Northern Hospitals School

NORTHERN HEALTH SCHOOL

Job Description for: Rotorua Senior Teacher 2012

Name Unit Rotorua Position: Full time permanent Salary Basic scale plus 2 permanent management units and 1 Health School Teacher Unit.

Responsible for: Delivery of a teaching and learning programme to eligible students, Management of the Unit budget, oversight and appraisal of staff at the Rotorua Unit and other duties as delegated.

Responsible to: Principal, Deputy Principal and Board of Trustees

Position Description  The Rotorua Senior Teacher is employed by and accountable to the Board of Trustees to provide planned continuity of education for students with high health needs who are in hospital, at home, or in transition back to their local school.  Northern Health School programmes are based on an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for each student. ILPs are regularly reviewed, evaluated and extended.  Depending on the health and education needs of the student, the Senior Teacher may provide the whole education programme, an education programme in association with the student’s regular school or a programme in association with Te Kura (formerly The Correspondence School).  The Rotorua Senior Teacher has formal teaching commitments, staff appraisal and supervision and other responsibilities listed below.

The Rotorua Senior Teacher will:  Consult and work with student’s parents/caregivers, staff of the student’s local school and/or Te Kura and appropriate health professionals  As appropriate, work as a member of a team or teams supporting individual students. This may involve working closely with medical staff, therapists, social workers, teachers, community organisations and education and health agencies.  Be a New Zealand registered teacher with a current full registration.

October 2011 1  Have a good understanding of the New Zealand curriculum and be able to adapt this to meet individual student requirements.  Have an understanding of students with special needs and be able to adapt programmes in order to allow these students to achieve to their potential.  Be prepared to use ICT for teaching, planning, communicating and student records.  Be prepared to work flexibly within the various operational areas of the school, including working in student’s homes, in order to meet the education needs of students with high health needs  Have a full New Zealand driver licence, be prepared to travel, as required and possibly stay overnight, to deliver education programmes to students in the most appropriate settings and to attend professional development opportunities.  Take on an area school-wide responsibility in consultation with the Principal.

Responsibilities:

Key Tasks Indicators To oversee the work of all teachers and . Unit based procedures and systems are developed, reviewed and records support staff within the Rotorua Unit updated as appropriate. To assist in the implementation of efficient . Teachers, support staff and students are supported and quality educational administrative procedures and student programmes are delivered within time-frames. management . Regular staff appraisal is maintained in accordance with NHS procedures. Ensure regular teaching service to eligible . New Unit staff are inducted into the procedures of the school / unit, with students in Rotorua Hospital is maintained support from AP/DP as required. . Students are assigned to teachers and teacher workload is monitored. Principal is informed if there are insufficient resources including teacher time or if student numbers exceed unit capacity. . A staff member works on the ward at Rotorua Hospital as required. To Liaise with the Management and staff of . Contact is maintained with the staff of Rotorua Hospital and the Landlord. Rotorua Hospital and the Landlord . The NHS Principal is kept informed of issues which may arise that impact upon NHS service. To maintain open communication with Unit . Contribution is made to senior staff forums and matters raised and decisions staff and the senior management team reached are reported back to all members of the team. . Senior management are informed of developments that impact upon the operation of the school.

October 2011 2 . Work with other Senior Staff to establish school wide curriculum and resource needs and to develop strategies to meet these needs. . The sharing of students between Units is facilitated. To manage the unit budget effectively and . Unit spending remains within budget parameters and follows NHS efficiently procedures and policies. . Available financial resources are used to support students’ learning outcomes. . Resources are recorded and organised with appropriate retrieval procedures. . Petty cash and order form systems are followed. . NHS vehicle use is efficient, planned and maximised. To facilitate the best possible service to . Students receive the best possible service with the staffing available to the students and assist in monitoring teacher Unit. workloads . Teaching time is allocated fairly according to the location and needs of the To provide regular teaching service to students. eligible students wherever they are located. . The full range of appropriate delivery techniques is made available to students. . There is effective liaison between the Unit Teachers, Deputy Principal and Principal regarding relative teacher workload. . As required, data is made available from units for student assessment and administrative purposes. To maintain open communication within the . Team meetings are held regularly and minutes of those meetings kept. Unit . Teachers in the unit are kept informed and consulted as necessary. Arrange relief staff as necessary . Continuity of teaching coverage is maintained . Relief staff are familiar with NHS procedures and systems To provide leadership in curriculum and . Guidance is provided to staff in the use of school and unit procedures. methodology . Programmes are developed and the day to day operation of the Unit functions smoothly and meets the needs of the students. . There is a focus on the educational needs of students at the unit. To Monitor teacher workloads . There is effective liaison between the Unit Teachers, Deputy Principal and Principal regarding relative teacher workload. . As required, data is made available from units for student assessment and administrative purposes.

