SENDCo

SENDCo

Location: Aurora Woodlands, Darwen

Contract Type: Permanent 

Hours: Full Time, 40 hours per week

Salary: £31,650 - £47,338 (M1 – UPS2) depending on experience

The Aurora Group 

The Aurora Group is an innovative provider of education and care for children, young people and adults with special educational needs and disabilities.  Aurora Woodlands School is an independent day school in Lancashire providing specialist education for young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH).

The main purpose of the role:

This is a fulltime SENDCO role in a specialist school where you will work within a transdisciplinary model with integrated therapy and a unique universal offer, liaising closely with the onsite therapy team led by a clinical psychologist. You will lead on educational interventions and specialist assessments. The role will include training and supporting all staff to support student needs and ensure their EHCP is appropriate, resourced, evaluated and reported upon.

As SENDCO you will also be a valuable member of the senior leadership team working collaboratively to engage students and their families. You will shared responsibility for comprehensive training of all staff regardless of their role. This is an exciting and rare opportunity where you would be integral to setting up a unique SEND provision and building a bespoke curriculum with the support of Aurora.

Please note that duties will vary and you will be expected to contribute to the overall aims of Woodlands School when required. 

Click here for the full Job Description

Successful candidates are likely to demonstrate:  

• A strong understanding of the SEND code of practice
• An understanding of a range of interventions and assessments particularly in Literacy
• Enthusiasm and a growth mindset
• Ability to work independently and collaborative with a range of disciplines
• Previous successful support of neurodivergent students
• A willingness to continue their in-depth knowledge and understanding of neurodiversity
• Experience of supporting families with children and young people with SEND.

It is also preferable for candidates to have experience:

• of working in a SEND provision
• supporting students with high anxiety or experiencing mental health difficulties
• working with students aged 11-16
• in access requirements
• safeguarding duties

Candidates must:

• have either a SENCO qualification OR have SENCO experience and be willing to complete the new NPQ SENCO qualification within 2 years
• be QTS or QTLS
• prioritise safeguarding and the holistic needs of the student
• have excellent communication skills for working with families
• be committed to becoming a neuro-informed and neuro-affirmative practitioner
• be proficient staff trainers and able to line manage and support Teaching Assistants
• have good IT skills

We offer:

• The chance to work with, and learn from, an onsite clinical team including a Clinical Psychologist as well as OT and SaLT. There are also opportunities to be involved in research that will support our students and the wider neurodivergent community in terms of specialist interventions.
• Opportunities to work collaboratively with others schools, forums, local initiatives and a wide range of external agencies.
• A rare opportunity to be part of a team creating a new school and culture that will change the lives of many young people and their families within the community
• It is an exciting time to be part of Aurora and this is a unique career opportunity to make your mark on our growing services

What’s on offer?

• Training and Development

Within Aurora, we strongly believe that learning and development should not be limited to just the children and young people we support.  We offer wide range of programmes and opportunities to all our employees to improve your skills and further your career. 

• Save money on your bills!!

With the cost of living rising we have a fantastic benefit through Perkbox to help with cutting costs and help make your money go further.  Perkbox is a free app for you to use on the go wherever you are.  You can get deals and discounts to save money on things like your weekly food bill, phone plans, internet, eating out, gym memberships, insurance and more.  You can also use Perkbox for our cycle to work scheme and car scheme. 

• Competitive Pay and Reward

Every year we compare the market rates of pay and rewards to insure they are comparable or better to other similar organisations.  We also offer Enhanced Annual Leave, Company Sick Pay, Enhanced Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.

• UK Health Cash Plan

This plan can help cover your day to day healthcare expenditure such as optician and dental bills.  You and your children are covered on this plan and you can also choose to upgrade and add a partner to enjoy the benefits with you.

• Employee Assistance Programme

Your health and wellbeing is very important to us and we have support available on a wide variety of issues, helping you with online tools, information and via a freephone counselling service available 24/7. 

• Refer a friend for £1,000

We’ll reward you for recommending friends and family to come and join the company (*terms apply)

How to apply?

Please complete an online application form in full, remembering to include all employment and education details.  If you need any assistance or would like any more information please contact Carl in the Aurora Group Recruitment Team at carl.standidge@the-aurora-group.com

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.