Liaison Teacher – Virtual School

Overview

We are looking to appoint a Primary Liaison Teacher into the virtual school after the retirement of a long-standing teacher in our team. This role will support the educational needs of children in care.

It is a very exciting time to join the team as the Virtual School duties continue to increase and become ever more influential within children’s services.

The Virtual School supports children and young people in care to achieve their full educational potential. This role will have a focus on key stage 1 and 2 and therefore a background in primary education is essential.

‘Children in Care’ are children who are either on full care orders or accommodated on a voluntary basis with the local authority. They may live with foster carers or in children’s homes or occasionally in their own homes.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home

About the role

This role is extremely varied and sits within the primary team within The Virtual School.

• To work with schools, carers, and residential providers to help them effectively meet the needs of children in care who may have learning and/or emotional and mental health difficulties and trauma.
• To monitor and contribute to the specific educational progress of primary aged children in our care.
• To chair Personal Education Planning meetings (PEPs) both within Buckinghamshire but also for those placed out of county.
• On occasions to work directly with individual children with identified learning needs.
• To provide learning advice to schools on planning and monitoring individual interventions and supportive strategies for integrating children into school and college.
• To promote good communication and positive partnerships between children, parents, carers, schools and relevant local authority staff.
• To assist Designated Teachers to understand complex trauma and attachment needs and support them to identify and improve the outcomes of children in care.
• To build up strong links with agencies across the authority to help ensure that children in care have access to the full range of opportunities e.g. study support, youth service activities and work experience.
• To carry out all duties and responsibilities with reasonable care for the health and safety of you and any other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work and to co-operate fully with the County Council in health and safety matters.

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

We would like to hear from applicants who:

• Possess relevant practical experience working as part of an education team to meet service standards, and targets.
• Have demonstrable experience of working with vulnerable learners with complex needs including those with an Education, Health and Care plan.
• You will need some understanding of trauma informed practice in an educational environment.
• Have good knowledge of the relevant policies, procedures and working practices within the learning/ training area including Child Protection and safe working policies.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Can demonstrate good literacy and numeracy skills.
• Possess strong ICT skills including use of Microsoft applications.
• You will need to be Educated to Degree/QTS Level.
• You will need to be a qualified teacher.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Emma Owen, Head Teacher of the Virtual School: [email protected] or 07889 736384.

Closing date: Wednesday 11th June

Interviews: Thursday 26th June

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/