Specialist Teacher/SENDCO

Acorn to Oak Education is an alternative education provider offering specialist educational, therapeutic and wellbeing support to learners in London as part of specialist educational provision where learners are not able to attend an educational setting.

We are looking to add to our peripatetic learning team within London and would love to hear from outstanding specialist primary teachers with the SENCO qualification who have substantial experience supporting learners with additional support needs within a specialist curriculum pathway. Experience of supporting sensory and language related learning needs is important, understanding of PECS and other alternative communication methods is also helpful.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan and Deliver Lessons: Create and deliver engaging, curriculum-based lessons tailored to individual learner needs. It is important that lessons are fun for the learner and it can be necessary to base learning on their interests. To support engagement it may be needed to alternate between fun educational activities and more formal learning.
• Support Academic Progress: Assist the learner with gaps in learning, and developing the skills and confidence they need to engage in more formal learning as this becomes relevant.
• Develop Resources: Adapt and develop educational resources to meet the unique requirements of the learner
• Support engagement and regulation: a key element of working with our learners is to support them with engagement and regulation skills so that they are able to learn with us and be supported to generalise these skills in other areas.
• Support the development of learning skills: helping the learner with growing their learning skills in a way that suits them and helping them to generalise these skills.
• Integration of therapeutic targets into learning: be able to follow the therapeutic supports identified for the learner within sessions as well as incorporating therapeutic targets and strategies into learning based upon input from therapeutic professionals such as occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.
• Record Keeping: Maintain accurate records of lesson plans, student achievements, and engagement including provision of reports at the end of each term.
• SENCO role: it will be necessary to provide support to the policies and procedures of the organisation, assess needs and the provision required at the outset, liaise with other professionals working with the learner and arrange multi-disciplinary team meetings, and complete annual review and other paperwork if needed including costed provision maps.
• Liaise with Stakeholders: Work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure the learner receives the necessary educational support.

Qualifications:

• Education: Degree level education or equivalent.
• Professional Status: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), QTLS, PGCE, EYFS or equivalent.
• Key qualifications: the SENCo qualification.
• Experience: Substantial experience of working with primary learners with additional support needs is needed
• Specialist Knowledge: Understanding of disability and specific learning difficulties, including ADHD, autism, and mental health and wellbeing related needs
• Professional Membership: Membership with a recognized body such as PAToSS, BDA, ADSHE, or Dyslexia Guild is preferred.

Skills:

• Adaptability: Ability to adapt tuition approaches to individual student needs.
• Organizational Skills: Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently.
• Communication: Strong communication skills to liaise effectively with learners, parents, and professionals.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to support students in managing academic demands and problem-solving and being able to regulate themselves.

Additional Requirements:

• Safeguarding: Up-to-date safeguarding training issued in the last year.
• DBS Certificate: Enhanced child barred list DBS certificate registered with the online update service or willingness to process a new application.
• References: Provide two professional child-related references covering the last two years.

Professional Development:

• CPD: Maintain continuing professional development (CPD) and practising certificates.
• Training: Attend training and supervision sessions as required.

Job Type: Part-time

Work Location: In person in SE3