Lead Specialist Teacher - Visual Impairment

Job Description

Permanent,Term Time

Teachers pay and conditions UPS3 plus TLR 2.2 and SEN allowance (Max)

Location:Chelmsford

Working Style:Community-based worker

Closing Date: 28th April 2024

Please note Teachers pay UPS3 non-fringe is £43,364 Per Annum and including fringe area £44,590 Per Annum. TLR 2.2 £5,976 Per Annum and the SEN Allowance Max £4,668 per Annum.

The Opportunity

Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council's statutory services. We have a responsibility to deliver effective services and support in the most cost effective and impactful way.

The Essex Visual Impairment (VI) Team is innovative, outcome -driven and keen to stay in the forefront of national developments in the successful education of children with vision impairment.

This role will lead, manage, and develop the provision of specialist teaching services to support children/ young people with vision impairment (CYPVI) across all settings.

With qualified teacher status (QTS) and qualified teacher of children with vision impairment status (PGDipEd) the role requires substantial experience of working with CYPVI and good leadership skills. To read more about us please visit:Education

Accountabilities

Lead, line manage, develop and enhance the practice of the vision impairment team with regard to the teaching and learning of CYPVI. Managing the development and implementation of an Annual Specialist Development Plan.
Manage referrals from health and schools and ensure the allocation and assessment of need of CYPVI within agreed time scales. Manage levels of support given to CYPVI in accordance with an Essex agreed version of the NATSIP levels.
Responsible for monitoring the quality of VI service delivery, organising meetings and staff training to enhance this. Model effective teaching strategies/approaches, lending resources to promote effective teaching, learning and equitable access to the curriculum for CYPVI.
Plan and lead the development and provision of the additional specialist curriculum for CYPVI, including Habilitation, specialist ICT and Braille.
Provide specialist advice and support to an individual caseload of children with vision Impairment, working in partnership with children, parents/carers, schools and other settings to promote equitable access to the curriculum.
Lead in the planning and delivery of specialist in- service training to schools and settings. Develop and deliver training to schools and settings, to track and report on children's progress and inform future planning.
Provide specialist advice for County initiatives, schools and other agencies to develop educational provision which promotes the progress for pupils with Vision Impairment. Assist in the provision and collection of required data.
Contribute to Council and Out County Annual Reviews of CYPVI, cross-service working groups within the Council and other agencies. Promote the development of working relationships with health, social care and local, regional and national vision impairment agencies.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to Qualified Teacher Status with the mandatory qualification for teaching children with vision impairment. (MEd/PGDipEd)
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge and substantial experience in teaching children and young people with vision impairment (CYPVI).
Experience of working collaboratively with stakeholders, partners and other agencies.
Good leadership skills and behaviour with the ability to motive a diverse team to achieve shared goals and objectives.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a way of delivering information in a clear, concise and easily understood manner.
Successful applicants will be invited to attend an interview, to be held virtually, on either the 14thor 15thMay 2024.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle,or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Why Essex?Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England's oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest - Basildon and Harlow - are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read moreabout us.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We're also committed to interview allveteransandcare leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go tohttps://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please emailresourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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Information about the School

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda – one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We’re immensely proud of our flexible working options.

All appointments are subject to safer recruitment requirements to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people. All positions will involve appropriate checks and clearances.