles of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion. We want to attract and retain the very best staff in all areas of the Trust, ensuring our staff body reflects the diversity of our students and local community. |
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