Deputy Senco
Mulberry Academy St Leonards, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN38 8HH10 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
28 September 2026 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
18 September 2026
Job details
Job role
- Other leadership role
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- MPS/UPS
Additional allowances
TLR to be confirmed for the right Candidate
What skills and experience we're looking for
Knowledge, skills and experience
Education and Training
Essential:
- Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent.
- Evidence of ongoing professional development in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and inclusive practice.
- Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of SEND legislation, statutory guidance, and the graduated approach.
Desirable:
- National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCO) or equivalent SEND leadership qualification.
- Relevant qualification or training in SEND, inclusion, or a related area.
- Evidence of leadership or management development.
- Training or experience in areas relevant to the school's SEND provision, such as safeguarding, SEMH, autism, speech and language, or adaptive teaching.
Experience
Essential:
- Experience of working effectively with students with a wide range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
- Experience of coordinating and delivering high-quality SEND provision within a school or educational setting.
- Experience of monitoring student progress, identifying barriers to learning, and adapting provision accordingly.
- Experience of working collaboratively with teachers, support staff, families, and external professionals.
- Experience of supporting or coordinating EHCP processes, annual reviews, and other SEND-related statutory processes.
- Experience of providing advice, guidance, and practical support to colleagues in relation to SEND and inclusive practice.
- Experience of managing competing priorities and responding effectively to complex or emerging student needs.
- Experience of contributing to the development, implementation, and evaluation of SEND provision.
- Experience of promoting inclusive practice and supporting positive outcomes for students with SEND.
Desirable:
- Experience of leading or managing a SEND team, provision, or area of inclusion.
- Experience of working within a SENCO or Assistant SENCO role, or undertaking significant SEND leadership responsibilities.
- Experience of using SEND data and quality assurance processes to evaluate provision and identify areas for improvement.
- Experience of working with a range of external agencies and specialist professionals to coordinate support for students.
- Experience of supporting or leading SEND-related training and professional development for staff.
Personal Qualities
Personal Qualities
- Passionate about improving outcomes and removing barriers for students with SEND.
- Highly organised, proactive, and able to manage competing priorities effectively.
- Calm, resilient, and solution-focused when responding to complex or challenging situations.
- Confident in making decisions and taking appropriate action within their area of responsibility.
- Approachable, empathetic, and able to build positive relationships with students, families, and colleagues.
- A strong communicator who can provide clear, constructive advice and guidance to others.
- Collaborative and committed to working as part of a wider Inclusion and Senior Leadership Team.
- Able to balance high expectations with a nurturing, individualised approach to supporting students.
- Reflective and open to feedback, with a commitment to continuous professional development and improvement.
- Able to maintain professionalism, confidentiality, and sound judgement when dealing with sensitive information and complex situations.
- Flexible and adaptable, with the ability to respond positively to changing priorities and emerging needs.
- Committed to inclusive practice and to developing the capacity of all staff to support students with SEND.
- Positive, dependable, and willing to take ownership and responsibility for ensuring high-quality SEND provision.
What the school offers its staff
Why Mulberry Academy St Leonards?
We’re proud of our people. At Mulberry Academy St Leonards, we are building a culture where pupils, parents, teachers and staff work together in the service of our community. When you join our school, you will find a place where you belong and where your work truly makes a difference to the lives of young people.
Working in education is not always easy. We recognise the effort, creativity and commitment our staff bring every day. We value this deeply and show our appreciation by creating a culture where staff are supported to grow, develop and thrive.
Providing talent development opportunities
We want ambitious and talented people to join Mulberry Academy St Leonards because they want to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people.
Professional development is central to our culture. All teaching staff benefit from weekly professional development, and each year we dedicate a two-week professional development programme in October. During this time teachers deepen their practice and collaborate on improving teaching and learning, while colleagues in support roles have structured time designed specifically for their own professional development.
We also build coaching into teachers’ timetables, ensuring every teacher benefit from regular professional dialogue, reflection and support to continually develop their practice.
