Associate Assistant Principal - Inclusion and SEND
Solihull Sixth Form College, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3WR9 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
8 May 2025 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
28 April 2025
Job details
Job role
- Other leadership roles
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 32.5 Hours a Week Monday - Friday
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £60,644 - £63,815
What skills and experience we're looking for
Associate Assistant Principal - Inclusion and SEND
Permanent Full Time
Start date: As soon as possible
Salary: Senior Leadership L09-L11 (£60,644 - £63,815)
Summit Learning Trust Mission Statement
Success through Endeavour
Ambition through Challenge
Strength through Diversity
We are a large and forward looking Sixth Form College which is a proud member of Summit Learning Trust. We seek a creative and highly motivated individual who has experience of inclusion practices and student management to join our ambitious and supportive leadership team in this new role created to enhance our provision for SEND, EHCP, Looked After Children and Young Adult Carers.
You will work alongside an Assistant Principal to provide the strategic development of the College’s inclusion practices, including provision, attainment and attendance of learners with SEND and looked after children and be responsible for the day-to-day operation and effectiveness of the area, As the SENCO, a critical focus will be on equipping learners with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in further and higher education, employment, or training, increasing employability and aspirations across the college community
The role is an ideal preparation for further promotion and offers the chance to join a dynamic and successful College within the academy world. Individuals with leadership experience from any part of the education sector are warmly invited to apply.
Why work for us?
We offer a range of wellbeing and work-life balance benefits to recognise and reward the essential contributions our colleagues make to our success and growth. These include access to:
- An employee assistance programme
- High quality training and support in and across academies enabling career progression
- Wellbeing Advocates
- Lifestyle benefits and discount schemes, including gym discounts and cycle to work scheme
- Health Protection Scheme alongside Flu Jab and Eyecare Vouchers
- Generous employer pension schemes
To apply please visit our website at https://summitlearningtrust.org.uk/careers-vacancies/ Please note we do not accept CV’s.The closing date for return of completed application forms is midday on Thursday 8 May 2025. Interviews will take place on Friday 16 May 2025.
We positively welcome applications from all sections of the community. Summit Learning Trust is proud to be an equal opportunities employer, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender reassignment, age, disability, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy/maternity or race.
We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all colleagues to share this commitment. All appointments will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, including a Children’s barred list check. Online searches of shortlisted candidates will also be conducted.
What the school offers its staff
Why work for us?
We offer a range of wellbeing and work-life balance benefits to recognise and reward the essential contributions our colleagues make to our success and growth. These include access to:
- An employee assistance programme
- High quality training and support in and across academies enabling career progression
- Wellbeing Advocates
- Lifestyle benefits and discount schemes, including gym discounts and cycle to work scheme
- Health Protection Scheme alongside Flu Jab and Eyecare Vouchers
- Generous employer pension schemes
Further details about the role
JOB DESCRIPTION – Associate Assistant Principal
Job title
Associate Assistant Principal for Inclusion and SEND
Grade
L09-L11
Responsible to
Assistant Principal
Responsible for
Strategic development and leadership of inclusion practices within college, including SEND provision and attainment and looked after children
Effective from
January 2025
SUMMIT LEARNING TRUST Mission Statement
Success through Endeavour
Ambition through Challenge
Strength through Diversity
Job Purpose:
The Associate Assistant Principal will work alongside an Assistant Principal to provide the strategic development of the college’s inclusion practices, including provision, attainment and attendance of learners with SEND, EHCP, Looked after Children and Young Adult Carers, and will be responsible for the day-to-day operation and effectiveness of the area. As the SENCO, a critical focus will be on equipping learners with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in further and higher education, employment, or training, increasing employability and aspirations across the college community.
The general expectations of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are:
- To have a high profile around college before, during and after the College Day
- To be seen as role models for all colleagues (not just those who you line manage or for whom you are responsible)
- To be ready to support colleagues, learners and parents at all times
- To create a sense of capacity
- To be reliable, approachable and discreet
- To be a team leader and a team player
- To be flexible and adaptable
- To contribute to the strategic work of the College and be responsible for relevant sections of the College Improvement Plans
- To lead on student behaviour management and take part in the Duty Rota, contributing to overall campus management
- To be actively involved in student recruitment, school liaison work and marketing of the College
- To promote Safeguarding, British Values, Prevent and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in relation to the College’s policies, ensuring that your teams are aware of and are exercising their responsibilities
- To represent College Leadership at meetings and events both inside and out of college
- To be responsible for Health and Safety as laid out in the College Health & Safety Policy
- To take part in the College Professional Development & Performance Review Scheme including acting as an appraiser
Main Role:
- To promote the educational success and outstanding outcomes of learners with SEND and Looked after Children through leading the strategic development of college’s inclusive practices and strong leadership.
- To assume the role of SENCO for the College
- To be the designated teacher for Looked after Children
- To ensure the college carries out its statutory responsibilities regarding all learners with SEND and Looked after Children.
- To lead and manage the Additional Learning Support team to ensure there is outstanding provision for all learners who have a SEND need.
- To be an active member of the Senior Leadership team and lead on and manage an allocated set of Cross College responsibilities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Coordinate and monitor high quality provision for learners with SEND.
- Monitor and track progress for learners with SEND to ensure this is in line with national and college expectations and create a plan where the progress may not be in line with target achievement.
- Ensure that information required for statutory assessments is completed to a high standard and forwarded to the Local Authority within externally set timeframes
- Coordinate the collection and interpretation of specialist assessment data to inform practice and assess learners for access arrangements in examinations.
- Coordinate the organisation of target setting and ALS plans, meeting with learners each term to review progress
- Organise and implement annual reviews for all learners with Education Health Care Plans and track and monitor EHCP students’ progress throughout their time at the College
- Support vulnerable learners, including those with SEND or complex needs, EHCP and Young Adult Carers, to ensure they transition successfully into post-16 options.
