Job Title: Headteacher for Pencalenick School

Closing date: 4pm on 13^th September 2024

Shortlisting: 18^th September 2024

Interview dates: 26^th & 27^thSeptember

Start date: As soon as possible

Contract type: Full Time

Salary Range: L18 – L24

Contract term: Permanent

Special Partnership Trust Headteacher Opportunity

The Special Partnership Trust is looking to secure experienced leadership capacity to design, develop and implement the Pencalenick school offer. This is an exciting opportunity for a school leader to join a high achieving, aspirational Trust.

The Trust is interested to hear from SEN experienced senior leaders who are currently leading a school and have an extensive and successful background in SEN, school improvement, innovation, organisational development and preferably, but not essential, experience of working within a Multi-Academy Trust. The Trust can be flexible on start date.

The role would suit a SEN experienced senior leader or Headteacher who is looking to extend and develop their experience of headship and leadership, by leading a school within a Multi Academy Trust. The successful applicant should have a strong track record of leading a SEN School, school improvement, organisational development, curriculum/offer innovation, and share the Trust’s vision and values for providing a high quality SEND offer. Candidates will need to be an articulate and strong communicator with proven strengths in engaging, inspiring, innovating and motivating staff at all levels and working with the local community.

We provide our young people with the highest quality education, give them access to the best opportunities available to them and take pride in giving them a sense of self-worth and purpose - built on a foundation of resilience and independence. Are you ready to join us?

About Pencalenick School

This is a rare and exciting leadership opportunity to lead a highly acclaimed special school into its next stage of development and to play a key role in the future leadership of the Special Partnership Trust.

Pencalenick School is set in a beautiful location close to the cathedral city of Truro in the heart of Cornwall.

It provides a creative and ambitious centre of specialist learning for 190 pupils with a range of complex learning and communication needs aged 11-16.  The pupils either attend Pencalenick School or 1 of 4 Area Resource Bases in mainstream schools across Cornwall (Pencalenick has 5 sites across Cornwall).

Trustees are seeking to appoint a new Headteacher for Pencalenick School who shares their single-minded ambition to constantly progress and enhance the provision so that it continually improves outcomes for pupils and the whole community.

The school provides imaginative learning opportunities focusing on the abilities of all pupils, irrespective of need, ensuring high expectations and challenge alongside care and support in equal measure. Pencalenick School has a strong reputation, with places always in high demand. The school is set in a beautiful learning environment with further scope for development. It benefits from an excellent 25- place weekday residential provision.

The new Headteacher will build on an excellent tradition, bringing fresh challenge and innovation to lead the school forward into its next phase of development. Key to the success of the school, has been a committed and talented team of staff who embrace change and continually challenge their own practice by looking for innovative ways to enable the young people to achieve their aspirations and play a meaningful role in the community. The new Headteacher must share this ‘can-do’ spirit and model it in their daily practice and leadership.

Ofsted rated Pencalenick School as a Good school (May 2019), you can read the report on the school website: Pencalenick School - Ofsted Report 2019

Pencalenick School is part of the Special Partnership Trust, so works closely with a group of specialist providers – sharing skills, knowledge and expertise to continue to develop the offer in place for staff and pupils.

For more information, visit the Pencalenick School website here.

About the Special Partnership Trust:

We're a specialist educational trust on a journey to raise the bar and set new standards for Special Educational Needs (SEN) throughout the South West.

We are not afraid to do things differently and we never settle for ordinary. We aspire to be the best in everything that we do. Through collaboration, co-operation and creativity - underpinned by an ethos built on inclusivity, empowerment and transparency - we aim to inspire every single young person (as well as their families and our staff) to be the very best versions of themselves they possibly can. We do this through an ambitious, specialist curriculum that goes beyond school life and focuses on living as well as learning. We step outside the comfort zone when it’s needed, we care more than people think is needed or necessary, and we genuinely want to improve the lives and experiences of our learners.

We dare to be different, we have courage in our convictions, and we strive every single day to draw the best out of everything and everyone in our community.

The Special Partnership Trust brings together six good and outstanding special schools (increasing to eight in 2025), four Area Resource Bases, two Satellite Schools, two new Free Schools (Bosvena & Castlebridge), partners with independent schools and a vibrant outreach offer across Cornwall, Devon and Torbay. The partnership is committed to developing specialist support for the broader SEN community in both mainstream and alternative specialist provisions, so that there is a more equitable access to high quality specialist support, irrespective of location.

As a strong, high quality and highly collaborative Multi-Academy Trust, we offer access to a professional and supportive community, Executive Leadership, strategic and operational frameworks, and support functions.

If you share this determination and ambition, this Headship offers an outstanding opportunity to develop in a forward thinking and outward looking organisation. You will receive excellent support and advice from a talented team of colleagues, along with leadership coaching and mentoring.

Our Total Reward Offer:

The Special Partnership Trust recognises the importance of developing a properly implemented People Strategy to underpin the overall strategic aims of the Trust.

Our People Strategy is designed to help us attract prospective high calibre candidates, as well as drive engagement, productivity and retention of our high performing and high potential employees. It reflects our belief in putting our people first. This does not mean putting our learners second. It is based on the philosophy that if we create a positive and rewarding work environment, if our staff feel motivated, well managed and well supported, they in turn will provide the best possible outcome for our learners.

We recognise that our total reward offer, has got to consist of more than just money. We seek to provide our staff with a diverse range of benefits that support their day to day needs both at work and outside of work. These include generous leave entitlements and pension scheme as well as access to health/wellbeing tools, training & development, career pathways and opportunities to ensure they feel valued.

