Head of Middle School Learning Support
UWC South East Asia
Singapore
- New
- Job type:
- Full Time, Fixed Term
- Apply by:
- 5 November 2024
Job overview
UWCSEA Dover has a vacancy for August 2025 for a Head of Middle School Learning Support.
Main Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategic Thinking
- Ensure that systems, structures, and approaches align with the K-12 framework for student support.
- Collaborate effectively with various teams and individuals to maintain a cohesive, strategic view across the K-12 continuum.
- Develop, implement, and monitor student support as part of a tiered intervention model.
- Strategically analyse and utilise data to inform and improve support systems.
- Regularly review the effectiveness of support services, working closely with the team to ensure continuity and consistency across grade levels and school sections.
Working with students/teaching
- Plan and teach stimulating and appropriate lessons, targeted to the identified individual learning needs of students, as well as work with small groups and individual students as required.
- Understand and leverage students' strengths to create and case manage support plans and review these plans regularly.
- Conduct and analyse educational assessments and diagnostic assessments as necessary.
- Implement and monitor student progress through targeted interventions
- Foster positive relationships and promote student well-being to create a supportive learning environment and encouraging self-advocacy.
Collaboration and Partnerships
- Work in partnership with teachers across various subjects to co-plan and implement strategies that address student needs, strengthen Tier One support, and draw on the principles of Universal Design for Learning.
- Lead professional learning and collaborative conversations with teachers, parents, students and Heads of Grade over the most appropriate way to support students.
- Liaise with Admissions and the High School Leadership Team to understand the current capacity within High School to support students with learning needs and plan accordingly.
- Collaborate with the Learning Support team, Heads of Grade and teachers to identify students for support and monitor student progress as needed.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships with other staff members throughout the Middle School and K-12 Learning Support team.
- Work effectively with Primary and High School to ensure a smooth transition for students and parents.
- View parents as partners in the support process and take relevant actions to foster this.
Data & Assessment - As part of holistic support
- Lead the team in gathering and using different types of data from multiple sources to monitor student progress and wellbeing around specific educational goals.
- Use data to inform Tier 2 and 3 instruction and track support
- Use educational assessments to help guide effective student support and communicate key information with teachers
Systems and Documentation
- Maintain up to date learning support documentation that is regularly reviewed to ensure alignment across the school sections and the two campuses in line with department policies
- Collaborate with students and parents to create and update student learning plans and encouraging students to be advocating for their own needs and goals
- Maintain confidentiality at all times in respect of individual and family circumstances.
Expectations and Standards
- Follow the UWCSEA Professional Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Code of Conduct.
- Lead in line with UWCSEA Leadership Standards
- Teach in line with the UWCSEA Teacher Standards
Person Specifications
- Relevant degree, a recognised teaching qualification, and learning support teaching qualification are required.
- Considerable experience working with middle school adolescents (11-14 years) and an understanding of the unique challenges faced by this age group.
- Experience leading a Learning Support department in large educational settings.
- A proven track record of supporting students with a range of additional learning needs and confidence in co-planning instruction with teachers as part of our Tier 1 support.
- Leading in designing and delivering meaningful professional learning to staff within the school setting
- As we are in the initial phases of implementing a tiered support model, flexibility, optimism, resilience, initiative and adaptability are essential.
- The ability to work with a high level of autonomy, while also collaborating effectively as part of both the High School Learning Support department and the K-12 Learning Support team.
- Experience and knowledge in using data from various sources to guide, implement and track the effectiveness of student support.
- A strengths-based, inclusive philosophy and approach to supporting students is essential.
- The ability to connect with students and build positive and trusting relationships with both parents and Middle School teachers is crucial.
- To maintain a positive, solution-focused attitude in a dynamic, diverse, and high-energy environment.
- The ability to prioritise and manage projects effectively while responding proactively to emerging challenges.
- Excellent communication skills.
- The following would be an advantage:
- Additional qualifications in educational assessment and testing. E.g CCET
- Experience with literacy interventions
- Experience working in a K-12 context
- Experience and expertise in co-planning with teachers to design effective instruction grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Experience working with tiered student support structures
- Previous experience as a Classroom Teacher
- Teachers should be willing and eager to participate in the five key elements of a UWCSEA education: Academic; Personal & Social Education; Service; Activities; Outdoor Education.
- Academic expectations include enthusiastic participation in Professional Development, both that which is mandated by the College and that which is identified by the teacher.
- Pastoral expectations include the leadership of an advisory group, unless the teacher is exempted due to other responsibilities.
- On average the College expects a yearly contribution of two sessions per week in each season to Activities and/or Service.
- The College expects that teachers will participate enthusiastically in the curricular Outdoor Education experiences which are relevant to their students and will also occasionally volunteer for holiday Outdoor Education trips and/or Service Trips.
- A commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential alongside a willingness to adapt and develop pedagogy to meet the needs of our learners.
Applications
Apply via our job portal by Tuesday, 5 November 2024 23:59 Singapore Time
The UWC Mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future.
About UWC South East Asia
About UWC South East Asia
The pursuit of the UWC Mission to unite people nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future is at the heart of the College. As the largest of the 18 UWC Schools and Colleges worldwide, UWCSEA in Singapore has over 5,600 day and boarding students enrolled across two campuses, aged 4 to 18 years. Our concept-based K-12 curriculum leads to the IB Diploma in the final two years of schooling.
The College’s vision is to be a leader in international education, with a worldwide reputation for providing a challenging, holistic values-based education with an emphasis upon academic achievement, service to others, teamwork and leadership.
