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Associate Assistant Principal - SENCO
Kingsmead Academy, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 2NE16 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2026
Closing date
31 May 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
15 May 2026
Job details
Job role
- Assistant headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £61,534 - £67,898
Associate Assistant Principal - SENCO job summary
Job Title: Associate Assistant Principal - SENCO
Salary: £61,534 - £67,898 (CLF L8 - L12)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full-Time, 32.5 hours per week
Provisional Start Date: 1 September 2026
Join a committed leadership team where inclusive education drives excellence for all of our students
We are seeking to appoint an experienced and highly skilled SENDCo to join our rural academy as an Associate Assistant Principal, leading and coordinating SEND provision across the whole school. You will join a well-established and highly committed SEND team, including an Assistant SENDCo, a team of Learning Support Assistants and the support of an experienced admin team. In this strategic leadership role, you will ensure that the needs of all students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are effectively identified, supported, and met across the academy. This includes driving high-quality adaptive teaching, overseeing the implementation of targeted interventions, and ensuring that provision is both impactful and evidence informed.
You will lead the monitoring and evaluation of SEND provision, using robust data and practice review to secure strong outcomes for students through effective SEND plans, adaptive teaching, and well-targeted support. There is potential that the role includes a small teaching commitment, enabling you to model excellent classroom practice and ensure alignment with our Teaching and Learning Framework. We recognise the demands of meeting special educational needs, and teaching responsibilities will be carefully balanced to support your strategic impact.
About you:
You will:
- be a qualified teacher.
- have professional knowledge of what constitutes high quality and standards in teaching and learning.
- have the ability to write reports, keep accurate records and communicate effectively
- have proven ability as an excellent classroom teacher
- thrive as an experienced leader in an aspect of whole school development
- enjoy leading and managing a team.
- understand clearly the curriculum and assessment of pupil progress
Applicants are advised to refer to the full requirements of the role in the attached job description and person specification, prior to submitting an application.
About Kingsmead Academy:
Kingsmead School is a rural mixed ability Academy with a fully comprehensive intake situated near the Devon/Somerset border, close to the Brendon Hills and Exmoor. It is a magnificent area in which to live and work. Not only is there the tranquillity and beauty of the countryside but there is the rapidly growing county town of Taunton nearby and easy access (20 minutes) to the M5 for connections to the rest of the country.
The school lies in the small town of Wiveliscombe. It caters for the age range 11-16 and has 884 students and just over 100 staff. Our latest Ofsted Report, in June 2022, gave an overall judgement that Kingsmead “requires improvement”. Mr J Eddy, Headteacher, joined Kingsmead in January 2023. He is determined to improve education at Kingsmead for our superb body of students.
The core values of Kingsmead are Care, Aspiration, Respect and Determination which drive our strong positive ethos and offering amenities for the whole school community. We have high expectations and expect staff to support our caring, student-centred ethos to set high standards for our students. We hope staff will contribute to and lead some of the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities we offer.
Why work at CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 36 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters and so encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.
What we can offer you:
- Access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
- Comprehensive induction and ongoing support for career development and wellbeing.
- Sector-leading professional development entitlement and opportunities.
- Collaboration with colleagues across the trust through subject communities and specialist networks.
- Shared CLF curriculum, written and curated by trust experts, reducing individual teacher workload.
- Career enhancing and progression opportunities within the trust and through the CLF Institute.
- A collaborative culture which supports workload.
- Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
- Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
- A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking and many more!
Recruitment timeline:
Closing Date: 31 May 2026 @ 11:59pm
Shortlisting Date: 1 June 2026
Interviews: 9 June 2026
We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact the academy/site directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs, a full education and employment history must be provided through our application form.
Please note we are able to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Kingsmead Academy
- School type
- Academies, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 879 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Kingsmead Academy website
School location
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