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Disability Support Coordinator

Location: London

Salary: £27,131 - £32,348 (depending on experience)

Hours: Full Time, 40 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Point Blank is an award-winning music school based in London, Los Angeles, Ibiza, Mumbai, China and online. The School specialises in Higher Education and professional courses in subjects including Music Production and Sound Engineering, DJ Performance, Singing, Songwriting, Music Industry Management, and Radio.

As a specialist music education provider, we take pride in teaching the creative process of making music at the highest level, with expert lecturers and state-of-the-art facilities. We nurture and support students, providing them with a curriculum connected to industry and the tools to succeed in their careers. Consistently awarded high scores by our students through the National Student Survey, we have a reputation for giving our community a unique and high-quality experience.

We are currently in an exciting phase of growth and expansion, with new campuses and innovative educational programmes in the pipeline. This is an incredible opportunity for you to join a fast-growing company with exciting prospects for personal development. To find out what makes Point Blank Music School a remarkable place to work, check out our YouTube channel here.

About the role

The postholder will act as a named point of contact for disabled students and, in liaison with relevant staff in the wider Registry department, co-ordinate support for students in order to mitigate barriers to their education. This includes developing individual learning support plans that involve making reasonable adjustments to their learning experience. To do this, the postholder will have good knowledge of different neurodiverse conditions and their related needs and understand how to read and interpret the relating medical documentation. This post will suit an empathetic person who prides themselves on delivering high quality, individualised support to disabled students and students with chronic illnesses and long-term impairments.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • To act as first point of contact within the School for disabled students and those who have specific learning difficulties, chronic illnesses, and long-term impairments.
  • To ensure that students are given adequate opportunities to disclose a disability.
  • To ensure that those students who do disclose a disability are supported to:
    • Apply for Disabled Students Allowance;
    • Agree an Individual Learner Plan to support students in the classroom;
    • Work with the Assessments team to agree reasonable adjustments as required.
  • Educated to A Level or an equivalent level 3 qualification.
  • Provide advice and support to disabled students on institutional policies and procedures.
  • Ensure all other relevant staff are informed of the reasonable adjustments required for each student.
  • Act as the central point of contact for all matters relating to disabilities and disabled students.
  • Keep staff briefed on developments for disabled students at Point Blank.
  • Administer and coordinate the Additional Needs and Disabilities Admissions Panel to ensure reasonable adjustments are made to the interview/ audition process as required, and support provision overviews can be provided to applicants.
  • Provide information, advice and support to colleagues on supporting students with specific needs.
  • Work with the Student Retention Team to develop intervention plans for disabled students at risk.
  • Work with the Student Retention and Student Services teams to deploy Point Blank’s Fitness to Study policy where required.
  • Ensure disability is on the agenda for all induction and admissions procedures.
  • Work closely with the Widening Participation Officer to develop and implement strategies for enhancing access, participation and success for disabled students.
  • Take the lead in ensuring learning and teaching resources are fully accessible and are held electronically for ease of modification so that they can be produced in other formats required by disabled students, where possible and reasonable.
  • Ensure disability is included in the strategic planning and policy agenda of all courses.
  • Undertake professional development to enhance understanding of needs of disabled students.
  • Draft a brief statement on provision for disabled students to be published on the Student Services webpage.
  • Circulate information regarding developments in legislation and policy making relevant to disability support.
  • Maintain clear and open lines of communication with agency support workers to ensure the provision of a consistently high-quality service to students, in line with DSA-QAG guidance. This will include being the first line of contact for support workers relating to concerns about students.
  • Maintain and develop accurate and up-to-date student records, processes and procedures to ensure effective co-ordination of support work activities. Use in-house and external Management Information Systems to inform decision-making relating to the support for individual students, contributing to the creation and development of effective feedback and evaluation tools to gather relevant and useful information as required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION - Essential

Education:

  • Undergraduate degree or demonstrable work experience equivalent to the level of responsibility of this role.

Experience:

  • Experience of working in Further / Higher Education.
  • Good knowledge of specific learning disabilities/ needs, wider disabilities, chronic illnesses, and long-term impairments, and how these may impact a student’s access to education.
  • Experience of providing a one-to-one support service for disabled students.
  • Experience of delivering effective case management/ advice/ guidance work.
  • Experience of service coordination.
  • Experience of working with a diverse community.

Knowledge/Skills:

  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of:
    • the definition of disability from the perspective of the social model of disability;
    • the Equality Act 2010 and its implications for education;
    • confidentiality and of the correct procedures for handling information;
    • regarding an individual’s disability;
    • the range of reasonable adjustments for learning and teaching that may be required;
    • the support and resources available within Point Blank as a whole.
  • Able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of students’ issues and the demands on student life which may lead to withdrawal.
  • Understanding or experience of risk management and safeguarding.
  • Excellent skills in assessing the needs of students and in dealing with people with additional needs and disabilities.
  • Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
  • Ability to plan, organise and prioritise work effectively, to manage own workload, and to balance competing demands in order to meet agreed deadlines.
  • Excellent presentation, academic writing and numeracy skills.
  • Ability to work calmly under pressure in a busy environment whilst delivering high quality work standards.
  • Ability to work effectively and ethically with students who may experience challenging circumstances and to demonstrate self-care and resilience in dealing with this demand.
  • An understanding and respect for diversity, including the ability to engage with students from a wide range of cultures and with a range of support needs.
  • Excellent team working skills, with an ability to develop and maintain co-operative relationships, demonstrating a collaborative team spirit to continually enhance services.
  • Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
  • Excellent IT skills including sound working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

PERSON SPECIFICATION - Desirable

Education: 

  • A specific qualification relating to supporting disabilities.

Experience: 

  • Experience of social/community work.
  • Experience of providing online / email support.
  • Experience of delivering academic support to individuals or groups of people with disabilities.
  • Experience of contributing to or developing policy.

Knowledge and skills:

  • Knowledge of relevant developmental and transition issues for students with disabilities.

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter setting out your interest in the role and details of how you match each of the criteria in the person specification to work@pointblankmusicschool.com.

The closing date for applications is 12 June 2023, however applications will be reviewed when received and early submission is recommended.

Point Blank is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of society.