Post Primary Senior Leader Pastoral Care: Positive Behaviour (4 Teaching Allowances) in Portadown

Job Purpose

In addition to their other duties, the Senior Teacher duties and responsibilities will include the following:

• Lead, manage and support the members of the pastoral team.
• Monitor and assess the work done by members of the pastoral team in the performance of their role, reporting as required to Principal, VP and Governors.
• Co‑ordinate systematic self‑evaluation of the school’s pastoral work that will involve reviewing current provision, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, planning and implementing actions for improvement and monitoring and evaluating outcomes.
• Contribute to school development planning.
• Contribute to the development of school policies relating to pastoral care.
• Keep up to date with developments in relation to pastoral care in schools and disseminate information as appropriate.
• Monitor carefully behavioural trends, ensuring that a preventative, proactive approach is taken to managing student behaviour.
• Use available pastoral data to support the school’s strategic direction (to include overseeing Boxall reports, PASS data, SIMS achievement/behaviour points).
• Implement and monitor Risk Reduction Action Plans/Safety Plans for students at risk.
• Act as Deputy Designated Teacher for Safeguarding.
• Identify professional development needs of staff in relation to pastoral care and behaviour management and provide opportunities for whole school staff development.
• Oversee the implementation of detentions procedures to support a positive behaviour strategy.
• Monitor and record bullying and racial incidents.
• Liaise with external agencies in relation to EOTAS provision, including application and review.
• Develop interventions and manage pupils who are at elevated levels of the behaviour policy.
• Ensure that CSHS provides an optimal learning environment for all students, to maximise the personal, social and academic progress of every individual.
• Manage, lead and co‑ordinate house activities.
• Celebrate success through student rewards linked to pastoral data.
• Maintain a high presence around school to support staff managing students before school and throughout the day.
• Liaise with Learning Support Co‑ordinator in relation to SEN referrals.
• Contribute to the school’s preventive curriculum.
• Assist in the delivery of school assemblies.
• Assist with lunch duties.

Additional Duties

The list of duties is not exhaustive and will be periodically reviewed by the Board of Governors to ensure that the needs of the School continue to be met.

Exercise of general professional duties:

• Planning and preparing courses and lessons;
• Teaching, according to their educational needs, the pupils assigned to him/her, including the setting and marking of work to be carried out by the pupils in school and elsewhere;
• Assessing, recording and reporting on the development, progress and attainment of pupils.

General

• Promoting the general progress and well‑being of individual pupils and of any class or group of pupils assigned to him/her;
• Providing advice and guidance to pupils on educational and social matters and on their further education and future careers including information about sources of more expert advice on specific questions, making relevant records and reports;
• Making records of and reports on the personal and social needs of pupils except in instances where to do so might be regarded as compromising a teacher’s own position;
• Communicating and consulting with the parents of pupils;
• Communicating and co‑operating with such persons or bodies outside the school as may be approved by the employing authority and the Board of Governors;
• Participating in meetings arranged for any of the purposes described above.

Assessment/Reporting:

Providing or contributing to oral and written assessments, reports and references relating to individual pupils and groups of pupils except in instances where to do so might be regarded as compromising a teacher’s own position.

Staff Development/Professional Development

• Participating, if required, in any scheme of staff development and performance review;
• Advising and co‑operating with the Principal and other teachers (or any one or more of them) on the preparation and development of courses of study, teaching materials, teaching programmes, methods of teaching and assessment and pastoral arrangements.

Discipline/Health and Safety

• Maintaining good order and discipline among pupils in accordance with the policies of the employing authority and safeguarding their health and safety both when they are authorised to be on the school premises and when they are engaged in authorised school activities elsewhere;
• Participating in meetings at the school which relate to the curriculum for the school or the administration or organisation of the school, including pastoral arrangements.

Public Examinations:

Participating in arrangements for preparing pupils for public examinations and in assessing pupils for the purposes of such examinations; recording and reporting such assessments; and participating in arrangements for pupils’ presentation for and supervision during such examination.

Review and Development of Management Activities/Administration

• Contributing to the selection for appointment and professional development of other teachers, including the induction and assessment of probationary teachers; co‑ordinating or managing the work of other teachers; taking such part as may be required of him/her in the review, development and management of activities relating to the curriculum, organisation and pastoral functions of the school.
• Participating in administrative and organisational tasks related to such duties as described above, including the management or supervision of persons providing support for the teachers in the school and the ordering and allocation of equipment and materials; subject to the provisions of Article 22 of the Order, attending assemblies; registering the attendance of pupils and supervising pupils, whether these duties are to be performed before, during or after school sessions.