October 2011 3 To facilitate cooperative planning and . There is evidence of unit, inter-unit, interschool and interdisciplinary organisation planning as appropriate. To ensure there is communication with . All students referred to the Unit are followed up, a preliminary assessment is families, schools and agencies as made and the student assigned to an appropriate teacher. appropriate . Agencies and schools of enrolment are kept informed as appropriate . Any students or families who need to be followed up after withdrawal from the Unit roll are contacted by the appropriate staff member. To ensure records are maintained and . Student files, including contact logs, are up to date and where appropriate, stored stored in a logical and accessible way. . Students on unit rolls are entered and removed in accordance with Health School attendance register guidelines. . Accurate information is provided for the school central roll. . All team members have entered SMS information within required time frames. . ILPs for all students taught by Unit teachers are up to date and deadlines met Plan, co-ordinate and implement curriculum . All students have an appropriate education programme programmes . Programmes meet the students’ health and education needs. . ILPs are accurate and up to date, following NHS guidelines. . ILPs are updated and sent to parents and S/E as required. . Te Kura programmes are delivered and there is collaboration with Te Kura teachers Assess and record student progress . Appropriate assessment tools are used to measure student progress . Assessment data is recorded following NHS procedures . Assessment data is used to inform students, parents and S/E of progress. . Assessment data is used to inform planning of student programmes. Develop and implement effective transition . All students have an effective transition plan plans. . Transition plans are developed in collaboration with S/E the family and appropriate medical team members. . Plans are communicated with the parties involved . Plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Communicate effectively . Emails and phone calls are responded to in a timely manner . Student transfers are facilitated and necessary information is communicated

October 2011 4 . Participation in on-line discussions, staff meetings and PD is evident. Report to the Principal and delegated NHS . Requests for information are actioned in a timely manner leadership staff . Use NHS recording systems to maintain . Planning and assessment is recorded and updated in eTAP student information . Attendance records are accurate and up to date . NZQA information is checked and up to date and entries are completed as required

Hours of Work Hours of work/leave for full time positions are as defined in 2.9 of the NZEI Primary Teachers’ (including Deputy and Assistant Principals and other unit holders) Collective Agreement 2001 – 2004. Hours of work/leave for part-time employees will be a pro-rated proportion of those for full-time positions.

 2.9.1: “Employees shall work such hours as may be reasonably required of them to enable them to properly fulfil their responsibilities as teachers whether or not such hours exceed 40 hours per week. The normal hours of work for employees should as far as practicable however not exceed 40 hours per week Monday to Friday.”  2.9.3: “Boards may require employees to attend school or elsewhere, when the school is closed for instruction (except on weekends or public holidays unless by agreement) for up to ten days per school year (or the equivalent) for all or any of the following purposes – school administration, school preparation and co-ordination, pre-term planning curriculum and/or technical refreshment and/or professional development. The employer will endeavour to arrange matters at the school in such a way that any requirement under this section is not unreasonable and that employee’s individual needs are taken into account. Employee’s own initiatives in undertaking work for the above purposes shall be counted when applying this clause.”

I agree to the undertakings of this job description.

______Unit leader Date ______

Richard Winder ______Principal Date ______

October 2011 5 Person Specification The Rotorua Senior Teacher will have New Zealand Teacher Registration and a current practising certificate. They will be passionate about teaching and learning and will be focused on facilitating and achieving positive outcomes for students and staff. The successful applicant must be a trained teacher with full New Zealand registration and practising certificate and should have

 A minimum of three years successful classroom teaching experience.  Empathy with students who have high health needs and may have learning and/or behaviour difficulties.  Sound knowledge of the New Zealand curriculum and assessment of primary and secondary level education programmes.  An understanding of New Zealand special education initiatives and the support available to students with special needs.  High level of consultative and collaborative problem solving skills.  Familiarity with individual planning systems (NHS uses an Individual Learning Plan or ILP) and a commitment to using and maintaining it.  Commitment to biculturalism and to meeting the needs of Maori and Pacific Islands students.  Commitment to understanding the needs of students from different cultures and a willingness to provide services that are culturally appropriate.  The ability to identify, implement and evaluate a range of educational approaches to meet the needs of students and their teachers.  The ability to assist others to maintain and implement programmes and interventions.  Strong interpersonal and communication skills to allow for full consultation and effective support for students with high health needs and their teachers.  The ability to liaise and work with health professionals, other educators including teachers from the student’s local school, other professionals and/or agencies.  The ability to work positively with parents and caregivers who may be under considerable stress.  Effective budget management skills.  Ability and interest in using ICT to communicate with staff and parents, to maintain student records in electronic form and to deliver the curriculum.  A current full driver’s licence, and if required, be prepared to use own vehicle and be reimbursed for travel in the course of Northern Health School business, which may include staying overnight (costs for this are met as per the NZEI or PPTA collective agreements).  The ability to lead a team, mentor and motivate staff, manage and communicate with teachers and support staff.  The ability to implement the school’s appraisal system.

October 2011 6