Job Description

: Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)

School:

Across our Education Group, to include Rosewood Independent Special School, Total Tuition Alternative Provision, Total Education Services (tuition), and Rosewood Virtual Academy

Contract:

Full-time (40 hours per week)

Working Pattern:

3 days per week on-site

across Northumberland physical sites

2 days per week working from home

supporting Rosewood Virtual Academy (home based with occasional in-person meetings with students or professionals required)

Reports to:

Executive Headteacher and Headteacher of Virtual Academy

Working closely with:

Director, and Deputy Headteacher

This role is also accountable to the setting's Executive Board.

Salary:

30,000-32,000

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and committed SEN professional to join an organisation delivering specialist education to children and young people with a wide range of complex needs. The SENCo will play a pivotal role in working with our Executive Headteacher/ SENCo in coordinating and quality assuring SEN provision across both our physical settings and Rosewood Virtual Academy, ensuring statutory compliance, exceptional practice, and fully personalised approaches for all learners with EHCPs. The role may include delivering bespoke SEN interventions to students on occasion to model best practice, and training staff in delivering SEN interventions.

You will be instrumental in helping to shape the SEN culture, providing professional guidance, and ensuring our provision remains child-centred, inclusive, and fully aligned with the SEND Code of Practice.

This role includes working on site with staff and students in our physical settings, as well as virtually to manage our Virtual Academy's SEN register.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic SEN Leadership

Lead and manage the SEN provision across all physical sites (Rosewood Independent School and Total Tuition AP). Oversee the SEN register jointly with the Executive Headteacher/ SENCo and Deputy Headteacher, ensuring accurate, up-to-date records. Work with the Virtual Academy Headteacher to oversee the SEN register for Rosewood Virtual Academy, ensuring statutory processes are met across all online placements. Ensure full compliance with the SEND Code of Practice, Independent School Standards, and local authority expectations. Contribute to whole-school improvement planning, ensuring SEN provision remains central to strategic development. Lead on the development and monitoring of high-quality SEN policies and procedures.

2. EHCP Management & Compliance

Lead the coordination, review, and implementation of Education, Health and Care Plans across all settings. Ensure provision specified in EHCPs is fully delivered, monitored, and evidenced. Prepare for, attend, and lead where appropriate: Annual Reviews Emergency or early reviews Multi-agency meetings Work closely with local authorities in relation to placements, reviews, funding discussions, and compliance checks. Provide quality assurance of SEN documentation, ensuring accuracy and statutory compliance.

3. Teaching, Learning & Intervention

Support teachers, tutors and support staff in planning and delivering differentiated, adapted and personalised learning. Quality assure SEN provision in both physical and virtual lessons, offering feedback, modelling, and coaching. Oversee targeted interventions, including literacy, numeracy, SEMH, communication, and trauma-informed approaches. Ensure interventions are tracked, evaluated, and impact is monitored.

4. Staff Training, Support & Development

Provide regular training to staff on:
- SEN strategies
- EHCP implementation
-ADHD, Autism, SEMH and trauma-informed practice
- Adaptive teaching and curriculum access strategies

Mentor and support staff in understanding learner profiles and personalised plans.

Work collaboratively with leaders to identify staff training needs and create a structured CPD pathway.

5. Safeguarding & Multidisciplinary Working

Work closely with the DSL team where learner needs overlap with safeguarding concerns. Coordinate with external agencies including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, CAMHS, Social Care, and Educational Psychology. Ensure multidisciplinary advice is integrated into learner plans and reflected in daily practice. Support family engagement, attending home visits where appropriate.

6. SEN Administration & Systems Leadership

Maintain accurate SEN documentation, including:
- SEN Register
- Provision maps
- Pupil profiles and learning plans
- Intervention logs

Use digital platforms to manage SEN records for Rosewood Virtual Academy, ensuring coherence between physical and virtual records. Provide termly SEN reports to the Executive Team, including progress data, interventions analysis, and compliance updates.

Role RequirementsEssential Qualifications & Experience

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) Experience working within SEN or specialist settings. Strong knowledge of the SEND Code of Practice, EHCP processes, and statutory expectations. Experience supporting children with complex needs, including SEMH, Autism, ADHD, trauma, and communication difficulties. Experience working with external agencies and multidisciplinary teams. Confidence using data to track progress and evaluate interventions. Excellent written communication and organisation skills.

Desirable

Experience supporting virtual or blended learning environments. Training in trauma-informed practice, Team Teach/positive handling, or therapeutic education. Knowledge of Ofsted requirements for independent schools.

Personal Attributes

Calm, compassionate, and emotionally intelligent leadership style. High levels of proactivity, independence, and organisation. Ability to challenge decisions professionally and advocate strongly for pupils. Resilience in working with vulnerable young people and complex casework. Commitment to inclusive, trauma-informed practice. Ability to work flexibly across multiple sites and with remote systems. Strong interpersonal skills, able to build trust with families, staff, and external agencies.

What We Offer

A supportive Executive Team and collaborative cross-site environment. Opportunities to shape SEN provision in a growing organisation. CPD in trauma-informed practice, advanced SEN strategies, safeguarding, and leadership. A role that makes a genuine difference for vulnerable young people across both physical and virtual education pathways.
Any other duties and responsibilities within the scope of the role. All duties and responsibilities must be carried out with due regard to the school's existing policies such as Child Protection, Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and Data Protection etc

This role requires working with children who may display challenging behaviours and/or who may have special educational needs. Confidence in behaviour management is an essential requirement. We require all staff to undergo training in Positive Handling alongside other statutory training. We reserve the right to close applications early.

Safeguarding is the highest priority and we follow Safer Recruitment procedure. All staff must undergo an enhanced DBS.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 30,000.00-32,000.00 per year

Ability to commute/relocate:

Ashington NE63: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):

What is your earliest start date?
Experience:

SEN/ SEMH: 4 years (required)
Licence/Certification:

QTS (required) SENCO qualification (required)
Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person