9 days remaining to apply

  • Start date details

    September 2025, earlier start date possible

  • Closing date

    12 May 2025 at 12pm (midday)

  • Date listed

    2 May 2025

Job details

Job role

  • Assistant headteacher

Visa sponsorship

Visas cannot be sponsored

Key stage

Early years, Key stage 1, Key stage 2, Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5

Working pattern

Full time

Contract type

Permanent

Pay scale

L7-11

What skills and experience we're looking for

  • High quality teaching, including teaching children and young people with SEND

  • Working with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

  • Track record in successfully advocating for children and young people with disabilities

  • Ensuring good safeguarding practice across a team of people

  • Handling sensitive data and upholding the principles of confidentiality

  • Experience of leading others and supporting their development

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

  • Proven track record in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with staff and other stakeholders

  • Knowledge of Safeguarding in relation to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

  • Expert knowledge of legislation and guidance on safeguarding and working with young people

  • Ability to produce high quality electronic reports, minutes, and records of communication and logs of safeguarding concerns

  • Ability to work with a range of people with the aim of ensuring the safety and welfare of children and young people

  • Good IT skills

What the school offers its staff

About The School

Many of our children and young people live in Oxford and its surrounding area, but we also draw from rural South Oxfordshire and much further afield, including Buckinghamshire. We have a strong reputation and are oversubscribed.

We are passionate about ensuring that our children and young people reach their full potential and achieve maximum levels of independence as a result of their education. The whole staff team is committed to keeping children and young people safe and to do so they recognise their need to advocate on their behalf in the wider community, including when working with multi-disciplinary teams.

Judged as Good by Ofsted in October 2022, we see ourselves as a school that is on a continuous journey of school improvement. The county recognises our strong work in the field of safeguarding. We establish respectful relationships with all our children and young people through our understanding of their special educational needs, assessment of their skills and abilities, alongside carefully planning their next steps.

As a welcoming and caring community, we are dedicated to ensuring that each individual meets their potential. We recognise talent and support career progression, with a number of support staff opting to take routes to teaching and internal promotions to school leadership roles. We very much believe in nurturing staff and ‘growing our own’ talent.

The school is situated on two sites a mile apart in Wheatley and Holton. There has recently been considerable investment in our accommodation to develop our expanding provision. This means that as well as ensuring beautiful indoor and outdoor learning spaces, there are a suite of office spaces on each site.

We share our campuses with Wheatley Primary and Wheatley Park Secondary schools, facilitating opportunities for inclusion. We work with sixth formers from Magdalen College School and host PGCE and Paramedic students from Oxford Brookes University and Health and Social Care students from City of Oxford College.

If you share our passion for making a real difference to the lives of children and young people with special needs, this could be the opportunity you are looking for. In return for your contribution to our team, you will work in an environment which is innovative and in a role which is rewarding and fulfilling. We will provide you with induction and training and the opportunity to join the Local Government Pension Scheme, one of the largest public sector pension schemes in the UK. This is an exciting time to join our team.

Staff also benefit from an employee assistance programme

Commitment to safeguarding

Safer Recruitment
John Watson School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
This post involves the type of work with children and young people that requires applicants to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post. All users are considered confidentially and according to the nature of the role and information disclosed.

Applying for the job

Please download the application form using the link below, and once completed send to headteacher@johnwatsonschool.org

CVs are not accepted.

Visas cannot be sponsored.
Sign in to download application form
If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

About John Watson School

School type
Special school, ages 2 to 19
School size
112 pupils enrolled
Age range
2 to 19
Ofsted report
View Ofsted report
Phone number
01865 452725

We cater for children and young people with Special Educational Needs from the ages of 2-19 years. The school is designated for SLD and PMLD pupils. The majority of the pupils are working at pre-KS1 levels. They are vulnerable learners with complex needs who need individualised provision to meet their medical and/or behavioural needs and to engage them in learning

Arranging a visit to John Watson School

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email a.wilkinson@johnwatsonschool.org.

School location

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