Assistant Principal​/SENCO

Position: Assistant Principal/SENCO (Permanent)
Job Title:

Assistant Principal/SENCO

Salary: £45,000 – 50,000 per annum

Location:

Camberwell, London

Contract Type:
Full time, Permanent

About our Academy

This Academy is a registered independent alternative school with sports as a specialism. In the heart of Camberwell, London, this Academy educates students referred by mainstream schools and the Local Authority. We emphasise pastoral care and take a holistic approach towards education. We are committed to high-quality education and promoting our vision to unleash the potential in all our students by providing a creative and tailor-made curriculum.

Every student is given the opportunity to learn, achieve, and succeed to their highest potential. Consequently, we work diligently towards meeting the learning needs of our students. This includes encouraging sports participation, developing essential life skills, and nurturing positive relationships within the school and the wider community. We believe all staff members play a vital role in the lives of our students.

Therefore, we take a proactive approach to the development and well-being of all our staff. We are committed to investing in all staff through CPD, internal support, and well-being initiatives. We pride ourselves on appreciating, promoting, and celebrating the diversity and individuality of all students, staff, and partners.

This Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All positions are subject to an enhanced DBS and other necessary checks.

Please ensure you have read the Safeguarding (Child Protection) Policy and Safer Recruitment Policy.

Role Overview

The Assistant Principal, who also serves as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), is a member of the senior leadership team and plays a pivotal role in driving a provision that has a significant positive impact on students outcomes and wellbeing.

The postholder provides strategic leadership and operational oversight of SEND provision, ensuring high-quality, inclusive support and effective interventions for students with special educational needs and disabilities.

This includes line management of the Lead Therapist to ensure joined-up and effective support for students. Working closely with the Principal, staff, parents and carers, external agencies and other stakeholders, the role champions inclusive practice and ensures equitable access to education for all students.

As Assistant Principal, you will contribute to whole-school leadership, school improvement, staff development and safeguarding, supporting both the strategic direction and day-to-day leadership of the academy. You will also be an experienced teacher with a deep understanding of curriculum design, teaching and learning.

Main Purpose

The SENCO, under the direction of the headteacher, will:

* Determine the strategic development of special educational needs (SEN) policy and provision in the school

* Be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the SEN policy and co-ordination of specific provisions to support individual pupils with SEN or a disability

* Provide professional guidance to colleagues, working closely with staff, parents and other agencies

Duties and Responsibilities

* Strategic development of SEN policy and provision

* Have a strategic overview of provision for students with SEN or a disability across the school, monitoring and reviewing the quality of provision

* Contribute to school self-evaluation, particularly concerning provision for pupils with SEN or a disability

* Make sure the SEN policy is put into practice and its objectives are reflected in the school improvement plan (SIP)

* Maintain up-to-date knowledge of national and local initiatives that may affect the school's policy and practice

* Evaluate whether funding is being used effectively and suggest changes to make use of funding more effective

Teaching, Curriculum, Learning and Assessment

* Sustain high-quality teaching

* Ensure teaching is supported by subject expertise and practical formative assessment

* Implement valid and reliable approaches to assessing students' knowledge and understanding

* Demonstrate strong expertise in curriculum design, sequencing, and implementation, ensuring learning is coherent, progressive, and ambitious for all learners, including those with SEND

* Lead and support high-quality curriculum planning that is inclusive, differentiated, and responsive to the diverse needs of students within an alternative provision setting

* Ensure teaching approaches are grounded in evidence-informed practice, with a clear understanding of how pupils learn and how to adapt teaching for pupils with SEND

* Model and promote high-impact teaching strategies that support engagement, retention, and progress, including scaffolding, adaptive teaching, and explicit instruction

* Oversee the effective implementation of personalised and bespoke curricula, ensuring alignment with EHCP outcomes and individual learning plans

* Use…