EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Application Process

Every candidate completes an application form, which enables us to obtain:

• Full identification details
• Details of qualifications
• Full history of education and employment together with explanations of any gaps.
• Details of at least 2 professional referees.
• Signed statement that the candidate has no convictions, cautions or warnings.
• Verification of the Right to Work in the UK.

To apply, please download the relevant application pack, listed below:

Disclosure and barring service (DBS checks)

All potential applicants are subject to an enhanced DBS with barred list information. Applicants coming from overseas undergo the same checks as the UK, together with an overseas police check.

• Every applicant has a List 99 run on them prior to interview.
• Every applicant is informed of the requirement for an Enhanced Disclosure in the first Vetting conversation and on the application form completed before selection for interview.
• Exceptional Ideas Ltd will accept an Enhanced Disclosure, dated within the previous 12 months, following compliance under the Risk Assessment Framework issued by the DBS. Checks on all disclosures will be carried out under the DBS Update Service.
• No reproduction of the disclosure will be made. Basic disclosure information will be recorded at time of registration interview and will be retained securely for a maximum of 6 months following a recruitment decision.
• For applicants who have subscribed to the Update Service, which came into force June 2013, the DBS will be checked immediately upon registration and future checks will be undertaken annually, or after a 3-month gap of not working.
• Those staff who work consistently with Exceptional Ideas Ltd will be asked to update their Disclosure every three years (unless subscribed on the update service), or if there is a gap of 3 months or more in their work in the education field (not including the 6-week summer break for schools).
• Disclosures and the information they contain are shared only with those who need to have access to them during their duties and not passed to any third - party persons not authorised to receive them.
• Any matters revealed in Disclosure information will be discussed with the applicant before withdrawing an offer of a placement.
• Exceptional Ideas Ltd will co-operate with requests from the Disclosure and Barring Service to undertake assurance checks as to the proper use and safekeeping of Disclosure information and will report to the Bureau any suspected malpractice in relation to this Code of Practice or any suspected offences in relation to the misuse of Disclosures.
• The Senior Student Mentor (SSM) who is responsible for recruitment will maintain the single central record and update and amend as necessary.
• Prohibition of Student Mentors: Every Student Mentor is checked against the TRA prohibition and sanctions list. Any teacher found to be prohibited from teaching will not be appointed to work.

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

All school-based jobs are exempt from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974.

All staff are asked to complete a criminal self-disclosure at the point of interview. The self-disclosure requires all applicants to declare any and all spent and unspent convictions, cautions and warnings or bind overs.

If a positive disclosure is found on the applicant's DBS this will be compared with the self-disclosure made. A risk assessment regarding the positive disclosure will be made and discussed with the candidate. The SSM in charge of recruitment will share this information with the directors and the directors will make a judgement about the suitability and will take into consideration the nature of the offence, the nature of appointment, the age and frequency of the offence. The SSM in charge of recruitment will be informed of the decision made and liaise with the applicant.

Recruitment Safeguarding Statement

Exceptional Ideas Ltd is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. To achieve our commitment, we will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust safeguarding processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our staff. Our recruitment team are fully trained in 'Safer Recruitment' and our pre-employment vetting checks are designed to prevent unsuitable people from working with children.

Our Philosophy and Ethos

The transformative learning process at Exceptional Ideas is designed to help our students grow both in and out of the classroom. Each day is filled with opportunities to experience new educational and social situations to further development. Our teachers create a safe and open setting, where they can guide students in exploring the world around them.

Our People

Our managers are all people who are clear about our philosophy and have demonstrated their abilities to work with our students following this philosophy. They come from a wide range of disciplines and it is our stated intention that they will all be educated to at least degree standard during their time working as senior staff within the organisation. We are a learning organisation and intend that our senior staff demonstrate this by improving their knowledge and practise to further support other staff and Directors and ultimately improve the experience and outcomes for our students.

Our Aim

We aim to provide good support for all staff to enable them to become the best they can be for our students and parents. This means following and explaining reasons behind our policies and procedures and, ultimately, our philosophy within the realm of therapeutic education.

We aim to provide the best education possible for our students within a therapeutic environment and using an integrated therapeutic approach with both staff and students.

We aim to provide quality training for our staff and enable them to learn and improve at all times. We hold high expectations of our staff and students alike. We encourage, motivate, support and challenge our staff and students at all times and never rest on our laurels or believe that we have done all we can.

Our managers are aware of their role and the results of assessments and outcomes and have clarity of what we can do to improve the outcomes for staff and students. We are aware of our weaknesses and how and when we can improve these weaknesses.

We are uncompromising in working to improve the outcomes for our staff and students. We constantly review our performance and are critical of our performance. We do this through incisive supervision and performance review, regular collection and reflection on our performance measures and supporting and promoting understanding, knowledge, skills and providing equality of opportunity across the organisation. We safeguard children and staff effectively and protect them from radicalisation and challenge intolerance at every opportunity.

Our Places

We provide a therapeutic environment that is sensitive to everyone's needs and provides support and guidance for staff, students and parents. We work closely with other organisations, always clear of our role in the process of nurturing and challenging all stakeholders to work towards better goals. We do this through creating a calm, supporting and challenging environment where students and staff can feel safe and parents and other professionals can feel part of the process and are well versed on what is happening and why.

Leadership

Leaders are people who inspire and motivate people. They are knowledgeable and supportive but know how, when and why to challenge for the best outcomes. We aspire to be more and more effective and to instil this aspiration in all our staff and students.