Advisory Teacher for Vision Impairment

Would you like to be a part of The London Borough of Hounslow, whose diverse workforce are committed to making a positive difference for our residents and visitors by ensuring the quality of our services are maintained to a high standard?

The Council is embarking upon a major programme of change to modernise the way we work and reduce our carbon footprint. In April 2019 we moved to Hounslow House, a new landmark building located in Hounslow town centre, our new technology will enable staff to work remotely and flexibly to improve the service we provide to residents and to help our staff achieve a better work/life balance.

About The Team

Hounslow's SEN Specialist Support service (SENSS) is well established and respected, providing a hearing impairment, vision impairment and physical disability/ complex medical needs advisory service to schools and educational settings for the children and young people of Hounslow.

We are looking for a Qualified Teacher for children and young people with vision impairment with substantial experience of working with children with vision impairment to take up the post from January 2021.

The post involves working within a multi-disciplinary service, of enthusiastic and successful sensory impairment and physical disability advisory teachers & specialist practitioners, supporting the effective inclusion of children & young people in mainstream and special school/settings; as well as working with children, young people and their families.

The London Borough of Hounslow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Key Responsibilities:

1. To provide an effective and responsive Vision Impairment Advisory Service to meet the needs of children and young people throughout the borough and operates in accordance with Council Policy and Government legislation, through the delivery of the main responsibilities and tasks as outlined in the Job Description.
2. To provide a Vision Impairment Advisory Service to schools and educational settings, in response to referrals received by the SEN Specialist Support service (SENSS) for children and young people with vision impairment.
3. To support the inclusion within schools of children and young people with vision impairment. This will be achieved by the provision of advice, information and direct teaching/training.
4. To provide practical support and advice to the parents and carers of pre-schoolers, children and young people with vision impairment.
   

Your Skills:

1. A minimum of 6 years of experience as a Qualified Teacher of children and young people with vision impairment in mainstream schools and/ or specialist provision for pupils with vision impairment.
2. Consideration may be given to suitable candidates with a minimum of 6 years’ experience in mainstream schools and/ or specialist provision with experience of working with children and young people with vision impairment without the mandatory QTVI qualification but are either undergoing/ willingness to undertake and complete the qualification required to become a Qualified Teacher of children and young people with vision impairment within 2 years of taking up the post.
3. Successful experience of working with pre-school children with vision impairment would be an advantage.
4. Candidates should have a sound understanding of the SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 with particular regard to children with vision impairment and a commitment to supporting the educational standards for these children.

Essential for the Role:

1. Qualified Teacher Status.
2. Mandatory Qualification for Teacher of children and young people with vision impairment (QTVI) (or undergoing training or willingness to gain the qualification).
3. Current driving licence and access to a car (for which an allowance will be paid).
4. Attendance at recent and relevant INSET to maintain and develop expertise in working with children and young people with vision impairment.
5. Enhanced DBS check.
6. A qualification in Braille (desirable)

This post is considered by the authority to be a customer-facing position; as such it falls within scope of the Code of Practice on English language requirement for public sector workers. The council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the employee specification.

If you would like an informal conversation regarding this position, please contact Georgina.Herry@hounslow.gov.uk or 07816 067 852

Interviews will be held remotely on Monday 12^th October and Tuesday 13^th October 2020 using a virtual platform - Microsoft teams 

Closing date: Friday 2^nd October 2020.