Assistant Headteacher - Inclusion

St Paul's Way Trust School; City Of London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent CPD package

Career growth and progression

Staff wellbeing and cycle to work

Job summary

St Paul’s Way Trust School in London seeks an Assistant Headteacher – Inclusion & SEND to join its Senior Leadership Team. The post focuses on strategic and operational inclusion, SEND and pastoral care for our diverse student body.

You will lead whole-school inclusion, support staff development, and collaborate with families and external agencies to remove barriers to learning while upholding high standards. An excellent CPD package and clear progression opportunities are offered.

Qualifications

• Qualified SENCO or willing to undertake the National Award for SEN Coordination
• Strong leadership experience and commitment to inclusive education
• Solid understanding of SEND legislation, graduated responses and effective interventions
• Ability to inspire, motivate and support staff to meet the needs of all learners
• Share belief that high standards and inclusion go hand in hand

Responsibilities

• Lead wholeschool inclusion and SEND practice across the school
• Support and develop staff to deliver adaptive, inclusive classroom practice
• Ensure highquality provision for students with SEND and those needing additional pastoral support
• Work with families, external agencies and pastoral leaders to remove barriers to learning
• Embed systems and routines enabling students with additional needs to flourish alongside peers

Skills

SENCO

Leadership

Inclusion

SEND knowledge

Staff development

Job description

Assistant Headteacher–Inclusion | January 2027

By joining St Paul’s Way Secondary School, you will become part of a school with a rich heritage of success. We are the most oversubscribed school in Tower Hamlets and Ofsted rated us ‘Outstanding’ across all categories but one. We have a talented and determined staff body, driven by a mission in providing a transformational education for all our students.

At SPWS, inclusion is fundamental to who we are and how we serve our community. Guided by our core values ofIntegrity, Aspiration and Community, we hold a collective and unwavering belief that every child can thrive when barriers are removed through strong structures, skilledsupportand purposeful adult leadership.

The school currently supportsasignificant numberof SEN students (13% of whole school population has an EHCP), making this role asubstantial leadership challengeand an exceptional opportunity to shape, refine and strengthen inclusive provision across a large and diverse cohort.

Our inclusive culture is built through:

• Clear, consistent routines that create psychological safety for all learners
• Explicit modelling andhigh expectationsfor behaviour,attendanceand learning
• Strong pastoral and SEND systems thatidentifyneed early and intervene effectively
• A rigorous data and assessment model that informs personalised support and provision
• Centralised approaches that reduce staff workload and ensure consistency for students

As a result, we can offer:

• A calm, ordered and purposeful learning environment
• Students who feel safe,supportedand enthusiastic about school
• Classrooms free from low-level disruption, enabling high-quality teaching
• A whole-school commitment to inclusion and collaborative working

We areseekingto appoint an ambitious and Director of Learning(Assistant Headteacher)– Inclusion& SENDto join our Senior Leadership Team. This role has a strategic and operational focus on inclusion, SEND and pastoral care, ensuring that the needs of our most vulnerable learners are met without compromise.

You will play a key role in:

• Leading and developing wholeschool inclusion and SEND practice
• Supporting and developing staff to deliver adaptive, inclusive classroom practice
• Ensuring highquality provision for students with SEND, and thoserequiringadditionalpastoral support
• Working closely with families, externalagenciesand pastoral leaders to remove barriers to learning
• Embedding systems and routines that enable students withadditionalneeds to flourish alongside their peers

We are interested in candidateswho:

• Are qualified SENCOs or are willing to undertake the National Award for SEN Coordination
• Have strong leadership experience and a clear commitment to inclusive education
• Possessa strong understandingof SEND legislation, graduatedresponsesand effective interventions
• Are able toinspire, motivate and support staff to meet the needs of all learners
• Share our belief thathigh standardsand inclusion go hand in hand
• Professional Development: An excellent CPD package for staff, enhancing your professional development with comprehensive training opportunities.
• Career Growth: Opportunities for growth and real career development in an encouraging environment with plenty of room for advancement.
• Supportive Environment: Full support from a dedicated and visible team of senior leaders and pastoral managers.
• Employee Assistance: Employee Assistance Scheme for access to advice, information, and face-to-face counselling.
• Staff Wellbeing: A meaningful approach to staff wellbeing, including access to cycle to work.

Interested candidates are encouraged to arrange an informal discussion about the role and/or to visit the school.

Early applications are appreciated as interviews will be arranged as and when suitable applications are received.

St Paul’s Way Trust School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful candidates willbe requiredto undergo an Enhanced DBS Check.

We reserve the right tocommenceor complete the recruitment process prior to the closing date.

Skills

CPD / Training

Recent appropriate Continuous Professional Development.

Experience

Experience of leading staff members and / or curriculum areas. essential

Leadership

Experience of successfully leading an aspect of school improvement essential

Personal Attributes

Experience of contributing to school development planning procedures. essential

Welcome to St Paul’s Way Secondary School

Thank you for your interest in joining St Paul’s Way Secondary School. We are delighted that you are considering becoming part of a community of educators, leaders and professionals united by purpose, professionalism and pride.

Our Purpose

At SPW, we believe education can transform lives and communities. As an all-through school rooted in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and part of University Schools Trust, our work is driven by ambition, social justice and a commitment to excellence for every child.

Our Culture

Joining SPW means becoming part of a unified staff community with clear cultural norms. We value professionalism, preparedness and reflection, and we work within a culture of psychological safety where staff feel confident to innovate, ask questions and learn from one another.

Developing Our People

We invest heavily in our staff. Through high-quality CPD, coaching, mentoring and collaboration across UST, colleagues are supported to grow, refine their practice and take ownership of their career development. Everyone’s contribution matters, and success is a shared responsibility.

Working Together

Collaboration sits at the heart of our success. We work closely with families, partners and the wider community to ensure high standards, strong relationships and meaningful impact. Our staff are the heartbeat of this work, and we are committed to creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported and inspired to do their best.

Your Journey with Us

As you explore opportunities at St Paul’s Way, we encourage you to discover our values, our culture and our commitment to continuous improvement. We look forward to welcoming colleagues who align with our ethos and want to help shape the future of education at SPW.

All posts involving direct contact with children and vulnerable adults are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected'. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Disclosure and Barring Service website.

In line with Safer Recruitment guidelines and legal obligations to ensure that safeguarding is a paramount consideration in recruitment processes, employers are required to carry out an enhanced DBS check for this role. To supplement this, we ask you to confirm whether or not you have ever been convicted of a criminal offence which is not 'protected'. If you answer 'yes', you will be asked to supply details of all relevant convictions at a later stage, should your application be progressed.

Information given in response to this question will not be used during the shortlisting process. The data will only be referred to if your application is progressed, informing the pre-employment checking process.

The University Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful candidates will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS Check.

In accordance with our Company Policies and KCSIE guidelines set out by the Department for Education, a background check will be carried out on your online digital presence. For this we use a third‑party professional screening partner, SP Index ( www.sp-index.com ), experienced in processing personal data for the purpose of such checks.