Army- Defence Children Services(DCS)-Special Education Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO)-Hornbill School, Brunei

Job summary

If you are an experienced SENDCo and Primary teacher with recent UK teaching experience and a passion to empower all to thrive then this is an opportunity for you!

Hornbill School proudly provides primary education for the children of UK MOD personnel within the Garrison including a Gurkha regiment, from 3–11 years. Students are at the heart of all we do, where we create a culture which allows all to flourish and our educational provision is highly-regarded across the local community.

The school is comprised of approximately 65% of students who are Nepali and are likely to have English as an additional language. This creates a wonderful opportunity for staff to understand and celebrate the Nepalese culture while also working in a British School in a military context.

We are looking for a dynamic, caring and talented individual with whom our values and ethos resonate. We are located in the country of Brunei, on the island of Borneo - known for its beaches and ancient, biodiverse rainforest and home to wildlife including orangutans and clouded leopards – this is a truly unique and special opportunity! Candidates should be mindful of the context of Brunei and appreciate the need to comply with expectations and the country’s regulations.

Defence Children Services (DCS) is a Defence delivery organisation, subordinated under Army Regional Command. Our Vision is that we Educate the Child – Support the Family – Defend the Nation. Headquarters Defence Children Services (HQ DCS) is UK based at Trenchard Lines, Upavon and has forward deployed staff all over the world. DCS is responsible for the education and care of children of accompanied Service and Defence entitled personnel in MOD schools and settings; provides advice and guidance in respect of education for service families in the United Kingdom and the wider world.

This role is suitable for a fully qualified SENDCo or an existing SENDCo who is willing to complete the qualification within three years of appointment and involves overseeing the SEND provision across the school, ensuring students with SEND reach their full potential and a part -time class teaching responsibility. You will be passionate about ensuring equality of opportunity for any child with SEND, removing any barriers to progress and wellbeing and ensuring that all students have the support to achieve and thrive.

Specially recruited for overseas service appointees are not expected to return to the UK.

Job description

This is a full time position with teaching responsibilities, advertised at 30 hours per week. This position is specially recruited for overseas and appointees are not expected to return to the UK.

The SENDCo position is key within school, making positive differences to children’s lives. This includes the following expectations for the post holder:

Leading and managing all aspects of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) role within school, including working with children, staff, parents and multi-agencies.

Work in close partnership with other schools to support effective pupil transition and with the international schools in Brunei.

In conjunction with the class teacher, carry out assessments of pupils with SEND to identify needs and monitor progress -including observations in the classroom and meeting with teachers and parents.

Work with pupils, classroom teachers, the school leadership team, parents and relevant external agencies to develop, implement and monitor individual support/learning plans.

Make referrals and liaise with professionals outside of the school such as educational psychologists, health and social care providers and speech, language therapists and educational social workers.

Provide advice, guidance and training to classroom teachers on supporting pupils with SEND.

Support teachers with universal provision to deliver adaptive teaching for all pupils and those with SEND.

Support teachers to develop and implement effective teaching and behaviour management approaches in the classroom.

As class teacher, be accountable to the progress and attainment of all children that you teach and deliver the curriculum as relevant to the age and ability of pupils taught.

Further information is available on the attached job description.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

Person specification

Essential Criteria required for the role is:

• The National Qualifications for SENCo or equivalent, or willingness to complete the qualification within the first 3 years from appointment.
• Qualified teacher status held and successful completion of induction.
• At least 1 year experience of successful leadership and management within a primary school (3 – 11 age range) as a SENDCo.
• Commitment to continuing professional development, evidence that a majority of the teaching standards and those for SENDCo have been met.
• Ability to provide professional leadership and management and contribute to the work of others to secure high quality teaching, effective use of resources and consistent evidence of improved standards of learning, achievement and progress for SEND pupils.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation - in particular of the SEN Code of Practice, equal opportunities and disability discrimination legislation and how these apply to pupils with Educational Health Care Plan (EHCPs) as well as to those without.
• Knowledge of current educational issues and their relationship to the inclusion, behaviour support and Education Welfare Services.
• Experience of teaching and/or supporting SEND across the Primary age range.
• Training and experience of implementing safeguarding and Child Protection procedures effectively.

Desirable Criteria:

• Ability to interpret and use data effectively in setting targets.
• Knowledge of the range and type of interventions available and be able to apply these appropriately in the context of the School's resources and the individual child.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines.
• Excellent presentation and inter-personal skills.
• Excellent time and task management skills.

Qualifications

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and successful completion of induction.
The National Qualifications for SENCOs or equivalent, or willingness to complete the qualification within the first 3 years from appointment
All qualifications, licences or memberships declared must be held at point of application and if applicable be in date. Equivalents will not be accepted. Evidence will be required at interview.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Teaching standards
• Presentation

Benefits

We are passionate about delivering extraordinary things for our people. We employ people who challenge and guide each other, working within a highly capable team who will support you to develop your skills and experience. Some of the many benefits you will receive include:

• Learning and Development opportunities for professional and personal development of skills.
• Access to amenities in the Garrison.
• Superannuation is in accordance with the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
• A paid annual return flight to the UK is also provided for each family member after first having completed 12 months in post.
• Accommodation is free for the first five years of your Ministry of Defence (MOD) employment overseas with subsidised utilities. Thereafter a reasonable modest rent is payable.
• This post offers full relocation allowances subject to availability.
• Cost of Living Overseas Allowances is payable based on personal circumstances and marital status.

This post offers full relocation allowances subject to availability. Cost of Living Overseas Allowances is payable based on personal circumstances and marital status.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

In line with the Terms and Conditions (TACOS) for this post, accommodation is free for the first five years of your MOD employment overseas with subsidised utilities. Thereafter, rent and utilities are payable. Please note if you have previously worked overseas for the MOD and have been in recipient of free rent and utilities then that period will be deducted from your five-year allowance.

Discover My Benefits

Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD.

https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

At sift your Personal Statement, CV and Qualifications will be assessed on your Knowledge, skills, and experience of the essential criteria detailed in this advert.

At interview you will assessed on the Teaching Standards (Teachers' standards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), Civil Service Behaviours and deliver a presentation. The Civil Service Behaviours are; Changing and Improving and Working Together.

Behaviours assessed at interview: Changing and Improving, Working Together.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

For your presentation, it's theme is 'Strategies to ensure that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) receive excellent teaching and provision at school'. This should be no longer than ten minutes in length, with 5 minutes afterwards, for related questions from the interview panel.

Further details of the interview format will be shared to successful applicants.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigation's can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Caroline Neal
• Email : caroline.neal@modschools.org

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam1@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document attached.

Attachments

20241022_Job Description_00044540_SENDCO_HBS Opens in new window (docx, 98kB)20241009 - Further Information - External Opens in new window (docx, 36kB)Defence Civil Service Offer (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Teachers__Standards_Dec_2021 Opens in new window (pdf, 271kB)