Assistant Headteacher - Primary SEMH

Job Introduction

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, ambitious and passionate Primary SEMH specialist to join the Senior Leadership Team at the Special Schools Trust (SST) as Assistant Headteacher – Quality of Education, based at Vermont School.

We are looking for an inspirational leader with a strong understanding of primary education and the needs of pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in building upon and further developing the curriculum we have established as part of our ongoing school improvement journey, ensuring that it is ambitious, engaging and responsive to the individual needs of our pupils.

This is a particularly exciting time to join SST. Vermont School is currently part of the Aspire Trust and, following the recent academy order, is preparing to join the Special Schools Trust. As we embark on this next chapter, we are seeking a committed and forward-thinking leader who shares our vision for providing an exceptional quality of education and is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of Vermont School.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of our children, families and staff while playing a key role in the continued development and improvement of Vermont School and contributing to the wider vision and ambitions of the Special Schools Trust.

Our transition to the Special Schools Trust will enable us to build on Vermont’s existing strengths while benefiting from greater collaboration, shared expertise and specialist knowledge. We look forward to working alongside schools that share our ambition for children with additional needs and to learning from, and contributing to, a strong specialist community.

Throughout this next chapter, we remain proud of Vermont’s distinctive identity and the values and relationships that sit at the heart of our school. Our commitment to our children, families and community remains central to everything we do.

This transition also comes at a time of wider development for Vermont. Over the coming 18–24 months, we are looking forward to moving into an extensively refurbished school, enabling us to further develop our provision and support more children. For the right candidate, this represents a genuine opportunity to join our leadership team at an important point in Vermont’s journey and to play a significant role in shaping what comes next.

About the role:

We are seeking a passionate, experienced and reflective teacher who is ready to take the next step in their leadership journey and lead Quality of Education across Vermont.

Working closely with the Head of School and Senior Leadership Team, you will have a key role in driving school improvement and ensuring that our curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment are consistently ambitious and responsive to the needs of our pupils.

You will lead and develop teaching and learning across the school, support colleagues through coaching and professional development, strengthen assessment practice and use evidence effectively to identify priorities and secure improvement.

This is a hands-on leadership role. We are looking for someone who will be visible across the school, understands excellent classroom practice and can inspire, support and challenge others to continually improve.

Most importantly, you will share our belief that children with SEMH needs deserve an excellent education, high expectations and the very best opportunities to succeed.

Job/person summary:

• To lead and secure high-quality education and assessment across the school.
• To support the Head of School and SLT in driving school improvement and improving outcomes for all pupils, particularly vulnerable groups.
• To develop staff expertise through coaching, mentoring and professional development.

We can offer you:

• a collaborative working environment; 
• opportunities to work with multi agencies and access to – 
• occupational health therapists
• speech and language therapists
• educational psychologists
• trauma informed working practices;
• the opportunity to work with wonderful young people and their families and make a significant difference to their lives
• a supportive senior leadership team who collectively and individually offer a wealth of experience;
• a comprehensive CPD programme; 
• an individual induction programme supported by a buddy scheme; 
• eligibility to join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme for support staff; 
• SEN allowance payable for teaching staff
• exciting move to extensively refurbished new school in the coming 18-24 months which will enable us to work with more children
• access to an Employee Assistance Scheme (EAP) for yourself and your family – 
• 24-hour helpline
• phone and face to face counselling sessions
• financial guidance
• legal assistance
• support & coaching for managers
• signposting for general help
• a positive, creative and supportive environment

Where applicable, potential candidates may benefit from a tour of the school. Please note, any candidates requesting a tour will be asked for their current place of work which will allow the school to verify, where possible, the name and place of work given. Potential candidates will be asked to bring their current school ID and/or photographic ID as proof when they visit the school for a tour.

Successful candidates will be subject to online searches.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. An early application is advised with interviews possibly being arranged in advance of the closing date. Vermont School reserves the right to make an appointment before the closing date.

Safeguarding 

Vermont School Is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and fulfilling our statutory obligations as detailed in the DFE statutory guidance, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’.

We are committed to recruiting candidates who share this commitment and therefore we apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are suitable and that all candidates are subject to the appropriate pre-employment checks.