JOB DESCRIPTION
PORTFOLIO / Children, Young People and Families
SERVICE / Learning and Achievement Service
POST TITLE / Advocate for Children (AfC) – Infant, Junior and Primary Schools
SALARY RANGE / Soulbury 18 – 21 + 3 SPA
RESPONSIBLE TO / Head of Service (Primary)
RESPONSIBLE FOR / Lead Headteachers and Heads of School
HOLIDAY AND
SICKNESS RELIEF / To be allocated by Inclusion and Learning Services Senior Management Team
PURPOSE OF JOB / Schools in Sheffield are organised in seven localities which sit within 7 Community Assemblies and 3 multi agency areas. Each area has an Advocate for Children (AfC) for its infant, junior and primary schools. The postholder carries out a strategic role across the locality through knowing schools in the locality very well and by working in partnership and collaboration with schools to build capacity for sustainability, bring about further improvement, continue to raise standards and reduce numbers of schools below floor standard and in Ofsted categories.
Locality School Improvement Strategic Leads are required to:
- Maintain extensive and up to date knowledge and expertise of the primary phase
- Be a strategic improvement leader in a locality and work with the schools in the locality on developing capacity and securing great outcomes for children
- Be the main point of contact for the Learning and Achievement Service for infant, junior and primary schools in a locality
- Have detailed knowledge of schools and the locality’sstrengths and areas for improvement
- To challenge schools and the locality around performance, and to broker support where necessary from other schools and monitor its impact
- Provide advice to the Director Inclusion and Learning Services and Assistant Director of the Learning and Achievement Service
- Work in partnership withEarly Years and Strategic Leads for, targeted support and leadership, innovation and development for schools.
- Work in partnership with multi-agency support teams,other services and local authority teams to support schools in their work to improve further
- Monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of local authority plans to improve schools below floor standard, in Ofsted categories and at risk of an Ofsted category.
- Work in partnership with primary hubs and teaching schools to ensure their use, sustainability and effectiveness
- Advise and brief local Elected Members
- Work with school leadership, ILS Officers and other Services and teams to de-escalate potentially serious issues
- Provide written and oral reports for a range of audiences
- Work with schools within the framework of the 5Cs: collaboration, commissioning, commercialisation, capacity building and choice by:
- Commissioning and brokering support, advice and expertise as required within and across localities
- Leading in the locality the Authority’s strategic approach to school improvement including reducing the number of schools below floor standard, at risk of an Ofsted category and in Ofsted categories through collaboration, commissioning and capacity building.
- Using a range of strategies for sharing effective practice and building sustainability.
- Undertake additional responsibilities as required.
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR POST OF: Locality School Improvement Strategic Lead
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain effective risk assessment and risk management systems
- Ensure effective deployment and Quality Assurance of resources, including placement schools, local leaders and lead headteachers (or similar for other posts)
- Ensuring that where necessary schools are accessing and commissioning the support required to bring about further improvement, to broker this and monitor its impact
- Promoting and co-ordinate partnership working within each family of schools and across the locality to foster partnership working and support the identified needs within the local communities they serve;
- Carry out performance management as required.
- Maintain effective communication between schools and Inclusion Learning Services.
- Represent the Executive Director CYPF at meetings of governing bodies
- Commission, Lead and manage early intervention programmes.
- Build capacity in a locality, identify and disseminate best practice.
- Maintain and disseminate best practice register.
- Provide as required information and briefings on the progress and performance of schools in a locality.
- Create records and reports as required, including reports for elected members
- Advise and assist governors in the appointment of headteachers and deputy headteachers as required in line with the Local Authority policy.
- Manage budgets as required.
- Undertake training so as to be fully conversant with the roles that schools play in child protection, safeguarding and CAF.
- Convene and chair primary monitoring and progress meetings.
- Convene and chair primary cross service review meetings
- Work with schools' finance team to ensure schools' accountability for expenditure on improved outcomes for children'.
- Work in partnership with the Early Years Service and the Foundation Stage Team in promoting great outcomes for children.
- To work with DfE and OfSTED and to translate Government policy for schools.
- To be aware of education legislation, statutory guidance and to work with schools and academies in a differentiated approach to monitoring, challenge, intervention and support.
