General Class Teacher Adventurer Pathway - Watermill School

Watermill School is a unique and inclusive school, with a designation of Cognition and Learning. The school opened in January 2014 to serve the children of Stoke on Trent and surrounding communities. We currently have 241 children on roll from Reception to Year 11 and all children have an Education, Health and Care Plan. The school has adopted the EQUALS curriculum which is person centred and focuses on pupil engagement and developing independence. 58% of children have a primary need of Communication & Interaction and almost all children access learning through an Informal or Semi-Formal curriculum model.

We pride ourselves on the friendly atmosphere of our school community, which enables our children to thrive and reach their potential in all aspects of their life. We promote high levels of independence through all aspects of the school day and are passionate about improving the lives of the children in our school. We believe in celebrating success and ensure children feel valued.

Watermill School is looking to recruit an inspiring and innovative qualified Class Teacher to work in a mixed KS3 & KS4 class in our Adventurer learning pathway. Children in this pathway access learning through a semi-formal curriculum model and have severe learning difficulties, including speech, language and communication difficulties, (SLD, SLCN, ASC, ADHD, SpLD). Children in this pathway continue to benefit from play-based approaches to learning that promote independence and functional skills.

This post would suit a teacher with a high level of knowledge and skills in early reading and maths approaches; experience of teaching at KS1 and KS2 is desirable. However, we welcome applications from skilful and creative teachers working in other phases of education. The ability to create a safe, stimulating and engaging learning environment which promotes curiosity, exploration and independence is essential.

This post will entail the full range of teacher duties, including assessment, planning and reporting. Previous experience of working in a special school setting is not essential; however, adaptation of teaching and learning approaches and individualised learning strategies are vital skills required to meet the needs of all our pupils.

Watermill School actively encourages innovative and evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning. We are looking for someone who can positively engage and motivate our students and will support our vision of developing confident and independent learners.

Teachers considering an application for this post should be able to demonstrate:

• Previous experience of teaching pupils with SEND either in mainstream or special school setting
• A good track record of high-quality teaching across the subject areas
• The ability to plan and sequence effective personalised and individual learning programmes and evidence-based intervention
• An awareness of augmentative communication systems
• An awareness of the Engagement Model
• The ability to assess risk and provide support and de-escalation to pupils who exhibit challenging behaviour
• Ability to work closely with other agencies and parents to provide positive outcomes for young people with a complexity of needs
• A good working knowledge and understanding of the EHCP Annual Review Process

Just like the pupils the successful candidate will be working with, this post is unique and we would urge interested parties to contact us for more information in the first instance and to visit the school as part of the application process. We welcome professionals from a range of backgrounds and at different stages in their career development.

What we will offer:

• Career development: induction tailored to your needs, mentoring and coaching
• Teaching teams who work collaboratively to share expertise and workload
• A warm positive environment in which to work
• A school that is innovative and continuously seeks opportunities to further improve and develop
• An open and inclusive school community
• Dynamic and forward-thinking senior leadership team and governors committed to staff support
• Supportive Network Meetings across the seven Trust schools

Application forms and information packs can be obtained by emailing Janice.Bytheway@watermill.orchardct.org.uk