In the pursuit of this vision, UWCSEA provides teachers with a dynamic and challenging a professional life based upon our values. Our staff are innovative, experienced and deeply committed to student learning. The learning at UWCSEA extends throughout the College community as our staff are active and collaborative learners themselves.
UWCSEA guiding statements
We are a mission-driven organisation with a strong commitment to the educational principles of Kurt Hahn, our founder, and a passionate belief in the importance of education as a force for good in the world.
We believe that learning is a life-long process in which learners engage with and reflect upon information and experiences to construct new or modify existing understanding as well as develop and apply skills and qualities.
This definition of learning and our learning principles guide our educational practice across all five elements of the UWCSEA learning programme. Our commitment to a holistic education results in the provision of an extensive range of experiential and service-based programmes across five elements of this learning programmes: academics, activities, outdoor education, personal and social education and service.
UWCSEA's learning programme and curriculum
Our UWCSEA learning programme is based around five interlinking elements. The rigorous academics, combined with a unique outdoor education programme, extensive activities and meaningful service, are underpinned by a supportive pastoral care programme. Students participate in all five elements of the programme throughout their time at the College, and the elements will have varying importance at different times in their journey through UWCSEA.
The learning programme delivers UWCSEA's unique, concept-based curriculum which has been articulated for each element of the learning programme across K-12. This means that from K1 to Grade 12, each curriculum area (or subject) has standards, which identify key concepts that underpin that curriculum area. These standards are applied at all grade levels and build naturally in complexity through the Infant, Junior, Middle and High Schools, culminating in the IB Diploma in Grades 11 and 12.
In turn, each standard has conceptual understandings that describe what a student should understand as a result of studying a particular content area. They are statements of understanding that are appropriate to a student’s developmental stage, and build towards the standard.
Benchmarks are then attached to each conceptual understanding. The benchmarks describe what a student should know, understand or be able to do at each stage of their learning in each subject. These benchmarks are what our teachers assess to ensure that students are reaching the conceptual understanding and are working towards the standards.
In the High School, the standards, conceptual understandings and benchmarks specifically take into account the requirements of external examining bodies that set the (I)GCSE and IB Diploma examinations that students sit at the end of Grade 10 and Grade 12.
Educating for a better world
The academic curriculum aims to develop the specific conceptual understandings necessary to build Peace and a Sustainable Future. These are derived from UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development Goals for and through a collaboration with our educational partners the Ellen Macarthur Foundation. Along with the skills and qualities of our Learner Profile many of these concepts are reinforced through linkages to the other four elements of our Leaning Programme. You can find out more here.
Results
UWCSEA has outstanding IB Diploma results. In May 2019, our cohort of 561 students achieved an average IB Diploma score of 36.6—the worldwide average was 29.8 (May 2018). Each year a number of our students are admitted to highly selective universities in the US, the UK and many other countries. For further information please see the results section of our website.
Staff and structure
Each campus has its own Campus Leadership team and academic and administrative staff to support the delivery of UWCSEA’s world-class education. Each campus is divided into Schools (Primary, Middle and High). Each School is managed by a Principal, assisted by Vice Principals and Heads of Grade or Department.
The College President oversees the work of both campuses in partnership with the senior leadership team, the learning leadership team and their teams of senior managers on each campus. The campuses have the same Board of Governors.
The Dover Campus has 3,132 day and boarding students (K-12) and employs 319 teaching and 336 support staff. The East Campus has 2,843 day and boarding students (K-12) and employs 288 teaching staff and 268 support staff.
The boarding houses on both campuses are supported by live-in teaching staff and offer a unique opportunity for a city-based residential boarding programme to students aged 14-18 years - 172 students on Dover and 154 students on East.
Our expectations
We welcome applications from educators who share our vision and values, and are willing to contribute to UWCSEA's unique learning community and to the UWC mission.
Teachers are expected to contribute wholeheartedly to the provision of all elements of this programme both inside and outside the formal academic curriculum. All teachers run activities or service projects in addition to their teaching, which can include supporting the College's range of sporting, dramatic and musical performances, as well as providing support for the extensive expeditions programme.
Safeguarding children
UWCSEA is committed to safeguarding our students and protecting them from harm. In keeping with the expectation that all staff and volunteers share this commitment, those applying for a position at the College must be willing to undergo employment background checks and screening appropriate to the post.
Professional life and development opportunities
UWCSEA aims to provide an exceptional professional experience to its teachers and to be an Employer of Choice. The UWCSEA benefits package includes a competitive salary, contribution towards housing, medical insurance, a service gratuity (set at 20 percent of gross salary at the end of each year), recruitment and repatriation flights and biennial leave passages.
We offer a wide range of professional development opportunities. Teachers are expected to commit to three professional development days scheduled each year, and are provided many additional opportunities for professional learning through our the extensive Professional Development Programme.
We have a highly experienced teaching faculty who provide excellent opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. Among the full-time teaching staff, we have large numbers of IB PYP Trainers, IB MYP workshop leaders, IB DP workshop leaders and IB DP Examiners or Moderators, allowing us to run in-house workshops and seminars.
Teachers attend workshops or seminars in the region, and at the College’s Centre for Professional Learning. This in-house Centre allows UWCSEA teachers to attend a range of educational conferences and other events that draw teachers from across the region, providing extensive opportunities for peer learning and networking. In the past, external experts who have visited to provide workshops or seminars on campus include Bambi Betts, Kath Murdoch, Dylan Wiliam, Lyn Sharratt and Sarah White.
Our teachers also regularly act as lecturers, seminar leaders and facilitators at educational conferences and workshops run by organisations such as EARCOS and ECIS.
Engage with us and learn more
UWCSEA Perspectives - the newsroom of UWCSEA
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