As part of the Mulberry Schools Trust, staff benefit from Trust-wide expertise, strong collaboration, and opportunities to grow professionally. The East London Teaching School Hub further enhances this offer, delivering nationally recognised programmes and enabling staff to engage in and contribute to training across all career stages.
Providing a good pension
When you join the Mulberry Schools Trust, you will have access to an excellent pension scheme — either the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or the Local Government Pension Scheme, depending on your role.
Offering flexible working
We recognise the importance of balancing work and home life. We consider flexible and family-friendly working opportunities wherever possible, including part-time, term-time and job-share arrangements. At Mulberry Academy St Leonards we also design timetables to support staff wellbeing. All teachers receive a weekly PPA sessions and an afternoon/ morning well being time offsite.
Supporting your health and wellbeing
Balancing everyday life with the requirements of work can create pressures for all of us. Work is a significant part of our lives and we are committed to creating a healthy and supportive working environment.
All employees have free access to a 24-hour confidential counselling and wellbeing service, designed to support staff with a range of personal and professional challenges.
Recognising that the autumn term is the longest and most demanding, we restructured our calendar to better support staff wellbeing with a two-week break in October.
Actively promoting equality and diversity
Mulberry Academy St Leonards is committed to building an equal, diverse and inclusive community. We want the very best people to work in our school regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy, family status or marital status. We are particularly keen to receive applications from candidates from historically under-represented and minority groups, helping ensure our workforce reflects the diverse communities we serve.
Further information about the job
About the role
We are seeking an experienced, highly organised, and passionate SEND professional to join our Inclusion Team as Deputy SENCO.
Working closely with the Assistant Principal / SENCO, the Deputy SENCO will have a key leadership role in ensuring the effective day-to-day operation and delivery of SEND provision across the school. The postholder will take responsibility for the operational coordination of the SEND team, ensuring that systems, processes, provision, and support are consistently implemented and that students with SEND receive the right support at the right time.
The Deputy SENCO will provide day-to-day leadership and direction to the wider SEND team, working closely with teachers, support staff, pastoral colleagues, families, and external professionals. They will monitor the quality and impact of provision, respond to emerging needs, coordinate statutory processes, and ensure that agreed SEND provision is translated effectively into practice.
This role will provide an essential link between the strategic vision and priorities of the SENCO and the day-to-day experience of students, staff, and families. The successful candidate will be confident in making decisions, solving problems, managing competing priorities, and supporting colleagues to deliver high-quality, inclusive provision.
The Deputy SENCO will also play a significant role in developing staff expertise and promoting a whole-school culture in which all teachers are teachers of SEND. They will champion inclusive and adaptive practice, ensure that student voice and family perspectives inform provision, and work collaboratively across the school to remove barriers to learning and participation.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced SEND professional who is ready to take on a significant operational leadership role and contribute to the continued development of a highly effective and responsive Inclusion Team. The successful candidate will work alongside the SENCO to ensure that strategic ambition is translated into consistent, high-quality practice for every student with SEND.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee the day-to-day operational delivery of SEND provision across the school, working closely with the SENCO.
- Coordinate and provide day-to-day leadership for the SEND team, ensuring effective deployment of staff and resources in response to student need.
- Support the implementation of the school's strategic SEND priorities, ensuring these are translated into consistent and effective practice.
- Monitor the quality, consistency, and impact of SEND provision, identifying and addressing gaps in support.
- Oversee the implementation and review of individual student provision, including EHCP outcomes, support plans, interventions, and reasonable adjustments.
- Coordinate the school's graduated response to emerging and identified SEND needs.
- Support the coordination of EHCP annual reviews and other statutory SEND processes, ensuring actions and deadlines are met.
- Provide advice, guidance, and practical support to teachers and support staff to promote inclusive and adaptive practice.
- Liaise with parents, carers, external professionals, and agencies to ensure effective communication and coordinated support for students with SEND.
- Monitor student progress, attendance, engagement, and wellbeing, using information and data to inform provision and identify emerging concerns.
- Support effective transition arrangements for students with SEND.
- Contribute to staff training and professional development, promoting a whole-school culture in which all staff understand their responsibility for meeting the needs of students with SEND.
