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The London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth present a unique opportunity to be part of a team who work together in a shared staffing structure across both boroughs. This is an exciting opportunity to work for Wandsworth Virtual School supporting the educational outcomes for looked after children and care leavers aged 3-25 years.  

Your role will be to enable a ‘class’ of looked after children up to 18 years old to achieve the very best educational outcomes and high aspirations.  This includes supporting the wider network with meeting their statutory responsibilities to ensure that education is prioritised in all care planning.

We are looking to appoint a dynamic teacher who has extensive experience of working in a Virtual School.  You will need to have proven experience of raising attainment for vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs and English as a second language.

The successful candidate will have responsibility to ensure that every learner in their ‘class’ has an up to date, robust and effective Personal Education Plan that targets learning and progress completed each term.

You will also be able to navigate the multi-professional network to ensure barriers to learning and progress are overcome.  As a teacher, it will be your responsibility to monitor and track pupil progress and to recommend interventions to enable pupils and students to achieve and succeed.  Part of the role it to be able to support and equip the network with skills and experience they need to support our learners and this will include training to social worker, schools and foster carers.

As looked after children are placed throughout the UK, the role will include travelling to meetings at schools outside London.  The role will also include leading and co-facilitating enrichment opportunities that take place after school and occasionally during school holidays and weekends.

To apply for this role please click on the ‘apply online’ button at the bottom of the page.  If you have any problems with the online service, please email recruitment@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

At Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, we care more about how you work and what you achieve, rather than where you work on any given day. The difference you can make to our local communities is what really matters most to us, service delivery must always come first. We have carefully considered agile ways of working to provide the best experience for residents, stakeholders and our staff. Our agile working strategy actively supports and encourages a dynamic work environment and daily working experience. Agile working helps put the needs of our staff at the centre of everything we do, so if specific flexible working arrangements helps you with this, feel free to let us know. 

Your wellbeing and the flexible way in which you can work is and will remain a key priority for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. We want you to thrive and feel empowered in your work!

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 40 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities. 

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing Date:  Sunday 2^nd July 2023

Interview Date:  Friday 14th July 2023

For an informal discussion please contact Nova Levine (Virtual School Headteacher) on 07557 295630.

Useful Information:

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible.

We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils 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 to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information:

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). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils