Job Description
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Deputy Headteacher - Secondary Phase (Curriculum Implementation & Impact)
Location: Woodend Farm School - Secondary Phase
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £55-£60k gross per annum (depending on experience)
Reports to: Executive Headteacher
Responsible for: Secondary teaching and support staff
Mission Statement - Woodend Farm Secondary School
At Woodend Farm Secondary School, we deliver a quality-first education that is emotionally intelligent, flexible, and responsive to the unique profiles of our learners-including those with PDA. We believe education should be a low-demand, high-trust journey where pupils feel safe, respected, and in control of their learning experience.
Our mission is to create a nurturing environment where disguised learning, negotiated tasks, and autonomy-supportive strategies empower every young person to engage on their own terms. Through strong, attuned relationships and a deep understanding of individual needs, we unlock potential, nurture aspirations, and support pupils to become confident, compassionate, and resilient individuals ready to shape their own futures.
Vision Statement - Woodend Farm Secondary School
Our vision is to guide pupils from adolescence into adulthood through a curriculum that is sensory-aware, emotionally safe, and rooted in co-regulation, flexibility, and trust. We aim to widen each pupil's window of tolerance by reducing perceived demands and embedding learning in meaningful, interest-led contexts.
We want our pupils to leave us as self-aware, emotionally literate individuals who are proud of who they are. From survivors to strivers to thrivers, our pupils will transition into adulthood as engaged, informed, and valued members of their communities-ready to live life on their own terms.
Main Purpose of the Role
The Deputy Headteacher will play a key leadership role in our now-open secondary provision, ensuring the successful implementation of the newly developed curriculum and the highest standards of teaching, learning, and relational practice.
They will:
Lead the implementation, monitoring, and continual improvement of the secondary curriculum.
Ensure high-quality teaching and learning across all subjects.
Monitor and evaluate the impact of curriculum delivery on pupil progress and outcomes.
Support the Executive Headteacher in embedding systems, culture, and expectations across the secondary phase.
Champion inclusive, therapeutic, and autonomy-supportive practice for autistic learners and those with PDA profiles.
Model outstanding teaching and relational practice, with a 50% teaching commitment.
Contribute to the ongoing development of a small but growing provision, requiring flexibility, initiative, and a hands-on leadership approach.
Key Responsibilities
Curriculum Implementation & Impact
Embed the agreed curriculum across all subjects with consistency and fidelity.
Lead on curriculum development and refinement as the provision grows.
Monitor teaching quality and curriculum coverage through observations, learning walks, and data analysis.
Oversee assessment processes, ensuring they are meaningful, low-demand, and used effectively to support progress.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and modelling to improve staff practice.
Report on curriculum impact and contribute to strategic improvement planning.
School Culture, Behaviour & Ethos
Help establish and maintain a positive, inclusive, low-arousal culture in the secondary phase.
Model PACE, Thrive, and positive relational language.
Support staff in implementing consistent, trauma-informed behaviour strategies.
Ensure learning environments are calm, uncluttered, and sensory-aware.
Promote autonomy-supportive approaches that reduce perceived demands and increase engagement.
Leadership & Management
Line manage secondary staff, supporting professional growth, wellbeing, and reflective practice.
Contribute to school improvement planning, self-evaluation, and quality assurance.
Support safeguarding, risk management, and health & safety systems.
Play a key role in recruitment and HR processes for the secondary site.
Support the organisation of educational visits, including risk assessments.
Contribute to performance management and staff development.
Work collaboratively with the leadership team to ensure consistency across both sites.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and degree (essential).
Evidence of leadership development (desirable).
Thrive practitioner status or willingness to undertake training (desirable).
Experience
Leadership experience in a secondary or specialist setting.
Proven success in implementing and monitoring curriculum impact.
Experience working with autistic learners and PDA profiles.
Strong understanding of SEMH, therapeutic approaches, and low-demand practice.
Experience delivering the secondary curriculum or specialist SEN curriculum.
Skills & Knowledge
Deep knowledge of autism, PDA, and trauma-informed strategies.
Ability to inspire, lead, and embed curriculum implementation.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
Understanding of Thrive, sensory regulation, and therapeutic practice.
Ability to support families and carers of children with complex needs.
Strong academic skills to support teaching across the curriculum.
Understanding of independent special schools, SEND legislation, and Ofsted requirements.
Personal Qualities
Child-centred, values-driven leader.
Resilient, adaptable, and able to thrive in a small, evolving provision.
Reflective practitioner committed to professional growth.
Creative, flexible, and able to lead with initiative and independence.
Demonstrates Woodend Farm values: Kindness, Belonging, Believing, Achieving.
Benefits
Bespoke training packages
Company pension
Free on-site parking
Company laptop
Private medical insurance after 1 year
Uniform provided
Option for free lunches