Resource Base Lead
River Academy, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8EQ5 days remaining to apply
Start date details
1 September 2025
Closing date
27 January 2025 at 9am
Date listed
20 January 2025
Job details
Job role
- Teacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Subject
- Special Needs
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £55,310.00 - £64,496.00 Annually (FTE) Lead practitioner scale plus MAX SEN allowance of £5,285 (included in figures above)
Resource Base Lead job summary
Are you a passionate and experienced educator ready to make a real difference in the lives of students with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)? We’re seeking a dedicated Resource Base Lead to oversee our MLD Resource Base, driving excellence in teaching and learning while maximising life chances for our students.
A resource base designed for 35 students (7 students per year group) with MLD is operating within River Academy, a brand new secondary school in Reading which has been developed with the support of staff and expertise from across the wider Maiden Erlegh Trust.
This is a unique experience to be part of a small and dedicated school team and to support us to deliver routines and set expectations in line with ‘the River Way’. As a school we pride ourselves on quiet classrooms, calm corridors and practices that reduce workload and allow teachers to focus on their teaching craft. Our tutor times are well planned, with tutor reading, assemblies and settling activities each day to ensure the students can perform at their best in the classroom at all times. Students are expected to demonstrate good manners, strong oracy skills and high levels of personal and academic presentation.
River Academy also delivers excellent extra-curricular activities to all of our students through our after-school ‘Electives’ programme.
We have weekly training sessions on teaching and learning and you will work in a transparent coaching culture with peer observations happening on a weekly basis.
Ultimately, the student numbers will rise to 1,200 11-18 students and an additional resource base of 35 students when full. In the early years, we are looking for staff who are willing to be flexible to support the needs of students and to meet the operational needs of the school. This will provide excellent opportunities for staff to develop new skills and gain experience in different areas.
The successful candidate will:
- Be flexible in providing support and knowledge as needed and as the school grows.
- Work in partnership with staff across the whole school community
- Work to build our reputation of providing an excellent MLD provision, which is fully integrated in our whole school community.
- Liaise regularly with the school’s SENDco, the wider SLT of the school and Trust colleagues.
- Have a proven track record as an effective classroom practitioner, with high expectations and aspirations for our children’s achievement and behaviour.
- Be able to shape and deliver a tailored curriculum that meets the unique leads of every student in the base.
- Champion inclusion and foster a nurturing environment where every student thrives.
- Have high expectations of themselves and others and the inspiration and drive to ensure that standards continue to be raised within the base provision.
- Be emotionally intelligent and approachable with excellent communications skills.
- Have a willingness to develop their own practice in line with our ethos of continuous improvement.
The school is part of the successful Maiden Erlegh Trust who currently operate eight other schools in Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. The Trust has a reputation for driving high standards and excellence in all its schools, with a strong track record of outcomes and improving OFSTED grading.
Our People Development Curriculum provides professional development pathways for every role within the Trust, both teaching and support staff, through which staff can tailor CPD to their own needs.
We have a proven track record of supporting ambitious staff in to middle and senior leadership posts and can offer opportunities to broaden your impact on the sector through the work of the Maiden Erlegh Institute. We are very happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part-time working and job-sharing.
River Academy is a new state-of-the-art, purpose-built secondary school which will serves the need for additional school places in the Reading area. Based in Richfield Avenue, the buildings contain specialist teaching facilities in all areas of the curriculum including a wonderful hall, drama studio and sports studio.
River Academy has high expectations for all students and a firm focus on academic excellence and participation ingrained in our every action. To learn more about our school, please visit our website www.river-academy.co.uk
About the Trust
Maiden Erlegh Trust is committed to developing a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative community of highly effective schools that deliver excellent education opportunities for the children and young people of the communities we serve. Through our work we will ensure that our children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to deal with the demands of an ever-changing world. The Trust currently comprises eight schools in the local area, with a variety of settings including primary, secondary, special and a PRU. As a Trust, we encourage professional development at all levels through the use of cross Trust networks to share best practice and ideas. We also actively encourage the promotion of staff to different roles within the Trust and to different settings in line with their career aspirations. Click Work @ Maiden Erlegh Trust to find out more information about why you should work for Maiden Erlegh Trust and to read testimonials from existing staff.
Benefits
Further information about some of the staff benefits that Maiden Erlegh Trust offers its employees, can be found on our website HERE.
Staff Wellbeing is very important to us. As a staff member of Maiden Erlegh Trust these are just some of the examples of how we show our appreciation to staff.
- We operate a system of ‘ME days’ allowing staff to request an additional day off per year to attend special events such as children’s sports days and graduations, family and friends' weddings.
- CPD is available for all staff at all levels.
- Free flu vaccinations are offered to all staff.
- Free eye tests are provided for eligible staff.
- Breakfast and lunch provided for staff regularly, including on many INSET days and as a thank you throughout the year.
If you believe that this is an environment where you can thrive, develop and substantially contribute to an exciting future for our students, then you are encouraged to explore further by contacting recruitment@maidenerleghtrust.org for a more detailed discussion, if required.
We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and successful references.
If you would like to have an informal chat with our hiring manager about this post, please email recruitment@maidenerleghtrust.org.
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
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs are not accepted.
About River Academy
- School type
- Free School, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- Up to 1200 pupils
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- River Academy website (opens in new tab)
School location
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