Classifications
Job Information
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us click here.
Qualified Teacher for Visual Impairment ( or training opportunity)
Working as part of the ESSI team you will be a key source of information and support for schools, students, their families and a wide range of partners and colleagues in ensuring the best outcomes for visually impaired children and young people across Kingston and Richmond.
The role sits within our Education Directorate as part of the Educational Service for Sensory Impairment (ESSI). We are a small, friendly specialist service supporting children and young people with hearing, vision or multi-sensory impairments across our geographical areas.
This is a part time role. Salary advertised is full time equivalent and will be prorated accordingly.
About the role
As a Qualified Teacher for Visual Impairment you will:
- Have your own caseload and you will be one of our champions for visually impaired children and young people. You’ll have plenty of autonomy in managing your workload and regular 1:1 support from your line manager, the ESSI manager.
- Forge good relationships with key partners and, through assessment and observation, make clear, targeted recommendations to schools and placements which you will monitor for effectiveness in improving access and outcomes for our visually impaired children and young people.
- Have good working relationships with parents and carers, supporting them to make informed choices about key issues such as well as confidently supporting them through the EHCP process, if necessary.
- Have a passion for improving opportunities for visually impaired children and young people through training and awareness-raising. We will support you in your own professional development so that you are confident in all aspects of this challenging and rewarding role.
- Develop with key partners in order to deliver specialist assessments and evidence-based reports and recommendations which promote practical strategies for inclusion
- Monitor the progress and well being of VI students
- Advise schools and the LA on appropriate technologies and support packages
- Provide training and raising awareness of visual impairments
For further information about this role, please contact Anna Newson by email anna.newson@achievingforchildren.org.uk for an informal discussion.
About you
You’ll enjoy working as part of our supportive and experienced team, but you’ll be confident to manage your workload flexibly and balance the diverse needs of our children and young people. You’ll be
- Confident, knowledgeable and approachable with excellent communication skills
- Passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for visually impaired children and young people
- Flexible and able to ‘think on your feet’ when necessary
- Organised and able to balance studying for the QTVI qualification with taking on an increasing caseload.
About our benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:
- 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
- Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
- Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
- Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
- A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
- A range of staff benefits and discounts
- An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children click here. For our social work offer click here. For our Recruitment Journey, click here.
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
For more information about AfC: Drop in and meet Regina on the first Wednesday of every month at Civic Centre, Twickenham.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