SERVICE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION
- To maintain close and effective working relationships with colleagues within the Service and other services.
- To contribute to own performance management through diary management, time allocation returns and preparation for performance management and appraisal.
- To attend relevant meetings of the service.
- To undertake other duties as appropriate to the level of the post.
DIRECTORATE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain close and effective working relationships with colleagues within the directorate.
- Provide references on behalf of the Executive Director: Children and Young Peoples Directorate for applicants for Headteacher and School Improvement posts.
- Provide advice on educational policy to the Executive Director Children, Young People and Families Service, elected members and LA as required.
- Provide advice on behalf of the Executive Director Children, Young People and Families Service to governors and schools pre and post Ofsted inspections.
- Where required, to provide advice on issues quality and attainment in relation to LA resourcing of schools; new buildings and adaptations; to provide such information on the performance of schools as may be required by the Executive Director Children, Young People and Families Service.
The postholder must at all times carry out his/her responsibilities within the spirit of the City Council’s Policies and Procedures, in particular the Council Policies on Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety and also, within the framework of the Education Act 1996.
ISSUE DATE: March 2014PERSON SPECIFICATION
- Successful track record of primary school improvement work
- Recent experience of serving headship or LA leadership at Adviser level or above, or successful experience within an Academy Group at a senior level, or Regional Adviser level within National Strategies or equivalent
- Up to date knowledge and expertise of theprimary phase
- Successful and recent experience of school improvement work including risk management and intensive work with schools in an Ofsted category, at risk of an Ofsted category and below floor standard
- Good inter-personal and communication skills
- The ability to convince, influence and persuade
- Recent experience in partnership and collaborative working and leading collaboration across a family of schools and a locality to drive improvement
- Successful experience of brokering and commissioning support for primary schools
- Experience of working as an Ofsted Inspector or primary school improvement partner
- Experience of working with and reporting to governing bodies
- Experience of multi-agency and cross service working
- Experience of LA Governance structures
/ CITY of SHEFFIELD
JOB DESCRIPTION
PORTFOLIO / Children, Young People and Families
SERVICE / Learning and Achievement Service
POST TITLE / Advocate for Children (AfC) – Special Education Needs and Disabilities
SALARY RANGE / Soulbury 18 – 21 + 3SPA
RESPONSIBLE TO / Head of Service (Secondary and Special)
RESPONSIBLE FOR / Line management is required
HOLIDAY AND
SICKNESS RELIEF / To be allocated by Inclusion and Learning Services Senior Management Team
PURPOSE OF JOB / Schools in Sheffield are organised in seven localities which sit within 7 Community Assemblies and 3 multi agency areas. Each area has an Advocate for Children (AfC) for its infant, junior and primary schools; the Head of Service (Secondary) leads the advocacy in the secondary phase. Special Schools have a strong partnership and work across the city.
This postholder carries out a strategic role across the city through knowing schools across the city very well and by working in partnership and collaboration with schools to build capacity for sustainability, bring about further improvement, continue to raise standards and improved outcomes in the special phase, but also in the mainstream sector for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and to reduce numbers of schools below floor standard and in Ofsted categories.
The AfC (SEND) is required to:
- Maintain extensive and up to date knowledge and expertise of inclusion issues in the mainstream sector and the specialist sector
- Be a strategic leader in the city and work with the schools in the city on developing capacity and securing great outcomes for SEND children
- Be the main point of contact for the Learning and Achievement Service with special schools and for SEND issues
- Have detailed knowledge of schools and the inclusion strengths and areas for improvement
- To challenge schools around SEND or inclusion performance, and to broker support where necessary from other schools and monitor its impact
- Provide advice to the Director Inclusion and Learning Services and Heads of Service in ILS
- Work in partnership with Early Years and Strategic Leads for, targeted support and leadership, innovation and development for schools.
- Work in partnership with multi-agency support teams, other services and local authority teams to support schools in their work to improve further
- Monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of local authority plans to improve schools below floor standard, in Ofsted categories and at risk of an Ofsted category.
- Work in partnership with primary hubs and teaching schools to ensure their use, sustainability and effectiveness
- Advise and brief local Elected Members
- Work with school leadership, ILS Officers and other Services and teams to de-escalate potentially serious issues
- Provide written and oral reports for a range of audiences
- Work with schools within the framework of the 5Cs: collaboration, commissioning, commercialisation, capacity building and choice by:
- Commissioning and brokering support, advice and expertise as required within and across localities
- Leading in the locality the Authority’s strategic approach to school improvement including reducing the number of schools below floor standard, at risk of an Ofsted category and in Ofsted categories through collaboration, commissioning and capacity building.
- Using a range of strategies for sharing effective practice and building sustainability.
- Undertake additional responsibilities as required.
JOB DESCRIPTION FOR POST OF: Locality School Improvement Strategic Lead
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain effective risk assessment and risk management systems
- Ensure effective deployment and Quality Assurance of resources, including placement schools
- Ensuring that where necessary schools are accessing and commissioning the support required to bring about further improvement, to broker this and monitor its impact
- Promoting and co-ordinate partnership working within each family of schools and across the locality to foster partnership working and support the identified needs within the local communities they serve;
- Carry out performance management as required.
- Maintain effective communication between schools and Inclusion Learning Services.
- Represent the Executive Director CYPF at meetings of governing bodies
- Commission, Lead and manage early intervention programmes.
- Build capacity in a locality, identify and disseminate best practice.
- Maintain and disseminate best practice register.
- Provide as required information and briefings on the progress and performance of schools in a locality.
- Create records and reports as required, including reports for elected members
- Advise and assist governors in the appointment of headteachers and deputy headteachers as required in line with the Local Authority policy.
- Manage budgets as required.
- Undertake training so as to be fully conversant with the roles that schools play in child protection, safeguarding and CAF.
- Convene and chair monitoring and progress meetings.
- Convene and chair cross service review meetings
- Work with schools' finance team to ensure schools' accountability for expenditure on improved outcomes for children'.
- Work in partnership with the Early Years Service and the Foundation Stage Team in promoting great outcomes for children.
- To work with DfE and OfSTED and to translate Government policy for schools.
- To be aware of education legislation, statutory guidance and to work with schools and academies in a differentiated approach to monitoring, challenge, intervention and support.
SERVICE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION
- To maintain close and effective working relationships with colleagues within the Service and other services.
- To contribute to own performance management through diary management, time allocation returns and preparation for performance management and appraisal.
- To attend relevant meetings of the service.
- To undertake other duties as appropriate to the level of the post.
DIRECTORATE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain close and effective working relationships with colleagues within the directorate.
- Provide references on behalf of the Executive Director: Children and Young Peoples Directorate for applicants for Headteacher and School Improvement posts.
- Provide advice on educational policy to the Executive Director Children, Young People and Families Service, elected members and LA as required.
- Provide advice on behalf of the Executive Director Children, Young People and Families Service to governors and schools pre and post Ofsted inspections.
- Where required, to provide advice on issues quality and attainment in relation to LA resourcing of schools; new buildings and adaptations; to provide such information on the performance of schools as may be required by the Executive Director Children, Young People and Families Service.
The postholder must at all times carry out his/her responsibilities within the spirit of the City Council’s Policies and Procedures, in particular the Council Policies on Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety and also, within the framework of the Education Act 1996.
ISSUE DATE: March 2014PERSON SPECIFICATION
- Successful track record of SEND school improvement work
- Recent experience of serving headship or LA leadership at Adviser level or above, or successful experience within an Academy Group at a senior level, or Regional Adviser level within National Strategies or equivalent
- Up to date knowledge and expertise of special schools and SEND in mainstream
- Successful and recent experience of school improvement work including risk management and intensive work with schools in an Ofsted category, at risk of an Ofsted category and below floor standard
- Good inter-personal and communication skills
- The ability to convince, influence and persuade
- Recent experience in partnership and collaborative working and leading collaboration across a family of schools and a locality to drive improvement
- Successful experience of brokering and commissioning support for schools and monitoring its impact
- Experience of working as an Ofsted Inspector or primary school improvement partner
- Experience of working with and reporting to governing bodies
- Experience of multi-agency and cross service working
- Experience LA Governance structures
March 2014