Start date: 1 January 2025

Hours per week: 32.5 Part time applications will be considered for suitable applicants

The Bridge School
Coppice View Road
Sutton Coldfield
B73 6UE
Telephone number: 0121 809 0885

Contact email: recruitment@fet.ac

Contract type: Permanent  

We are a popular community minded primary special school located in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham; a stone’s throw away from Sutton Park. Having the right people join our team is really important to us. We are looking to appoint a Class Teacher who is a dynamic, enthusiastic and innovative practitioner. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience of working with children with special educational needs to join our friendly, caring, dedicated team of staff and multi-disciplinary colleagues. Early Career Teachers are also welcome to apply.

All of the amazing children who attend our school have an Education and Health Care Plan. Our school educates 90 children with complex and multiple needs across 9 classes. Our children may have Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and/or a diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC). Some children have additional needs including visual impairment and hearing impairment. We aim to underpin our curriculum delivery through continually developing our communication work so that the children can access their learning in a way personalised to their needs.

We are set in expansive grounds with more outside space than you might first think and there are plentiful opportunities for outside and creative learning. We are very proud of our school community and a have a full and varied programme of parental engagement events where our inspirational children have the opportunity to share their work.

The Bridge School is part of Forward Education Trust (FET), an established and developing MAT of 7 special schools in Birmingham and Sandwell, including a new school in Solihull. The Trust is committed to ensuring the schools develop individual personalities, recognising their own unique characteristics and celebrating the many good things that happen day-to-day.

We can offer you:
Forward Education Trust is committed to recruiting and retaining the highest quality staff. To do this, we have an Employee Value Proposition offering a range of benefits to help our staff on a personal and professional level, which includes:

• teacher pension or support staff local government pension – employer contribution
• FET HUB – information all in one place, access to a range of benefits
• paid for health cash plan – employee and dependent children benefit – option to add partner
• employee questionnaire – consultation with staff on a range of issues and ideas
• salary sacrifice scheme – cycle to work scheme
• access to the NHS approved thrive app – to support mental health & well-being
• comprehensive induction and probation support and an ongoing performance management & appraisal system
• easy purchase scheme (salary deduction) – Smart Tech in association with Currys
• enhanced Employee Assistance Programme – free, totally confidential advice, with face-to-face consultations
• personal & professional learning & development – including FLICK online learning and other resources
• access to discounts and offers from reward gateway and myperks
• occupational health service – accessible to support the needs of individual staff
• staff recognition – e-cards to celebrate success among colleagues
• mental health first aiders
• policies being developed to support positive health & well-being, family friendly working, special leave of absence, flexible working, menopause
• staff recognition – awards throughout the year, in line with trust behaviours and values
• a commitment to develop new ideas to show we really value what you do for our children

You will offer us:

• a teacher who is motivated and enthusiastic who has experience of working with children with special needs
• your commitment to engaging and inspiring our pupils and the ability to make a real difference to their learning
• your flexibility, commitment and excellent interpersonal skills

Interview Date: Thursday 17 October 2024

Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and encouraged. Please telephone the school on 0121 464 8265 to make an appointment with the Head Teacher.

The Trust may review applications upon receipt and may call applicants for interview prior to the advert closing date. Therefore, you are encouraged to make an early application for this role and we reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date.

Please note that only fully completed Forward Education Trust Application forms will be accepted; we will not read accompanying Curriculum Vitae (CV) or accept them in place of an application form.

If you do not hear from the school within 14 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been shortlisted. 

Forward Education Trust is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate must promote this ethos.

How to Apply

Please apply online

This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to all necessary pre-employment checks, including: an enhanced DBS; Prohibition check; Childcare Disqualification (where applicable); qualifications (where applicable); medical fitness; identity and right to work.  All applicants will be required to provide two suitable references. 

Applicants please note: This post is not part of the City Council and the successful candidate will not hold a Birmingham City Council Contract of Employment. Please use the contact details in the advert for information on actual employment conditions.

Rehabilitation of offenders: This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

An online search will also be carried out as part of due diligence on all short-listed candidates.