Internal Applicants Only Assistant Head of School

This role is crucial to the Virtual School in meeting its responsibilities to champion the education of children in care, previously looked-after children, and children with a social worker. The successful candidate will work alongside the existing Assistant Head to oversee attendance and exclusion of children in care, as well as ensuring the Virtual School is effective in meeting its responsibilities to promote the educational outcomes of Children with a Social Worker. The role will involve having oversight of children and young people in care to Waltham Forest whose have are experiencing difficulties attending or being suspended from school, working in partnership with their Virtual School case-workers as well as social care, CAMHS professionals and education settings. The Assistant Head will ensure the Virtual School's Mental Health in Education Strategy is up to date and fully implemented as the Mental Health Lead for the Virtual School. The Assistant Head will have line management responsibility for at least one case-holder within the Virtual School team, and as a leader within the Virtual School Team will be expected to represent the Virtual School in panel meetings and deputise for the Virtual School Head when needed. The postholder will be expected to deliver training to for adults working with children and young people under the Virtual School's remit., Promote the best possible outcomes for children and young with SEND within the Virtual School and across other services and all phases of education Manage a small team of workers to ensure individual children have the support they need to achieve their full potential through appropriate education, high quality personal education planning and evidence-based interventions. Advocate for the education of Previously Looked-After Children and children in Kinship Arrangements through advice, training and support for their families, schools and other stakeholders.

To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:

• Extensive experience of working in a Virtual School.
• Experience of a managerial role within a school setting, with experience in an Inclusion-focused role particularly desirable
• Demonstrable knowledge of legislation and statutory guidance relating to the education of children in care, previously looked after children, care leavers, children with a social worker and children in kinship care.
• Detailed knowledge of, and firm belief in, inclusive education.
• An understanding of the complex issues facing children in care and the impact on their attainment and progress, alongside knowledge of effective strategies for improving outcomes.
• Awareness of the inequalities and disproportionalities that are produced within the education system, and a commitment to promoting an inclusive workplace that welcomes diversity and tackles inequity
  
  Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents. London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London's Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment., Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy. We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.