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Assistant Headteacher: SENDCo

Job details

Required for 1 September 2025, (an earlier start would be considered for a suitable candidate)

We are seeking to appoint an inspirational colleague with vision, drive and a proven track record of successful teaching and leadership to be our new Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo. 

The successful candidate will be an excellent teacher with successful experience of working with SEND students, and knowledge of the EHCP process and other legal requirements placed upon the school in terms of the inclusion of SEND students.

At JMHS, it is our ambition that students with SEND achieve as well as other students and we believe that the best support for students occurs in the classroom. We achieve this through simple, effective and research driven teaching, employing evidence based adaptive and responsive teaching strategies. Our Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching (CAT) policy has been designed to support all students, but to particularly support disadvantaged students and students with SEND. Further information about our CAT policy can be found on the school website.  

The SENDCo will work with the Deputy Headteacher responsible for Curriculum, Assessment & Teaching to ensure that all classroom teachers have the skill and knowledge to deliver lessons that support all students to succeed, including students with SEND. This will include delivering staff training, reviewing the quality of teaching and the implementation of SEND strategies, and putting in place support to ensure that students with SEND are able to access the taught curriculum. The SENDCo will assist the Deputy Headteacher in setting and implementing the strategic direction of the SEND team and ensuring effective operational management on a day to day basis.

The post holder will have the ability to be a dynamic leader and will lead the SEND team consisting of an Assistant SENDCo, SEND administrator and a team of HLTAs and TAs. This will include allocating staff to support students in lessons, and planning and coordinating high-quality interventions to close the gap between students with SEND and other students. The post holder will also be expected to be a strong communicator able to work with a range of stakeholders, including the Senior Leadership Team, teachers, parents and carers, students, and support staff.

JMHS was inspected by OFSTED in November 2022 who confirmed our good grading and whose comments included:

• Pupils behave well. They are polite to their teachers and considerate of their peers.
• Parents rate teachers’ high expectations because they push pupils to do more. Many say teachers go ‘above and beyond’ for their children.
• Pupils can do unusual stuff at this exciting school.
• School leaders have constructed a rich and engaging curriculum.

In particular, inspectors made the following comments about the support for SEND students. “Leaders provide strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is because specialist staff accurately assess and identify their needs. Teachers and teaching assistants are skilled in adapting tasks for these pupils so that they can keep up with their peers.”

The successful postholder will be expected to:

• Provide excellent strategic leadership of the SEND team
• Ensure all legal SEND requirements are met
• Allocate resources for SEND Students
• Lead whole school training to enable effective teaching of students with SEND
• Ensure EHCPs are enacted so students achieve targets
• Work with the KS3 & KS4 progress leaders and Head of Sixth Form to identify SEND students who are making less progress and put support in place to help them improve

We are seeking a colleague who:

• Is a credible leader, strong communicator and highly effective teacher
• Is a strategic thinker and can effectively implement agreed strategy
• Is able to deliver high quality staff training
• Will visibly promote the culture, ethos and values of JMHS
• Has a proven track record of securing strong educational outcomes
• Can effectively delegate and manage the workload of the SEND team

John Masefield High School & Sixth Form Centre is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks will be conducted in accordance with KCSIE. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children. All shortlisted candidates will be subject to an on-line Google search.

For more information contact

We welcome visits from prospective applicants. If you would like to have a tour of the school, please email Adem Osbourn (Deputy Headteacher: Curriculum, Assessment & Teaching) adem.osbourn@jmhs.hereford.sch.uk  

 

Further information can be found at https://www.eteach.com/job/sendco-1457175

Applications forms should be emailed to vacancies@jmhs.hereford.sch.uk.  We do not accept CVs.

 

If you wish to apply for this post, please submit a completed application form and a letter of application of no more than two sides of A4, summarising:

 

• Your relevant past experience and how this shows that you meet the Person Specification and Job Description.
• How you have contributed to improving educational outcomes in your current position.
• How you have successfully managed staff and resources in your current or previous positions as either a curriculum leader, pastoral leader, or senior leader.
• What you would wish to achieve in your first year as SENDCo of JMHS and how you would achieve this.

Hoople Ltd is working on behalf of our Client as a Recruitment Agency.