Assistant Head Teacher

Witherslack Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 72,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training and induction

School holidays

Pension: Teachers’ Pension or TPS

Wellbeing tools

Life insurance options

Friend referral bonus £1,000

Job summary

Witherslack Group's Lavender Lodge School in Mitcham, South London is seeking an Assistant Head Teacher with primary teaching eligibility to lead across the primary age range and support pupils with autism.

You will combine teaching with Designated Safeguarding Lead responsibilities, shaping a safe, inclusive learning environment while working closely with the Head Teacher and staff to drive high standards.

Qualifications

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with primary teaching training.
• Proven leadership experience at a senior or middle-management level.
• Strong understanding of autism and inclusive practices.
• Experience delivering across the primary age range (4–11).

Responsibilities

• Lead as Assistant Head Teacher with teaching across primary years.
• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) with safeguarding responsibilities.
• Collaborate with Head Teacher and staff to support pupils and families.
• Develop and implement inclusive curriculum and learning strategies.

Skills

Leadership experience

Autism knowledge

Primary teaching

Safeguarding expertise

Education

QTS (Primary)

Teaching degree

Job description

£72,390 - £78,820 + excellent benefits

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 co‑morbidities 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 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.

As Assistant Head Teacher at Lavender Lodge, you will also hold dedicated responsibility as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), taking the lead on safeguarding, wellbeing and child protection across the school. You will liaise daily with statutory and non‑statutory agencies, parents/carers and staff, providing expert guidance, advice and support to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils.

As this role holds responsibility as the DSL, you will need a detailed knowledge of safeguarding and child protection legislation and procedures, including referral processes and effective multi‑agency working to protect vulnerable children. You will understand the roles and responsibilities of the agencies involved in safeguarding, alongside the importance of confidentiality, appropriate information sharing and compliance with data protection legislation. You will also have a strong understanding of online safety risks and the safeguarding measures required to ensure pupils are safe and supported.

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
• Strong CPD relating to safeguarding and child protection
• Experience providing safeguarding advice and guidance to staff

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 get to 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 benefits here
• 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 schools here
• A recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every time

Bring your whole‑self to work

Our young people come from all walks of life, diverse backgrounds and with different needs – and our workforce reflects that diversity, so that our teams can engage, encourage and inspire our young people to be themselves. You’ll be more than an Assistant Head Teacher, you’ll be able to connect with our pupils because of:

• You’llneed 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
• A good understanding of Autism and inclusive practice within a primary/SEN setting
• Experience of safeguarding and child protection, with the knowledge and confidence to undertake the responsibilities of Designated Safeguarding Lead
• 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

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.