Locality Co-ordinator (Inclusion), 2 High Street, Perth - PKC13794

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

Within Perth and Kinross, the Inclusion Service have a number of peripatetic teams who provide specialist assessment, teaching and support to children in schools and their families, aligned to our Staged Intervention Framework. This includes a team of Pupil Support and Outreach teachers in addition to Early Years specialists, EAL teachers, and teachers qualified to support children and young people who are deaf, partially deaf, blind, or deafblind. Given the geographic spread of Perth and Kinross, our teams will work within a distinct locality area.

The post holder will have responsibility for the operational line management of a multi-disciplinary team of teachers, practitioners and support staff to serve the needs of children in a named locality area. In addition, the post holder will have strategic responsibility for the professional development of one or more of the specialist peripatetic teams across the local authority.

The post holder will inform and support school leaders in relation to local decision making and allocation of resource to meet identified needs within schools. You will ensure fulfilment of statutory duties, in line with national and local guidance. In doing so, the post holder will have responsibility for both the creation, analysis and reporting of key performance and impact data in relation to their locality team.

Given the need to travel across your locality area, applicants must have a full driving licence and access to transport.

Main Accountabilities as Locality Co-Ordinator (Inclusion):

• Working closely with the inclusion management team, be responsible for the leadership, good management and strategic direction of the identified specialist peripatetic teams across the local authority area.
• Provide day to day management and wellbeing support to all staff within the locality team.
• Identify individual and team professional learning needs, overseeing Professional Review and Development of peripatetic teachers and support staff in their specialist team.
• Co-ordinate and support the professional development of practitioners in their team through coaching and modelling of practice as required.
• Provide quality assurance of inclusive practice across their locality area, ensuring effective implementation of the PKC Staged Intervention Framework.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress of children within identified vulnerable groups, including children who are Looked After or otherwise care experienced.
• Lead and develop practice promoting learner participation to ensure that statutory duties and children’s entitlements are met.
• Establish, maintain and strengthen partnership working across the locality area.
• Provide strategic direction and guidance for their locality team.
• Lead improvement activity and contribute to Inclusion Service self-evaluation.
• Lead and contribute to policy development across identified strategic areas.
• Work collaboratively with ELC settings, including partner providers, primary and secondary schools to ensure effective transitions for children and young people with additional support needs.

There is an expectation that shortlisted applicants will meet the requirements below:

• Have or be eligible for full GTC Scotland registration (Primary, Secondary and/or ASN registration).
• Hold a PVG with Perth and Kinross Council or be able to secure this.
• Be able to demonstrate the competencies against the Standards for Leadership and Management: Professional Actions of Middle Leaders.
• Be able to lead, manage and provide strategic direction to staff.
• Have experience of quality improvement and quality assurance.
• Have experience of meeting the needs of learners with complex needs.
• Be able to audit and evaluate educational provision.
• Have relevant teaching experience and be an effective classroom practitioner, including experience of working with children and young people with a range of complex additional support needs.
• Be able to demonstrate knowledge of relevant current curriculum and assessment processes and developments including a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and Assessment is for Learning (AIFL) and their bearing on classroom practice.
• Be able to demonstrate effective experience in a school or central leadership role.
• Be able to evidence professional expertise in one or more of the following areas: Pupil Support, Complex Needs including communication needs, Early Years.
• Have experience in working with a range of external agencies.
• Evidence successful experience in working closely with parents / carers.
• Have the ability to lead and manage change and improvement effectively.
• Have experience of the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom and for management.
• Have an awareness of managing developments that support school improvement.
• Have a working knowledge of national and local priorities.
• Have a valid UK driving licence and access to transport as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross.

Ideally you will:

• Have a Post Graduate Qualification in Additional Support Needs or Educational Leadership.
• Have training and experience in Child Protection.
• Be CALM theory trained or willing to undertake CALM theory training.
• Have an understanding of, or training in, the SCERTS framework.
• Have an understanding of the demands of EAL provision or of statutory specialist teaching roles including Hearing and/or Visual Impairment.
• Have experience of using data to support effective and equitable allocation of staffing and learning resources.
• Have experience of developing policy or guidance at whole school or local authority level.
• Have experience of line managing a team of education professionals, including associated HR processes and approaches to supporting staff wellbeing.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council:

We have a vision of a confident and ambitious Perth and Kinross, to which everyone can contribute and all can share. Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours.

Here's what we can offer you:

• A nationally agreed annual leave entitlement.
• Eligibility to join the Scottish Teacher's Pension Scheme.
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, and our Wellbeing Framework.
• Access to a range of benefits.

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

Next Steps:

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Jennifer McNicol, Quality Improvement Officer at jmcnicol@pkc.gov.uk or on 07717 806785 to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One should be your current or most recent employer. If you are already employed as a teacher with Perth & Kinross Council, you are only required to provide 1 reference, which must be from your current Head Teacher.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.

If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, whilst over the age of 18, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. GTCS registration is required.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.