Number of days/Hours of work

• A full‑time teacher, other than a teacher employed in a residential establishment, shall be available for work on 195 days in any year of which not more than 190 days should involve teaching children in a classroom situation;
• A teacher, other than a teacher employed in a residential establishment, shall be available to perform such duties at such times and such places as may reasonably be specified by the Principal, or where he/she is employed by a Board on terms under which he is not assigned to any one school by the Board or the Principal of any school in which he/she may for the time being be required to work as a teacher, for 1,265 hours in any year exclusive of time spent off school premises in preparing and marking lessons and time spent travelling to and from the place of work;
• A teacher may not be required to teach as distinct from supervise children in a classroom situation for more than 25 hours in any week in a primary or special school and 23.5 hours in any week in a secondary school;
• Unless employed under a separate contract as a mid‑day supervisor, a teacher shall not be required to undertake mid‑day supervision;
• Subject to paragraph (f) all teachers shall be required to have a break of at least 30 minutes between the hours of 12 noon and 2.00 pm;
• Teachers in nursery schools and nursery units in primary schools shall be required to have a break of at least 30 minutes between the hours of 12 noon and 2.30 pm;
• For the purposes of this paragraph, a ‘year’ means a period of 12 months commencing on 31st July and a ‘week’ means a period of 7 days commencing on a Sunday.

Staff cover

• Supervising and teaching any pupils whose teacher is not available provided that:
• In schools with an average daily enrolment of 222 or less, in primary 1 and primary 2 classes in schools with an average daily enrolment greater than 222 pupils and in nursery classes in primary schools a teacher other than a supply teacher shall not be required to provide such cover:
• In schools with an average daily enrolment greater than 222 pupils a teacher other than a supply teacher shall not be required to provide such cover after the second day on which a teacher, other than a teacher of primary 1 or primary 2 class or of a nursery class in a primary school, is absent or otherwise not available, or from the first day if the fact that the teacher would be absent or otherwise not available for a period exceeding 2 days was known to and agreed by the employing authority in advance.

This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works.

Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post‑holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.

Section 1 – Essential Criteria

Qualifications / Professional Membership:

• Hold a teaching qualification which meets the requirements for recognition to teach in grant‑aided schools in Northern Ireland.

Experience:

• Have a minimum of 5 years post‑qualification teaching experience in post‑primary education, and/or equivalent experience in an affiliated educational body working in an area that relates to the post‑primary sector, within the last 10 years.
• Currently hold or have held for a minimum of 3 years AND within the last 8 years A post with experience of strategic leadership or co‑ordination of a whole school area at a minimum level of Subject Coordinator/Head of Year/Head of Department/SMT/SLT to include monitoring and evaluation resulting in measurable school improvement; and/or A post of Principal or Vice‑Principal; and/or A post with leadership and management experience within an affiliated body.
• Evidence of leading staff development that has brought about positive outcomes for students at whole school level.
• Demonstrable experience of sharing good practice which leads to a positive teaching & learning experience for students.
• Evidence of involvement in strategic planning.
• Be registered with the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) before taking up post.

Section 2 – Essential Criteria (Interview Stage)

Knowledge:

• The Northern Ireland Post Primary Curriculum and current policies and procedures.
• Current educational developments and the ability to evaluate and respond to new educational challenges and manage change effectively.
• Effective classroom pedagogy and how to ensure high standards of teaching, learning and achievement throughout the school.
• Effective data management.
• Effective organisational management including the appropriate deployment of resources.

Skills / Abilities:

• Lead, motivate, manage, challenge and enthuse others.
• Create an ethos and articulate vision for the future of the school.
• Develop good relationships at all levels and promote a collaborative and team approach among staff, pupils, parents and governors.
• Lead strategically and develop self and others in order to achieve outcomes.
• Promote, achieve, monitor and evaluate high standards of teaching, learning and achievement throughout the school.
• Develop effective partnerships between the school and the local community.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Organise and prioritise workload effectively.
• Deal with staffing matters in accordance with EA policies and procedures.
• Manage time effectively.

Personal Qualities:

• Vision.
• A sound value system.
• Enthusiasm and motivation.
• Assertiveness and confidence.
• A caring child‑centred approach.
• Integrity.
• Advocacy and empathy.
• Discretion.
• An ability to cope under pressure.
• Tact and diplomacy.
• Decisiveness.
• Adaptability.

Section 3 – Desirable Criteria

• Demonstrable experience of strategic leadership in a pastoral role at whole school level to include monitoring and evaluation, resulting in measurable school improvements.
• Ability to teach subject/s currently offered in Craigavon Senior High School.
• Demonstrable commitment to teacher professional learning of self and others, including evidence of involvement of staff development within school/s.
• Have successfully completed an additional postgraduate (or equivalent or higher) qualification in Education.

Disclosure of Criminal Background

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’. In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. You will be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre‑employment stage. Further information can be accessed at NI Direct or the Department of Justice.

Applicant Guidance Notes

To view the applicant guidance notes, please click here.

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Equal Opportunities

The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.