Interim Middle Leader - Special School

Brava Education; Guildford; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Brava Education seeks an Interim Middle Leader for a specialist school in South London. The role blends teaching (roughly 3.5–4 days) with dedicated leadership time (about 1–1.5 days).

The school serves autistic pupils with severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour, with a leadership team ready to move quickly for the right candidate. The balance may shift further toward leadership as the contract progresses, within a highly complex pupil group and a differentiated national

Qualifications

• Specialist background in autism, SLD or SEMH provision.
• Experience with challenging behaviour.
• Senior teacher/Head of Department level or strong middle leader.
• Familiarity with Equals curriculum or similar semi-formal framework desirable.
• No subject specialist required; focus on broad, core-skills teaching for highly complex learners.

Responsibilities

• Lead within your phase as part of the leadership team.
• Maintain a substantial classroom commitment alongside leadership time.
• Balance may shift toward leadership as the contract progresses.
• Support teaching and learning for highly complex pupils with differentiated curriculum.

Skills

Autism Specialist

SLD/SEMH Experience

Leadership Experience

Classroom Excellence

Education

QTS

Job description

Interim Middle Leader, Specialist School, South London

We are working with a specialist school in South London to appoint an Interim Middle Leader as soon as possible. The school supports autistic pupils with severe learning difficulties, including pupils who present with challenging behaviour. The post sits just above teacher level and forms part of the wider leadership team.

This is a live vacancy, so the school is interviewing at short notice and can move quickly for the right person.

About the role

You will lead within your phase as part of the wider leadership team, combining a substantial classroom commitment with dedicated leadership time. The current split is around 3.5 to 4 days teaching and 1 to 1.5 days non-teaching leadership time. The school is actively working to reduce classroom time for leaders at this level, so the balance may move further toward leadership during the contract.

The pupil group is highly complex. Teaching is broad and core-skills focused, with the national curriculum heavily differentiated.

What we are looking for

• A strong classroom practitioner with a specialist background in autism, SLD or SEMH provision


• Confidence and credibility with challenging behaviour


• Experience at senior teacher or head of department level, or a very experienced middle leader


• Experience of the Equals curriculum or a similar semi-formal framework is a real advantage but not essential


• No subject specialism required. The need is broad, core-skills teaching for highly complex learners


• Someone who is happy in a teaching-led role with leadership responsibility built around it


• QTS and an enhanced DBS on the update service, or willingness to obtain one

What is on offer

• A contract through to Christmas in the first instance, with scope to discuss what happens beyond that


• A genuine leadership role rather than cover, with protected time to lead your phase


• An experienced senior team and a school that knows exactly what it needs