Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)

Job Description

Purpose of Role

Durham School for Girls, Doha, provides a British Curriculum education to a vibrant community of 1,350 predominantly Qatari girls. With a commitment to developing girls who leave our school with ‘Confidence for Life’, we foster an inclusive environment where every student is encouraged to reach her full potential. 

We are seeking an exceptional Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) to join our team. This will be a new role within the school and an exciting opportunity to develop SEN provision across the school. The SENCO will play a vital role in enhancing the educational experience for students by ensuring that every learner receives the appropriate support to thrive academically and personally.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate cultural sensitivity in all aspects of support, recognizing and addressing the unique needs of our predominantly Qatari student population. The SENCO will be prepared to work with students who may not have a formal SEN diagnosis but require additional support due to language barriers or other factors. 

The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of SEN provisions, strong leadership skills, and will be adept at setting up and managing day-to-day in-class support strategies to ensure that all students can achieve their full potential in lessons. Moreover, the SENCO will be responsible for the Strategic development of the school's Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision and oversight of the day-to-day operation of that policy with the aim of raising SEN pupil achievement. A SENCO qualification is preferred for this role.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities are summarised below:

Teaching and Learning responsibilities  

• Support the identification of and disseminate the most effective teaching approaches for individual pupils with SEN. 

• Work with staff to develop effective ways of bridging barriers to learning through: 

• Assessment of needs 

• Monitoring of teaching quality and pupil achievement 

• Target setting - IEPs, or Provision Maps 

• Collect and interpret specialist assessment data to inform practice. 

• Working with staff to ensure all pupils learning is of equal importance and that there are high and realistic expectations of pupils. 

• Develop and implement effective in-class support strategies and lead small group work to assist students who require additional help. This includes designing interventions that are both practical and impactful, ensuring that students can engage fully with the curriculum and make measurable progress 

• Develop and manage resources that support practical, in-class interventions. This includes creating or sourcing materials that can be used to support a variety of learning needs and ensuring that these resources are accessible and appropriately tailored to different learning styles.

Leading and managing responsibilities 

• Provide targeted training and professional development for teachers to enhance their understanding of SEN and equip them with strategies to support students effectively. This includes facilitating workshops, creating resource materials, and offering ongoing support to ensure that best practices are consistently applied in the classroom. 

• Provide regular information to the Inclusion Lead on the evaluation of SEN provision. 

• Exercise a key role in assisting the Inclusion Lead with the strategic development of SEN policy / provision. 
• Where appropriate, liaising with the Examinations Officer and key academic and pastoral staff to ensure that all appropriate examinations concessions are in place.

• Effective deployment of staff and resources 

• Advise the Inclusion Lead of priorities for deployment of staff and utilise resources with maximum efficiency. 

• Regularly review data and feedback to refine approaches, identify emerging needs, and ensure that interventions are delivering the desired outcomes. 

The above is not an exhaustive list. Applicants must be willing to undertake other reasonable duties as requested by the Deputy Head Pastoral or Vice Principal and any duties that the Principal deems necessary for the effective operation of the school 

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

• Proven ability to lead and strategically develop whole-school SEN provision and policy.

• Culturally sensitive and adaptable in supporting students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
• Skilled in delivering staff training and professional development on inclusive teaching practices.
• Able to use assessment data effectively to design, implement, and evaluate targeted interventions.
• Strong communicator and collaborator with students, staff, parents, and external agencies.
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
• Degree subject which is on the approved list from the MOE
• Required teaching certification for Qatar MOEHE

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding

and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.