- Work alongside SLT to monitor the impact of quality first teaching within lessons.
- Support the professional development of colleagues by delivering high quality bespoke INSET on aspects of special educational needs and monitoring effectiveness in collaboration with other leaders
- Oversee purchasing, and effective use, of SEND resources across the College
- Appropriately deploy and line manage ALS support colleagues
- Work alongside colleagues across the Summit Learning Trust to ensure collaborative practices regarding SEND are adopted
- Uphold positive partnerships with parents/carers of learners with SEND
- As the Designated teacher for LAC, be a central point of contact for LAC and previously LAC students and promote their educational achievement ensuring personal, emotional and academic needs are prioritised.
- Attend and contribute to LAC meetings, chair Personal Educational Plan (PEP) meetings and liaise with LAC Education Services and Virtual Schools
- Liaise with other external agencies including Local Authorities and Social Services.
- Keep abreast of current thinking in SEND matters, attend relevant training and local network meetings
- Build positive relationships with learners, parents and carers, ensuring effective communication on matters relating to student progress, welfare and holistic development
- Work collaboratively with teaching colleagues and Curriculum Leaders to address barriers to learning affected by SEND needs through assessment of needs, monitoring of teaching quality and learner achievement.
- Keep abreast of the latest demands for inspection as articulated by OFSTED and other external agencies and ensure that the College is inspection ready at all times.
- Act as Assistant Designated Safeguarding Lead ensuring safeguarding policies are rigorously applied across the college
- Be part of the Health and Safety and DEI committees.
- Actively use Learner Voice to improve learner experience
- Any other appropriate and reasonable activity as may be directed from time to time by the Principal
Notes
- The above responsibilities are in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act 2002 and statutory orders in terms and duties and working time.
- This job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post. It will be reviewed regularly and may be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the post-holder.
Job description issued by the principal:
Copy received by:
Date:
Person Specification – Associate Assistant Principal - Inclusion and SEND
The successful candidate will be suitably qualified with a breadth of relevant experience and capable of inspiring trust and confidence across a diverse range of learners, colleagues and parents/carers.
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent
- Qualified Teacher Status or its equivalent
- National SENCO Award or equivalent
- Strong track record of professional development and updating knowledge
- Higher level professional qualification
- Other professional development in the area of SEND
Relevant Experience
- Successful experience of effecting improvement in previous contexts
- Successful team leadership experience with evidence of impact on standards
- A working knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice and statutory requirements specifically related to Inclusive Academy Practice.
- To have a thorough understanding of the role of the SENCO and SEND code of practice and demonstrate best practice in meeting the needs of learners with SEND.
- Experience of teaching learners with a range of additional needs
- Practical experience of successfully promoting equality of opportunity
- Successful experience of introducing or implementing significant innovations in a school/academy or department
- Experience of managing colleagues effectively, and leading and motivating others
- Ability to generate effective working relationships at all levels
- Experience of effective quality assurance approaches, including colleague performance management and colleague development
- Successful experience of managing both colleague and learner issues
- Experience of delivering high quality CPD related to SEND
- Management and use of financial resources
- Effective partnership working with other agencies, for example, local authority, OFSTED, Further and Community Education Services, Business and Partner Schools.
Knowledge and understanding
- Knowledge and understanding of the strategies most likely to maximise the levels of educational achievements by all learners, particularly in relation to SEND
- Knowledge of recent developments in teaching and learning, the curriculum, pastoral support, educational developments and legislative changes
- Knowledge of the application and potential of IT
- Knowledge of the regulations around safeguarding and how to
address any issues that might arise
- Good knowledge of the issues around Mental Health and how to support learners.
- Working knowledge of SEND code of practice and other legislation / guidance pertinent to SEND
- Working knowledge of local SEND provision and associated services for Education, Health and Social Care
- Knowledge of MIS systems like Arbor
- Experience of handling safeguarding cases in a post 16 setting
Skills and aptitudes
- Demonstrate a strong desire to achieve the highest possible level of educational achievement for
each learner in the College, particularly those with SEND or looked after children.
- Discretion, tact and integrity
- Good interpersonal and motivational skills
- Initiative, self-motivation and resilience
- Flexibility, creativity and the ability to think laterally
- Excellent time management skills, and the ability to prioritise effectively
- Ability to be reflective and self-critical
- High level of IT skills both a curricular and administrative tool
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and oral
- Outstanding leadership and management skills, inspiring confidence in colleagues and learners so that they can succeed and achieve their personal best
- Ability to develop positive working relationships with learners,
parents, colleagues, Governors and local community
- Ability to report to and work with other stakeholders such as Governors, the LA and other external advisors or
agencies
- Ability to manage change, involving and consulting learners, parents, colleagues, Governors and others
Special Requirements
- Enhanced DBS clearance
- Compliance with all Academy and Trust policies
- Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and success of all learners
- The implementation of equal opportunities practice.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs are not accepted.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Solihull Sixth Form College
- School type
- Academy, ages 16 to 19
- Education phase
- Sixth_form_or_college
- School size
- 0 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 16 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Solihull Sixth Form College website
- Email address
- recruitment@summitlearningtrust.org.uk
- Phone number
- 0121 704 2581
Join our friendly, thriving and supportive staff here at Solihull Sixth Form college. We aspire to be outstanding professionally and personally, taking time to invest in everything we do, to develop transformative life chances for all of our students and to stretch their potential to the full.
Solihull Sixth Form College is a large, culturally diverse specialist in A Levels and Level 3 BTEC qualifications, and part of the Summit Learning Trust
School location
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Solihull Sixth Form College
Widney Manor Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3WR
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