Special Education Consultant
We are Utrecht PO Partnership. We simply do what is necessary to ensure that every child in the city of Utrecht has a suitable place in education. To achieve this, we share our expertise with everyone who, like us, always prioritizes the needs of the child.
We focus on building a strong foundation at school, on providing additional support in collaboration with our key partners—neighborhood teams, youth health services, and the truancy prevention office—and on specialized support from dedicated facilities.
Central to our work is providing space for freedom, fostering trust, and taking responsibility. We cannot ensure a suitable place for every child on our own. We do this together with the administrators and staff of approximately 130 schools, with parents, and with our partners in the city of Utrecht. Only by working together can we achieve the best for every child. We are convinced of that.
We are looking for the following for the new school year:
two special education consultants, 32–40 hours per week
who want to help us achieve our shared mission. The position is classified in pay grade 11 (in accordance with the PO OOP collective bargaining agreement), depending on your education and experience. You will be employed by our organization for a period of one year, with the prospect of a permanent position.
What do YOU do?
Some students require additional support. Consultants from SWV Utrecht PO help schools and parents provide this additional support. As an appropriate education consultant, you assess a student’s support needs based on their file, observations, and interviews. In doing so, you advise teachers, school counselors, and parents on possible didactic and pedagogical approaches. The transfer of information from the student to the teacher and school (HGW) is important for improving quality.
You maintain the professional competencies required for the role. You have a relevant degree at the university level and extensive, demonstrable experience in mentoring teachers, internal mentors, and teams in elementary education.
You act with care and sensitivity. You constantly reflect on your actions. You are flexible, innovative, assertive, and analytical. You have strong communication skills and are able to connect with those you interact with. You demonstrate leadership when necessary. Our core values—trust, freedom, and responsibility—serve as a natural foundation for your actions.
Want to know more?
Within the SWV Utrecht PO, more than 100 elementary schools, four special elementary schools, and six special education schools work together to provide appropriate education in the municipality of Utrecht for over 30,000 children. Our motto is “good for each other.” This means that we consider collaboration with schools and school boards, key partners, parents, and children to be of the utmost importance. It also means that we aim to make optimal use of our expertise and resources for children who need a little extra support in their education. The SWV helps schools provide appropriate education to every child and ensures a comprehensive and appropriate range of educational and support services. To this end, we use an action-oriented support structure. We work in self-organizing teams with appropriate education consultants who offer expertise and advice to the schools in their neighborhood.
Our mission: We make inclusive elementary education possible without any children being left out. Inclusive education means that every child has the right to an appropriate educational setting and appropriate support, as close to home as possible, so that every child can develop optimally and without interruption.
Our vision focuses on a strong foundation at school, additional support provided in collaboration with key partners (the neighborhood youth and family team, youth health care, and the truancy office), and specialized support from specialized facilities.
Trust, freedom, and responsibility are our core values in this regard. Our guiding principle is to work together to create a well-functioning system in which our vision, approach, and methods are focused on preventive action, early detection, and a sustainable, integrated approach to educational and care needs. Teacher ownership is central to this system. Together, we shape the system.
In our quality narrative, we have chosen to adapt the four steps of the PDCA cycle. We have translated the terms PLAN, DO, CHECK, and ACT into four words that essentially convey the same meaning but help us infuse our quality narrative with a more distinctive character: BE-DO-KNOW-SHARE. We define what we ARE, and what we DO to achieve that. Then we want to FIND OUT whether we have lived up to who we are, and SHARE that with our partners.
To apply, please send an email with a cover letter and your resume by June 1, 2023, to: secretariaat@swvutrechtpo.nl
If you have any questions about the job, please contact Diete de Vos at 030 3075795 or via dietedevos@swvutrechtpo.nl.
The first round of interviews will take place on Friday, June 16, 2023, and Wednesday, June 21, 2023; the second round will take place on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
You can find more information about our organization on our website: www.swvutrechtpo.nl
