SENCO in Essex

Harris Academy Riverside is a very popular non-selective and highly oversubscribed academy which opened as part of the Harris Federation and the regeneration of the Purfleet on Thames area in 2017. We serve our local community of Purfleet on Thames and West Thurrock and have 900 on roll in the secondary academy and around 200 students in the 6th form.

Vision
Harris Academy Riverside seeks to develop students who are successful, confident and happy, who inspire their community and who act with kindness and compassion towards others.

Ethos
In our procedures and daily routines, our broad and varied curriculum, our pedagogical model and through our commitment to providing experience of the wider world we aim to promote a strong sense of community and belonging, to provide a blend of high challenge and high support and to encourage the development of Outstanding habits of behaviour such as self-awareness, kindness, appreciation, humility, politeness, confident self-expression and self-presentation and Outstanding habits of learning such as determination, resilience, organisation, reading, studying and practice.

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY
Do you have experience supporting students with SEN? Harris Academy Riverside is seeking to appoint an exceptional, experienced qualified teacher as SENCO.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
The purpose of your role will be:

• To ensure that Academy practice is compliant with the SEND Code of Practice (2014) and other relevant statutory requirements.
• To work with the Academy Leadership team ensuring an ethos of Inclusion within the Academy and a culture of high aspirations for students with SEND.
• To work with the Academy Leadership team ensuring the implementation of the Academy SEND Policy.
• To ensure that the provision of SEND support is in accordance with the aims of the Academy and curricular policies.
• To be responsible for maintaining an accurate and up-to-date Academy SEND Profile.
• To be responsible for the accurate identification of SEND need across the Academy, ensuring a rigorous and thorough assessment process.
• To be a role model with regard to Quality First Teaching and differentiation within your own teaching practice.
• To be responsible for the embedding of Quality First Teaching across the Academy.
• To be responsible for the Academy SEND Offer, ensuring high quality targeted interventions enabling students with SEND to make better progress.
• In consultation with the Academy Leadership Team, to provide a programme of professional development with regard to SEND, that ensures all staff have the knowledge, skills and understanding to plan teaching and learning effectively and enable students with SEND to make expected progress.
• To be responsible for tracking the progress of students with SEND, using a wide range of Academy data relating to progress, attainment, referrals, exclusions, detentions and attendance to identify barriers to learning.
• To deploy staff and resources according to the needs of SEND students.
• To write a termly report to the Governing body on progress and developments.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We would like to hear from you if you have:

• QTS (or equivalent) and a good undergraduate degree.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development relevant to the SENCO role or willingness to undertake this training.
• Knowledge and understanding of national priorities, current curriculum development and an ability to design and implement an innovative curriculum based on students’ needs.
• A thorough understanding of quality assurance techniques.
• An appreciation of student motivation.
• An understanding of how professional development contributes to the raising of quality.
• SEN experience in a secondary school.
• Evidence of successful teaching experience.
• Evidence of pastoral experience.
• Experience of working with key stakeholders such as parents, governors, employers etc.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Teacher Development
At Harris, we have curated professional development pathways that will guide you towards achieving your career ambitions. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. With a strong network of passionate educators, expert development initiatives and a multitude of opportunities for career progression, your journey with Harris could be the most rewarding one yet.

We offer a wide range of high quality teacher professional development programmes via the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership.

Flexible Working
We are committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual’s circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.

Benefits
In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice
The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities
The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION
Thank you for your interest in this position. If you would like to discuss this opportunity, or to request a visit, please email the academy via the Why work page on harriscareers. Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be help you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.