Deputy Head Teacher – Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Pathways

Kingswoodhouseschooltrust; Epsom; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Purposeful school

Impactful leadership

Supportive leadership team

Curriculum development support

Staff development opportunities

Pupil-focused outcomes

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Woodstock House, part of Kingswoodhouseschooltrust, seeks a Deputy Head Teacher to lead Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Pathways within a specialist SEND school for ages 4–13. You will shape academic direction, collaborate with the Headteacher and SLT, and ensure high standards while keeping SEND at the core.

You will foster coaching, develop staff, and use data to track progress, supporting personalised provision and holistic education for diverse learners.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of SEND and neurodiversity and removing barriers to learning.
• Experience leading teaching and learning, curriculum or another significant academic area.
• Belief that high expectations and personalised provision can co-exist.

Responsibilities

• Shape the academic direction of the school and ensure ambitious, engaging education for all pupils.
• Develop curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment and staff development with the leadership team.
• Maintain SEND ethos at the heart of planning and practice.
• Use data to inform decisions, identify gaps and drive school improvement.
• Lead coaching and professional development to raise teaching standards.
• Teach a small number of lessons to stay connected with classroom practice and pupils.

Skills

SEND expertise

Academic leadership

Curriculum development

Data-driven decisions

Job description

Deputy Head Teacher – Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Pathways

Home Work With Us Deputy Head Teacher – Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Pathways

Woodstock House is a very special place.

Our students, staff and parents often say that this is a school where magic happens — and we think they may have a point.

Woodstock House is a co-educational independent specialist SEND school, welcoming students from 8 to 20 years old. Set within eight acres of beautiful Surrey countryside, our grounds are breathtaking, inspiring and provide the perfect backdrop for a school that believes education should be about much more than what happens in a classroom.

We are incredibly proud to support young people who have struggled to thrive in mainstream education. Many of our students are neurodiverse, including students who are autistic, have ADHD, AuDHD or experience demand avoidance. We understand that every young person is different, and our approach reflects that. Learning, timetables and support are carefully tailored to individual needs, with teaching delivered in very small groups or on a 1:1 basis.

But being a specialist school does not mean lowering expectations. Quite the opposite. We are determined that every student has the opportunity to achieve outstanding academic qualifications, whilst also developing the confidence, independence, resilience and life skills they need to move successfully into adulthood.

When a young person joins Woodstock House, they become part of the Woodstock House family. We nurture, challenge and encourage our students towards a fulfilled, successful and increasingly independent life. Our curriculum is broad and varied, with a genuinely holistic approach to education that recognises the whole young person — their strengths, interests, ambitions and individual barriers to learning.

We are now entering an exciting new chapter. As a result of becoming part of a Kingswood House School Trust, we are taking the opportunity to rejuvenate and strengthen our Senior Leadership Team. We are looking for talented, ambitious and values-led educational leaders who want to help shape the next stage of Woodstock House’s development.

This is an opportunity to join a school that is already doing something rather special, whilst having the opportunity to help shape what comes next.

Our culture is built around high expectations, collaboration, kindness, inclusion and belonging. We want our students and staff to have a voice, to feel valued and to know that they matter. Our Headteacher is creative, inspiring and open-minded, with the courage to think differently and the kindness and integrity to bring people with him. He is committed to fostering a culture in which everyone is included and supported to succeed.

We strive every day to meet the needs of our students while ensuring that our staff are happy, supported and genuinely feel part of the Woodstock House family.

If you are excited by the opportunity to make a real difference, think differently about education and help shape the next chapter of a school where magic happens, we would love to hear from you.

Could you lead learning without losing sight of the child?

We are looking for an exceptional Deputy Head Teacher – Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Pathways to join our specialist SEND school for pupils aged 4–13.

This is not a school where one size fits all. In fact, we are rather fond of the fact that it doesn’t.

Our pupils are bright, curious, funny, determined and wonderfully individual. They may have additional needs which mean that traditional approaches to education don’t always work for them — so we are looking for someone who is equally individual in their approach to teaching, learning and leadership.

The role

As Deputy Head Teacher – Academic, you will play a key role in shaping the academic direction of the school and ensuring that every pupil receives an ambitious, appropriate and genuinely engaging education.

You will work closely with the Headteacher and wider leadership team to develop curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment and staff development, while keeping the school’s SEND ethos firmly at the heart of everything you do.

You will be someone who can move comfortably between the big picture and the small details — from developing whole-school academic strategy to asking why a particular pupil didn’t quite engage with today’s lesson.

You will help us to:

• Provide outstanding teaching and learning that meets the needs of pupils with SEND.
• Lead and develop the curriculum across the school.
• Ensure that academic expectations remain high, whilst recognising that progress does not always look the same for every child.
• Develop effective assessment and tracking systems that tell us something useful about our pupils — rather than simply producing more spreadsheets.
• Support teachers to develop their practice through coaching, collaboration and professional development.
• Promote consistency and high expectations across teaching and learning.
• Use data intelligently to identify progress, gaps and areas for development.
• Ensure that EHCP outcomes and individual needs are meaningfully reflected in teaching and curriculum planning.
• Contribute to school improvement planning and self-evaluation.
• Work collaboratively with therapists, pastoral colleagues and SEND professionals to provide a genuinely holistic approach to education.
• Teach a small number of lessons, remaining connected to classroom practice and, importantly, to the pupils themselves.

You are an experienced teacher and academic leader who:

• Has a strong understanding of SEND and neurodiversity and is passionate about removing barriers to learning.
• Has experience of leading teaching and learning, curriculum or another significant academic area.
• Believes that high expectations and personalised provision are not competing ideas — they belong together.
• Can inspire teachers without needing to stand on a soapbox.
• Enjoys developing people and helping colleagues become even better practitioners.
• Is confident using assessment and data to inform decisions, but doesn’t believe that every problem can be solved with a spreadsheet.
• Can challenge constructively, listen carefully and bring people with you.
• Has excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Is calm, solution-focused and able to see the humour in the occasional wonderfully unpredictable day in a SEND school.
• Ultimately believes that every pupil can make meaningful progress when we understand what helps them to learn.

What we can offer you

In return, we can offer the opportunity to:

• Join a purposeful, ambitious and child-centred specialist school.
• Make a genuine difference to the educational experience of pupils who may not always thrive in mainstream settings.
• Work alongside a committed and supportive leadership team.
• Shape the academic development of the school and make your mark.
• Develop staff and curriculum in a setting where creativity and flexibility are genuinely valued.
• Work with pupils aged 4–13 and see the impact of your leadership directly.
• Be part of a school community where relationships matter just as much as results.

And finally

We are looking for someone who is ambitious for our pupils, enthusiastic about education and not frightened by a little complexity.

If you are the sort of leader who asks “What does this child need?” before asking “What do we normally do?”, we would very much like to hear from you.

Come and help us make learning work for every child.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is our highest priority. All appointments are subject to rigorous safer recruitment checks, including enhanced DBS clearance, online searches and satisfactory references. We require candidates to explain any employment gaps and provide evidence of their right to work in the UK.