Job Description
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Woodend Farm School in Witham is a bespoke mixed school for Year 2 to Year 6 pupils that have complex SEMH, ASD and speech and language needs. They could potentially carry through to Year 7 too. Woodend Farm School's vision is to develop a creative sensory curriculum that enables children to flourish whilst providing them with opportunities in a safe and structured environment to meet their unmet developmental needs surrounding their social, emotional, and mental health. To take children from being Survivors to Strivers to Thrivers.
Woodend Farm School is committed to creating a diverse workforce. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, age, disability, marriage or civil partnership.
Salary: £20,700 - £23,700 (gross per annum) £17,754.23- £20,327.31 (full time pro-rota term-time only)
5 days (37.5 hours)
Reporting to: Class teacher
Main Purpose
To provide 1:1 learning and care support for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). This will involve working with the teacher to plan and deliver activities and supporting pupils with routines, transitions, and behaviour management.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Supporting pupils
- Build positive relationships with pupils, promoting high self-esteem and independence
- Adapt communication style to respond to pupils according to their individual needs
- Support pupils with their social, emotional and mental health needs, escalating concerns where appropriate
- Promote high standards of behaviour, responding to incidents in line with the school's behaviour policy and guidelines on physical intervention
- Assist with the development and delivery of individual education and support plans
Teaching and learning
- Contribute to the planning of differentiated learning activities for individual or small groups of pupils with special educational needs (SEN), delivering activities inside or outside the classroom
- Support the teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum aimed at pupils achieving their full potential in all areas of learning
- Use ICT skills to advance pupils' learning
- Through observations, provide regular feedback to teachers on pupil progress, attainment, and barriers to learning
- Support class teachers with maintaining good order and discipline among pupils, managing behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
- Monitor, record and report on progress and attainment
- Supervise a class if the teacher is temporarily unavailable
- Contribute to the overall ethos, aims and work of the school
- Working with staff, parents/carers, and relevant professionals
- Share knowledge and understanding of pupils to other school staff and education, health and social care professionals, so that informed decision making can take place on intervention and provision
- Communicate effectively with parents and carers under the direction of teachers
- Contribute to meetings with parents and carers by providing feedback on pupil progress, attainment, and barriers to learning, as directed by teachers
- Collaborate and work with colleagues and other relevant professionals within and beyond the school
- Develop effective professional relationships with colleagues
Professional development
- Help keep their own knowledge and understanding relevant and up-to-date by reflecting on their own practice, liaising with school leaders, and identifying relevant professional development to improve personal effectiveness
- Take opportunities to build the appropriate skills, qualifications, and/or experience needed for the role, with support from the school
- Take part in the school's appraisal procedures
Other Areas of Responsibility
- Safeguarding
- Work in line with statutory safeguarding guidance (e.g. Keeping Children Safe in Education, Prevent) and our safeguarding and child protection policies
- Promote the safeguarding of all pupils in the school
Please note, this is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the postholder will carry out. The postholder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role, as directed by the headteacher or line manager.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
- GCSE or equivalent level, including at least a Grade 4 (previously Grade C) in English and maths
Experience
- Experience working in a school environment or other educational setting
- Experience working with children / young people with special educational needs (SEN)
- Experience planning and delivering learning activities
- Experience of working in a primary setting or early years
Skills and Knowledge
- Good literacy and numeracy skills
- Good organisational skills
- Ability to build effective working relationships with pupils and adults
- Skills and expertise in understanding the needs of all pupils
- Knowledge of how to help adapt and deliver support to meet individual needs
- Subject and curriculum knowledge relevant to the role, and ability to apply this effectively in supporting teachers and pupils
- Excellent verbal communication skills
- Ability to work as part of a team and to be flexible in their approach to daily routines
- Active listening skills
- The ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- Knowledge of guidance and requirements around safeguarding children
- Good ICT skills, particularly using ICT to support learning
Personal Qualities
- Enjoyment of working with children
- Sensitivity and understanding, to help build good relationships with pupils
- A commitment to getting the best outcomes for all pupils and promoting the ethos and values of the school
- Commitment to maintaining confidentiality at all times
- Commitment to safeguarding pupil's wellbeing and equality
- Resilient, positive, forward looking, and enthusiastic about making a difference
- Capacity to inspire, motivate and challenge children and young people
Benefits:
- Company Pension
- Onsite Free Parking
- Extensive training opportunities - Thrive, Safeguarding and Essex Steps
- Term-time only contract.
Please note that this position is for Woodend Farm School based in Witham.
Information about the School
We believe in investing in people. As professionals in the helping profession, we believe and aspire to offer a better future to those children, young people and families we work with.
Success for us means unleashing the potential of each individual we engage with, so they can grow and develop each day, to be better versions of themselves.
Our values are grounded in our determination to be the change we want to see in the world, through passion, commitment and integrity.
We want to plant a seed of kindness and compassion in a generation that will produce resilience & hope and enable them to fulfill their own destinies.
Our success therefore will be measured in the lives we changed through REACH.