Polam Hall School - Darlington

Lead SEN Practitioner: SEMH

Post is term time only.

Posted: 9th December 2024

Closing date: 5th January 2025

Interviews held: w/c 13th January 2025

Start date: Early 2025 (subject to satisfactory checks)

Salary: £25,775 Actual Salary (Grade G20)

Polam Hall School wishes to appoint an enthusiastic and experienced candidate to the following post:

Lead SEN Practitioner: SEMH

The successful candidate will be based in the Special Educational Needs base (Ancora) working with pupils from all areas of the school, and must have experience of supporting the learning of young people and in a school setting. This is a whole school role across all phases of the school.

The post requires the Special Educational Needs Practitioner to work under the direction of the SENCO:-

• To create purposeful and effective support strategies for pupils struggling with SEMH challenges that enables pupils to achieve and closes gaps.

• To assess, plan and deliver 1 to 1 and small group SEMH support curriculum and lessons in line with the teaching and learning framework and SEN Policy.

• To coordinate and timetable internal and external interventions including therapeutic work and record pupil profiles on school systems including Boxall, Provision Map and Arbor.

• To work with the pastoral and welfare team, parents and carers and coordinate stakeholders to support the SEMH of pupils, including Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and Emotional Literacy (ELSA).

• To promote positive SEMH across school and work as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Champion.

• To work with external agencies and commissioned services relating to mental health when this becomes a special educational need.

• To take responsibility for pupil SEMH referrals to mental health support and interventions.

• To create and maintain a welcoming, well-ordered intervention space which is calm, inviting and has a sense of purpose.

• To update the school website with Mental Health and Wellbeing advice, guidance, strategies and signpost support groups and charities.

• To liaise with parents and carers, including attending parent evenings as agreed in the annual calendar.

• To keep accurate records of pupils, interventions and impact.

• To keep abreast of developments, local and national within the area of SEN and SEMH.

• To promote the use of the school awards.

• To uphold school expectations regarding pupil conduct and deal with any unacceptable behaviour in line with the school behaviour policy.

• To promote and safeguard the welfare of all pupils.

Qualifications at GCSE (or equivalent) are essential including in English and Maths as well as a Level 3 qualification in Supporting Teaching and Learning or equivalent.

Experience of working with complex needs SEN Support are essential.

Experience of working in a Primary setting with Key Stage 2 would also be an advantage.

This is a permanent post in so far it is subject to continued funding for SEN pupils.

Our School:

Polam Hall School is a 4 – 16 years all-through academy and is part of Woodard Academies Trust and delighted to have been rated Good by Ofsted in October 2021 and strives to be Outstanding upon their return. We have 790 pupils on roll with 1.5 form entry in our Primary Phase whilst over the last two years our secondary phase has increased from three to four forms of entry. Polam Hall is a school with a unique and long history, which today is proud to be a fully comprehensive school serving the young people of Darlington. Our mission is to educate the whole child, developing leadership, compassion, character and academic ambition, through the combination of our Academic and Concordia Crescimus curricula. We have high expectations and aspirations for every member of our school community.

Polam Hall is a community where staff and students work together for common goals. We make every effort to develop our staff team, offering professional development opportunities and the chance to be part of a wider Trust, yet retaining the friendly atmosphere of a small school. We are looking for energetic and enthusiastic people to join our team, who have children at the heart of their practice and who will help us to drive forward our aim: to deliver an outstanding education to every single one of our pupils.

Visits to the school are welcome and can be arranged by the Administration Team in school reception.

Please note you should use the supporting statement section of the application form to clearly evidence your ability to meet the requirements outlined in the person specification. The information in this section will be used to shortlist applicants for the role and therefore it is important that you provide enough detail to give a full picture of your skills and experience and what you can contribute to teaching and learning at Polam Hall.

Polam Hall School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.