Deputy Head of Education

The Cambian Group is one of the largest providers of specialist behavioural health services for children and adults in the UK. Our work in the UK embraces many specialist services including children’s specialist education, children’s residential services, adult mental health, acquired brain injury and fostering services.

The Forum School

The Forum School and Residential Home is a 52-week residential and specialist school providing quality therapeutic care and education for young people with Autism, severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour and complex needs. The children and young people that attend our school range between 7 and 19 years of age.

The Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic, determined and committed Deputy Head of Education to join our team at The Forum School. The ideal candidate will form part of the Senior Management Team of the school in the planning and implementation of policies, practice and working procedures. As Deputy Head of Education you will also ensure that policies, practice and procedure is informed by consultation and participation and that information is effectively and efficiently disseminated to all the Education team.

Other key responsibilities will include:

• Identifying and determining, in consultation with the Head of Education and Senior Management Team, the overall aims of the curriculum.
• Further develop, implement and review the schools ongoing system for self-evaluation and the continual improvement of standards.
• Manage, maintaining and developing educational resources.
• Supporting the Head of Education within the school for advertising, short listing, interviewing and the appointment of education staff.
• Undertake the performance management and supervision of the education team, in conjunction with the Head of Education, ensuring that specific attention is paid to their training and developmental needs.
• Ensure via regular evaluation that the curriculum for each individual student is suitability broad and balanced and meets legal requirements.
• Actively contribute to the school quality systems procedures and also the School Improvement Plan.

Person Specification

• The successful candidate must have knowledge of ASC and associated conditions as well as knowledge of Post 16 curriculum and qualifications
• Degree Level Teaching Qualification
• No criminal record including convictions, cautions, reprimands or bindings over which may be relevant to the safety and welfare of students and staff.
• The successful candidate will have experience of effectively supervising other staff
• Experience (min. 3 years) of working effectively as a manager with students who have SEN (and challenging behaviour where possible)
• Successful experience of planning and organising education programmes appropriate to individuals’ needs and abilities.

Requirements for an Enhanced DBS and reference checking will be undertaken in line with government regulations and safer recruitment best practice. Whilst we endeavour to keep the recruitment process as short as possible due to the nature of these important checks it may extend the processing time. All young people are equally entitled to have their needs met in a fair and balanced way. Cambian Group employees are responsible for promoting equal opportunities for all and for challenging behaviour or practice which discriminates against any young person or colleague on the grounds of race, religion, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or any other perceived difference.

We will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will be purely based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.