Description

If you have a heart for missions, a passion for transformational teaching and a slight sense of adventure:  Welcome to Acacia International School.   Although we are based in Uganda, the classroom environment would be familiar to teachers coming from the States.  Below is a Job Description of our SEN Coordinator position

Job Description - SEN Coordinator

The responsibilities of the SEN Coordinator are to be performed in accordance with the provisions of the ‘Acacia Employment Contract’ & the Acacia ‘Terms of Service’.

Job Purpose:

The Special Education Needs Coordinator will carry out class duties under the direction of the Principals. He/she will promote the aims and objectives of the school and maintain its philosophy of education and Christian witness. 

Key duties, tasks & responsibilities:

• Work closely with class teachers and parents of children to achieve student progress by implementing the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Personal Education Plan (PEP).
• Collaborating with classroom teachers, develop appropriate interventions and teaching methods which meet the individual needs of each child
• Prepare lessons and additional resources to supplement student’s class learning experience
• Carry out administrative duties - keeping and maintaining records of each child’s progress
• Work hand-in-hand with the classroom teachers to ensure that appropriate activities are in place for children related to Acacia’s curriculum within the classroom
• Work closely with external professionals like educational psychologists or counselors
• Teach and mentor students, both collectively and individually
• Inform pastoral care team of children’s social and emotional needs
• Attend occasional review meetings so as to plan and have a broader view of effective methods of dealing with children
• Communicate with students to determine their needs and ensure they are equally and appropriately met
• Observe children to discern changes in behavior or in other areas and report such observations to the classroom teacher

Person specification: 

The following skills, knowledge, abilities, and qualifications will be considered for this role:

• Understanding of various special education needs and disabilities, including potential interventions and methods of teaching according to the needs of the student.
• Compassion for and understanding of children with learning challenges.
• Able to manage the different behaviors that a child may exhibit at any given time with patience, concern for the child, consistency, and firmness as necessary
• The ability to carefully observe a child during lessons to discern factors which could be affecting his/her learning.
• Strong problem-solving skills and flexibility
• Strong verbal and numerical skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to freely relate with people from diverse backgrounds, whether they are students, teachers, assistants, parents, or external professionals
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team, communicating and sharing responsibilities to meet the needs of the child within normal classroom settings.
• A Bachelor of Education degree
• 1-3 years experience working with children with SEN

An annual review of this job description and allocation of responsibilities will take place as part of the Performance Review process.

Requirements

• Teaching degree is required. 
• State certification/ACSI certification is required.
• Teaching experience is normally required.
• International teaching experience/life experience is a plus.