Assistant Head Teacher

Witherslackgroup; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - GBP 60,000; Full time

Job description

Those Huge Small Victories

Our Assistant Head Teachers are fulfilled by the idea of making even the smallest positive changes in our young people, so we celebrate the little things. There’s lots of ups and downs, and to some of our young people, sitting through a lesson can be a big win. We call these huge small victories and whilst they may seem small on the surface, they add up to make a big difference

Get out what you put in

You’ll be working with primary-aged children who are Autistic. Some have comorbidities such as ADHD and/or dyslexia . Alongside the Head Teacher, you’ll help set the vision for the future of the school, ensuring we have the right people, curriculum and plans in place so that every child can thrive and leave feeling proud of what they’ve achieved.

This is a hands‑on leadership role, with teaching responsibilities across the primary age range. You’ll be a qualified primary teacher with strong curriculum knowledge - particularly in PSHE - and the flexibility to teach across all primary year groups. Your understanding of autism and inclusive practice will be key to creating a calm, supportive environment where pupils feel safe, understood and ready to learn.

You’ll bring previous experience of leading a team, whether as an Assistant Head Teacher or through middle leadership (for example, leading a subject or phase). You’ll be resilient, dedicated and passionate about developing both pupils and staff, knowing that the small wins can make the biggest difference.

It can be a tough journey, but the positive steps forward will more than make up for it. As an Assistant Head Teacher at Witherslack Group, you’ll get all the support you need to succeed, from the broader management team, to a range of supporting specialists. Your colleagues will be the best at what they do, the school environments will be well‑resourced and we’ll be with you every step of the way, helping you build a rewarding teaching career.

One of the best environments in SEND

Lavender Lodge school resides within an 18th Century building in the heart of Mitcham. Our pupils come from many different boroughs to attend our school and are lucky to experience ‘a life changing love of learning.’ We are proud of our pupils and our dedicated team and pupils leave us with a sense of achievement. Having joined the Witherslack Group family in 2022, Lavender Lodge School is an independent specialist day school providing high‑quality education, based in South London. The school meets the needs of pupils with a primary diagnosis of autism and additional needs such as ADHD, speech and language difficulties, sensory issues and associated behavioural difficulties. We were recently recognised as Good by Ofsted .

Skill set requirements –

• Must have worked with pupils who are autistic and have previous experience of this
• Needs to be able to communicate in a variety of ways as 70% of our pupils are non‑verbal e.g. can use Makaton, picture display symbols – we use PEC’s and PODD, have experience working with non‑verbal pupils
• Have worked with pupils who display challenging behaviour but would have the will and desire to support pupils to manage their behaviour and also for you to work to understand the function of the behaviour
• Be flexible to work with pupils from 4 through to 11 years old
• Be able to think outside the box in regards to delivering lessons. We have lots of tools to help support this, but our pupils need a bespoke and accessible curriculum
• Have an awareness of autism strategies such as TEACCH, attention autism and use of PODD and be able to use these in practise

What we do for you

We know you’re going to do great things. For your hard work and commitment, we reward you with the best salary and benefits package in the education sector. With us, you’ll bring learning to life and make a genuine difference to the lives of our young people – plus you’ll get:

• Training: A full induction and on‑the‑job training
• Holiday: You’ll work hard at WG, so you’ll be rewarded with full school holidays
• Progression: If career development is your thing, most of our head teachers have been promoted from within our group
• Flexible benefits: meaning you can increase/decrease benefits such as life insurance – check out our benefitshere
• Wellbeing: a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employee assistance
• Medical cover so you can claim back the cost of things like an opticians or dentist appointment and a host of high‑street discounts
• Pension:we offer a range of pensions to suit your lifestyle needs including Teachers’ Pension and our very attractive TPS alternative
• Beautiful working environments with the very best facilities – check out our schoolshere
• A recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every time

Bring your whole‑self to work

• You’ll need Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with primary teaching training and experience
• Proven experience of teaching across the primary age range, with the flexibility to teach all year groups
• Strong curriculum knowledge, with particular strength in PSHE
• A good understanding of Autism and inclusive practice within a primary/SEN setting
• Previous leadership and management experience, either as an Assistant Head Teacher or in a middle leadership role (e.g. subject or phase lead)
• Your drive to raise the quality of teaching and learning
• Your understanding of what good behaviours for learning look like
• Your effective leadership and coaching skills
• Your knowledge of how best to use your interpersonal skills to develop a strong staff team

Interested in joining us?

At Witherslack Group, inclusion is part of who we are. We’re committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and that they truly belong.

As a specialist provider of education and care for children and young people with special educational needs, we understand the importance of embracing individuality and championing difference- especially when it comes to neurodiversity. We celebrate diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and the unique strengths that each person brings to our community.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. We are proud to be recognised as an inclusive employer and are committed to making our recruitment and workplace practices inclusive and accessible. If you need any adjustments to support you through the recruitment process or in the workplace, we’ll be there every step of the way.

By building a diverse and inclusive team, we’re better able to support the children, young people and families we serve and ensure every member of our team can thrive, grow, and be their authentic self.

The Witherslack Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its young people. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check (we will cover the cost) and an online search. We are an equal opportunities employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community.

For a full job description and person specification, please clickhere

To view our ex-offenders policy please click here.

To view our Child Protection Policy, please visit the 'Parents and Carers' section of this School/Learning centre. You can find all our Schools here.

Special Education / Careers in Care / Careers in Special Education / Working with Children / SEMH / SEN / ASD