- Maintain accurate SEND records and ensure the SEND register and associated documentation are kept up to date.
- Support the SENCO with SEND quality assurance, evaluation, audits, and wider school improvement activity.
- Deputise for the SENCO on operational SEND matters when required and contribute to the continued development of an effective, inclusive, and responsive Inclusion Team.
- Ensure safeguarding, confidentiality, health and safety, and relevant statutory requirements are upheld at all times.
- Undertake any other duties appropriate to the role as reasonably directed by the Executive SENCO or Headteacher.
This list of duties is not exhaustive and may be varied from time to time to meet the changing needs of the school and its students.
General
- Promote equal opportunities and inclusion, challenging and addressing immediately any situation where these falls short of the standards expected in our school.
- Promote and actively support the ethos and values of the school and Trust.
- Support and contribute to the school’s commitment to the continued professional development of all staff, including engagement with training and professional learning opportunities.
- Work within the school’s Health and Safety framework, ensuring safe practices are always followed.
- Be aware of and assume the appropriate level of responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
- Report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with the Trust’s Safeguarding Policy and procedures.
- Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required by the Executive Principal or Leadership Team, consistent with the nature and level of the role.
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 job requires you to download an application form, you will be able to upload the application once complete.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Mulberry Academy St Leonards
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- Size
- Up to 1500 pupils
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Email address
- g.sidders@stleonards.mulberryschoolstrust.org
- Phone number
- 01424448740
Why Mulberry Academy St Leonards?
We’re proud of our people. At Mulberry Academy St Leonards, we are building a culture where pupils, parents, teachers and staff work together in the service of our community. When you join our school, you will find a place where you belong and where your work truly makes a difference to the lives of young people.
Working in education is not always easy. We recognise the effort, creativity and commitment our staff bring every day. We value this deeply and show our appreciation by creating a culture where staff are supported to grow, develop and thrive.
Providing talent development opportunities
We want ambitious and talented people to join Mulberry Academy St Leonards because they want to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people.
Professional development is central to our culture. All teaching staff benefit from weekly professional development, and each year we dedicate a two-week professional development programme in October. During this time teachers deepen their practice and collaborate on improving teaching and learning, while colleagues in support roles have structured time designed specifically for their own professional development.
We also build coaching into teachers’ timetables, ensuring every teacher benefit from regular professional dialogue, reflection and support to continually develop their practice.
As part of the Mulberry Schools Trust, staff benefit from Trust-wide expertise, strong collaboration, and opportunities to grow professionally. The East London Teaching School Hub further enhances this offer, delivering nationally recognised programmes and enabling staff to engage in and contribute to training across all career stages.
Providing a good pension
When you join the Mulberry Schools Trust, you will have access to an excellent pension scheme — either the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or the Local Government Pension Scheme, depending on your role.
Offering flexible working
We recognise the importance of balancing work and home life. We consider flexible and family-friendly working opportunities wherever possible, including part-time, term-time and job-share arrangements. At Mulberry Academy St Leonards we also design timetables to support staff wellbeing. All teachers receive a weekly PPA sessions scheduled as an afternoon, which can be worked remotely if teachers wish, supporting a healthy work life balance.
Supporting your health and wellbeing
Balancing everyday life with the requirements of work can create pressures for all of us. Work is a significant part of our lives and we are committed to creating a healthy and supportive working environment.
All employees have free access to a 24-hour confidential counselling and wellbeing service, designed to support staff with a range of personal and professional challenges.
Recognising that the autumn term is the longest and most demanding, we restructured our calendar to better support staff wellbeing with a two-week break in October.
Actively promoting equality and diversity
Mulberry Academy St Leonards is committed to building an equal, diverse and inclusive community. We want the very best people to work in our school regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy, family status or marital status. We are particularly keen to receive applications from candidates from historically under-represented and minority groups, helping ensure our workforce reflects the diverse communities we serve.
Arranging a visit to Mulberry Academy St Leonards
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email g.sidders@stleonards.mulberryschoolstrust.org.
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