As well as your salary, other benefits that form part of your total reward package include:

• 37 days paid holiday (incl. bank holidays) for Support Staff, from start of employment with the Trust
• Teachers Pension and LGPS Pension Schemes with generous Employer contributions and Death in Service benefits
• Access to ‘Extra Special’, the Trust’s employee reward portal. The portal provides access to all our employee benefits including hundreds of retailer discounts and cash back offers. Staff also have access to SmartTech enabling them to purchase electrical items up to a maximum limit and spread the cost over 12 months via nett pay deductions
• Simply Health Optimise Health Plan – supporting our employees, and their families with health care costs and also includes access to counselling services, health checks and other tools via a myWellbeing App
• Employees Assistance Programme, designed to help staff deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting their wellbeing
• Occupational Health support from Medigold Health Protect and access to Thrive, a clinically led NHS approved mental wellbeing App
• Eye Test Reimbursements via Pay and Claim or Vouchers for Specsavers.
• Cycle 2 Work Scheme via salary sacrifice
• Long Service Vouchers - after 10 and 20 years’ service.
• Discounts on new O2 phone contracts
• Discounted gym memberships with Better Leisure
• Learning & Development/CPD opportunities. The Trust is committed to developing staff and providing access to quality assured training to enable individuals to reach their full potential. Staff are supported to identify their own career progression pathways to achieve their goals and aspirations
• Apprenticeship Opportunities

Contact Us

Informal conversations are welcomed and visits to the school are encouraged. If you would like to discuss the role in confidence please call Guy Chappell, CEO, on 07807 495402. For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact Lianne Jory, ljory@specialpartnership.org

Please send completed applications forms to Lianne Jory, (ljory@specialpartnership.org), no later than 4pm on Friday 13^th September 2024.

 

June 2024

Letter from the Chair of the Local Governing Body at Pencalenick School – Stewart Defriend

Thank you for showing interest in our position for a new Headteacher at Pencalenick School. My name is Stewart Defriend and I am Chair of a very enthusiastic group of Governors at Pencalenick School. I have been a Governor at the school for 16 months and have been involved with the school since 2021. Pencalenick is an ambitious, vibrant, and unique school that offers a tailored education which is delivered, in a fun, purposeful and creative way, to children and young people who have a wide range of abilities and disabilities.

We are situated close to the city of Truro and are very lucky to have extensive and beautiful grounds that we use for all areas of the curriculum. The school has a multitude of classrooms around the site including a creative arts studio, a gym, sports hall, a food technology kitchen, and a library to list just a few. The outdoor grounds house a music area, a sensory trail and a forest school, a sports field, and multiple playgrounds. The school also hosts a thriving residential provision for boarders which we greatly value.

We are extremely proud of all our pupils. Their enthusiasm and their attitude to learning is rewarded by their significant progress in both their personal and academic outcomes throughout their time at Pencalenick and this is all possible thanks to the dedicated and passionate staff in our school who are committed to working extremely hard to help our pupils thrive and achieve their best possible outcomes.

If you are dedicated and passionate about supporting children and young people to thrive, and committed to working extremely hard, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for a strong, approachable, compassionate and supportive leader with a passionate knowledge of and commitment to, the education and care of young people with complex needs.

We can provide you with unique opportunities to work with other schools within the Trust, including the support of other special school headteachers and the Trust leadership team.

Stewart Defriend

Chair of Local Governing Body Pencalenick School

I’m delighted to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to you as the CEO of the Special Partnership Trust. It is an honour to be a part of this extraordinary educational trust and to be part of a team who are redefining Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the South West. Thank you for your interest in the Leadership of a school within our Trust.

We endeavour to always continue to raise the bar and push the boundaries of what SEN schools can be. We are driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence, a commitment to innovation, and a belief that every young person deserves the best possible education and support to thrive in a world that’s full of both challenges and opportunities. We refuse to settle for ordinary; instead, we aspire to be the best in everything we do and to reach the extraordinary. The Headteachers of our Schools are pivotal to this endeavour as they implement their skills, knowledge and experience to lead the school based team in developing and delivering the best provision for their pupils and their community. Our Trust approach is to provide the support and challenge to enable Headteachers to develop each school in a unique and individual way.

Our mission is clear: to be a force for good in SEN and make a positive difference in people's lives. We challenge conventions, pioneer excellence, and work tirelessly to create better tomorrows for our young people and their families. We believe in the power of collaboration, co-operation and creativity. Our ethos is rooted in inclusivity, empowerment, and transparency, which forms the foundation of our work. The Headteachers in our schools work hard with all partners to advocate for the pupils needs – sometimes this is challenging, so commitment and resilience is required.

We understand that each young person is unique, and we are dedicated to providing them with the highest quality education, access to the best opportunities, and a strong sense of self-worth and purpose. Our curriculum goes beyond school life; it focusses on living as well as learning, nurturing resilience and independence.

We dare to be different and we have the courage to stand by our convictions. We are committed to drawing the best out of everything and everyone in our community. We care deeply, and we are driven by a genuine desire to improve the lives and experiences of our learners.

Our vision is for every single young person to have access to the best education, delivered in the best possible environment, enabling them to thrive, succeed and flourish, regardless of the circumstances they face. Our goal is to prepare young people for the next step, whatever that may be, by fostering innovation, excitement and opportunity.

I’m truly excited to be working alongside our brilliant staff, parents, and, most importantly, our incredible young people. Together, we will create a supportive and enriching environment where our learners feel safe, supported, and happy, as they embark on a journey to become successful, achieving, fulfilled adults.

I am delighted that you have expressed an interest in being part of this Trust in the role of Headship.

Yours sincerely Guy Chappell CEO Special Partnership Trust