SENDCo

We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic SENDCo who will have a clear vision of what constitutes excellent provision within a Primary School setting and will be committed to achieving the highest standards. We are keen to find the right person for our school so can be flexible with the start date to fit in with notice periods. Whilst we would like to fill the position for the start of term two, we are willing to wait until Easter for the right candidate if necessary.

Start date: 4th January 2027, or as soon as possible afterwards. We are willing for the right candidate to serve their current notice period.

Pay: MPS 5 - UPS 3 with additional TLR 2

Working Pattern: 0.8 FTE Part-time, 4 days per week (flexible)

Additional notes: No regular class teaching commitment

About the Role:

As SENDCo, you will develop and lead SEND provision across the whole school (nursery to Y6), including in our small specialist ‘Meadow’ class, working closely with staff, parents, and external agencies. You will be responsible for managing EHCPs, implementing the graduated approach, monitoring provision, and delivering staff training.

As a non-class based SENDCo, you will be able to focus on leading and developing high-quality SEND provision, supporting pupils, families and staff without the additional demands of a timetabled, classroom teaching commitment.

Why Join Us?

We recognise both the rewards and the challenges of the SENDCo role as well as the benefits of flexible working. We are realistic and we want you to succeed.

Therefore, this is a 0.8 FTE 4 days per week, with flexibility to work the hours over 5 shorter days, 4 full days, or take two half days flexibly each week. We’re open to finding options that suit you and the school.
We are a supportive school and trust who know that our people are our greatest strength. We are committed to continuous improvement through regular opportunities for meaningful professional development, leadership development and coaching.
You will be joining a friendly, welcoming and experienced senior leadership team.

Next Steps

• Please read the person specification carefully as it outlines the specific knowledge, experience and skills that we are looking for. Most importantly, this is a senior leadership role, so we want a leader who strengthens our team. Please use the person specification when writing your personal statement.
• We are a large school split over two buildings. Come and get a feel for the place, we’d love to meet you and show you around. Visits to the school are strongly recommended.
• You’ll find more about the role, school and Trust in the Candidate Information Pack.
• The role will be based at Coppice Primary Academy, but could involve some travel to our other schools within the Trust.  This of course will be reasonable and appropriate to the role.  

Focus-Trust  

Focus-Trust was established in 2012.  We are a charitable primary trust, based in the North-West of England and West Yorkshire and are dedicated to working with our 15 primary schools.   It is the core purpose of Focus-Trust to continually strive to be a learning organisation, where the learning of all children and adults is valued and promoted. 

We passionately believe equality of opportunity starts with education; irrespective of where you were born or where you live, a high-quality education in one of our great schools will make a fundamental difference to all our children's lives, career prospects and social mobility.   We are proud to have a great team of people working in our central team and within our schools who always put children at the heart of our practice.

We are committed to providing excellent professional development opportunities for all our staff and always aim to be an employer of choice.  We welcome people who share our values and approach to our work and who can help us make our mission a reality: ‘Learning together, making the difference’ and help us demonstrate our vision; ‘Great schools at the heart of our communities’. 

Additional Reasons to Join Us: 

• Automatic enrolment into a Teachers’ or Local Government Pension Scheme (albeit employees can opt out if they choose to).
• Terms and conditions which are in line with national for Teaching staff and a Focus-Trust pay and grading structure which applies to all support staff across the Trust.   
• Access to the employee assistance programme to support with great health and wellbeing for all. 
• Cycle to work schemes available.
• Excellent opportunities for professional and career development.
• Commitment to Safeguarding.

Commitment to Safeguarding 

Focus-Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and young people.  There is an explicit expectation that all staff, trustees, governors and volunteers share this commitment and adhere to all safeguarding policies and procedures.

Applicants should be aware that the recruitment process will include an assessment of your suitability to work with children and must be willing to undergo pre-employment checks.  Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Focus-Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups and ethnic minorities.    

If you are shortlisted, we will take up references before the interview date. One of your referees must be your current or most recent employer. Two satisfactory references must be received before we can confirm any offer of an appointment. The information we request will relate to salary, length of service, skills and abilities, suitability for the job, disciplinary record and suitability to work with children. Copies of references or open references will not be accepted. On receipt of references, your referees may be contacted to verify any discrepancies, anomalies, or relevant issues as part of the recruitment verification process.

In line with our safer recruitment policy, an online presence search will be undertaken if you are shortlisted. This online search is designed to complement the range of standard recruitment checks and allows us to identify a candidate’s online presence which potentially could damage the organisation’s reputation and/or question a candidate’s suitability to work with children.