Lead SEND Practitioner

Acland Burghley School; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Acland Burghley School seeks an exceptional Lead SEND Practitioner (LSP) to join our Additional Educational Needs Faculty from November 2026. The LSP will lead on an area of SEND from the Code of Practice, focusing especially on students facing barriers to learning through communication and interaction or social, emotional and mental health needs.

The successful candidate will be an already effective teaching assistant with a proven impact on SEND progress, able to assess accurately, plan

Qualifications

• Experience as a highly effective teaching assistant with SEND experience.
• Excellent understanding of assessment, planned support and teamwork for SEND.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with SENCo, SEND leaders and Inclusion Team.

Responsibilities

• Be the key worker for targeted SEND students and support interventions.
• Work with faculty teams to share responsibility for student outcomes.
• Collaborate with LSPs, SENCo, Inclusion Team and Teaching and Learning Assistants.

Skills

SEND

Communication

Teamwork

Job description

We are looking to appoint an exceptional Lead SEND Practitioner (LSP) from November 2026 to join our Additional Educational Needs Faculty. LSPs lead on an area of SEND from the

Code of Practice. This post will focus especially on students who experience barriers to learning through their communication and interaction, or social, emotional and mental health needs.

The successful candidate will already be a highly effective teaching assistant, with experience of making a positive impact on the progress of students with SEND in their current setting. They will have an excellent understanding of how accurate assessment, planned support and effective teamwork can help students overcome their SEMH, C&I and C&L needs.

They will have a strong track record of enabling students with SEND to succeed. They may be ready to take the next step in their career, having reached a ceiling in their current role, and will be looking for a new challenge as a SEND professional.

Our AEN Faculty team is growing in strength and effectiveness every year. We pride ourselves on our inclusive ethos. We have a specialist resourced provision ('The Base') for 20 students with EHCPs for ASC, and are a Hub for the Autism Education Trust. In addition, we have an excellent record of supporting students who require support for their C&I and SEMH needs. We embrace trauma informed practice throughout the school.

The new postholder will be the key worker for targeted students, and will support others to provide high quality interventions, drawing on their experience and expertise, and by modelling effective practice.

The successful candidate will be a highly effective communicator and a reliable team player. As a core part of their role, they will develop a strong understanding of the curriculum, and work with faculty teams to support interventions and share responsibility for student outcomes. They will have a desire to progress professionally and personally within the role. They will work effectively with other LSPs, the SENCo and their team of SEND leaders, as well as working closely with the Inclusion Team, and our large group of Teaching and Learning Assistants.

Situated close to Hampstead Heath in the heart of North London, Acland Burghley is a mixed, inclusive, community comprehensive school that enjoys high levels of parental support and a close collaborative relationship with other local schools. In September 2020, we entered into a partnership with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, who are resident on our site. They run regular workshops for all students, including special projects for students with SEND. We are part of the popular and highly successful LaSWAP post-16 consortium with Parliament Hill, La Sainte Union and William Ellis Schools, and a founder member of Camden Learning. We were confirmed as a 'good' school by Ofsted in October 2023.

Above all, applicants should demonstrate an uncompromising belief in the potential of every student, and a desire to place excellent SEND provision at the school's creative and inclusive heart. If you share our passion for ensuring high standards for all, and have the ambition to be

part of an exciting future for young people in our school, we would very much like to hear from you.