Overview

School: Hatch End High School

Address: Headstone Lane, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 6NR

Website: Welcome to Hatch End High School

Communication Support Worker

Salary: H5 (£22,855) to (£24,221) per annum (Actual salary)

Working Hours: 30 hours per week

Employment Type: Term time only

Hatch End High School is a warm, happy and academically successful school in Harrow with a large and highly successful Sixth Form. We are proud of being a high performing, inclusive community school which welcomes all cultures, faiths and beliefs. We know that the high expectations, outstanding teaching and creative dedication of staff combined with the enthusiasm, discipline and ambition of students is what makes Hatch End a fantastic place to study, develop and excel. We have an uncompromising and relentless focus on the quality of teaching and learning and on professional development so we can fulfil our vision to enable all young people to make exceptional progress and achieve outstanding outcomes, so they are able to live fulfilling and successful lives. Our school ethos, WE CARE: Co-operation, Ambition, Respect, Empathy, underpins everything we do.

Role Purpose

The role of the Communication Support Worker (CSW) is to enable Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupils to access the curriculum. CSWs provide support to hearing impaired pupils to provide access to lessons through various support strategies and through the use of British Sign Language (BSL) or Sign Supported English (SSE), as required, to aid understanding. The communicator will be part of the Hearing Impaired Provision (HIP) team and be responsible to the Teacher of the Deaf who is Head of the Department.

The successful candidate will have experience and/or qualifications working with children with hearing difficulties and be passionate about teaching and learning.

Working Time

• 30 hours per week.
• Working hours Monday to Friday and will be either 8:30 - 3:00pm or 8:40am - 3:10pm with 30 minutes unpaid break.
• No holidays to be taken in term time.

Key Duties

• To facilitate, through sign and a variety of strategies, Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupils’ access to the lesson content in mainstream lessons depending on communication mode of the pupil.
• To adjust the communication support according to the needs of the pupils, the aims of the lesson and the task set. Support may entail filling gaps in the pupils’ knowledge, relating to new information to previous experience and reinforcing information.
• Ensure that the Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupils understand the subject-specific vocabulary, can identify key points and undertake the task set.
• To make notes of the key points whilst the pupils are working independently so they have access to refer to them later, if needed.
• To identify specific language and conceptual problems which occur within the classroom and report to the Teacher of the Deaf for tutorial support to be arranged.
• To facilitate communication between the Deaf/Hearing Impaired and the hearing pupils or adults.
• The CSW should encourage direct communication, only stepping in if necessary, between the Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupil, their teachers and hearing peers.
• Access to the curriculum includes access to jokes - the pupils will want to know why hearing peers are laughing.
• The CSW should present a positive attitude towards deafness and Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupils; and approachable CSW means approachable Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupils.
• To discuss with the teacher the aims, objectives and content of the lesson. This may be done at the end of the lesson so subject specific vocabulary can be provided for the next lesson. Any problems which might arise through choice of presentation, e.g. video without notes, can be highlighted.
• By knowing the content of the next lesson, the CSW can refer to previous notes held in the HIP if unfamiliar with the topic, so they can plan the appropriate signs and knowledge.
• To discuss with other members of the HIP support team the most appropriate means of conveying the curriculum and other information; discuss with support staff difficulties which may arise during a lesson e.g. new vocabulary, concepts etc.
• Supervise Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupils in the carrying out of the tasks set by the teachers and support teachers.
• Record pupils’ progress after every lesson stating whether they have met the aims of the lesson and if there were any problems.
• Record pupils’ progress against the criteria set out in EHCP and individual student targets.
• Contribute to annual reviews, target setting and reports to parents.
• To prepare worksheets, letters and reports to other agencies and assist in general administration duties.
• To meet regularly with HIP colleagues and to pass information between the mainstream teacher and the Teacher of the Deaf regarding the curriculum needs of the Deaf/Hearing Impaired pupil being supported.
• Promote the school’s policy on behaviour, attendance and punctuality for learning and a commitment to providing a caring and stimulating environment and improving standards for all pupils within the school.
• Breaktime duties as directed.