DBS Check Required Enhanced with Children’s and Adults Barred List
JOB PURPOSE
* Use extensive knowledge to make a positive impact on the achievements of children in care and previously looked after children.
* Support, advise and challenge school leaders, social workers and school staff to identify barriers to children in care achieving in education by helping them develop strategies to improve educational attainment.
* Deliver high quality training and support for carers and Designated Teachers in schools, ensuring statutory duties and best practice standards are met.
* Use a high level of technical knowledge in all aspects of education, including Special Education Needs, exclusions, and behaviour management, to focus on progress, needs identification, attendance, carefully targeted intervention and enrichment provision to meet academic, social and emotional needs.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
1. Provide intensive educational casework for a designated cohort of children and young people looked after to ensure they receive appropriate services and interventions, involving multi‑disciplinary work.
2. Deliver the education vision for the Virtual School, reflecting local, regional and national priorities, legislation and good practice, with a strong emphasis on raising the educational standard of children and young people looked after.
3. Provide support and direction to the Virtual School team around key priorities in area/age group of specialism.
4. Ensure high‑quality Personal Education Plans are in place within agreed timescales for all children and young people looked after in the agreed area of responsibility, ensuring each child receives appropriate support with pupil premium being discharged purposefully in line with local authority policy.
5. Undertake direct work with children and young people in educational settings, community and at home/placement to ensure educational needs are fully met and any barriers identified, including observation, mentoring, tuition as appropriate. This includes travel across the country to wherever our children are placed.
6. Develop effective relationships with schools, including senior leaders and designated teachers to support the educational attainment of looked after children, including through
o Challenging practices, decisions and approaches that impact educational attainment of looked after children.
o Agreeing additional support as required to meet the educational needs of the young person.
o Creating training packages across all curriculum areas to incorporate teaching strategies that remove barriers to learning.
o Sharing best practice around key educational advances to influence school performance against Ofsted and DfE requirements, including the raising of attainment of children in care.
7. Maintain effective systems for tracking pupil progress data, including contribution to and use of data reporting tools/Business Intelligence reports. Use information to take prompt action where there are concerns and ensure appropriate interventions are implemented.
8. Support the development and delivery of cross‑service training for school staff, foster/residential carers and social workers to raise awareness of the diverse educational needs and complex circumstances applying to looked after children, driving up educational standards.
9. Maintain productive relationships with partners including traded services and voluntary providers.
10. Develop and teach lessons to groups of pupils in specialist learning programmes, creating bespoke learning packages across curriculum areas including literacy and numeracy.
11. Organise and ensure delivery of events and activities such as training sessions, enrichment activities, homework clubs and celebration events.
12. Implement and monitor with the Virtual School Head/Deputy a strategy to oversee school attendance levels of Children in Care to take prompt action should any young person miss significant amounts of schooling.
13. Monitor all Kensington and Chelsea’s children in care who do not have access to an education placement and ensure effective plans are developed to support and challenge professionals to overcome issues and ensure children/young people return to education with minimal delay.
14. Provide statistical, management and financial information as required in relation to both the caseload and the service.
15. Understand and implement the Council’s policy of Equal Opportunities in employment as well as other relevant council policies and schemes.
16. Perform such duties as may be required by the Virtual School Head consistent with overall job purpose and to meet the exigencies of the service.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications
* Current Qualified Teacher Status
* Degree level 2.2 or above
Skills, Experience and Attitude
* Knowledge and understanding of relevant education and social care legislation and policy relating to children in public care
* 2 years+ mainstream teaching experience
* Experience of two or more key stages of education
* Effective communication and presentation skills and an ability to build constructive relationships with a diverse group of clients and professionals
* Ability to identify and record evidence of progress (outcomes) by children
* Experience and proven capability in the use of IT systems
* A high level of organisational skills with a proven ability to prioritise and balance a challenging workload
* Experience in compiling reports for a variety of audiences and evidence of ability to meet deadlines
* Appropriate understanding and approach to children’s development
* Effective team member
* Non‑judgemental approach
* Clear professional boundaries
* Being a reflective practitioner
* Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area
* Demonstrate a strong understanding of current theory and research relating to the education for children in care and previously looked after, that informs effective practice
* Extensive experience of acting as an advocate and champion for children with the ability to positively challenge school practice where it falls short
* Experience of effective implementation of school improvement strategies and initiatives together with successful outcomes
* Experience of building strong networks across schools, to facilitate and support the sharing of expertise and best practice
Report to: Virtual School Head; Virtual School Deputy Head
J-18808-Ljbffr