Deputy SENDCo

Watling Academy, Milton Keynes, MK8 1EP

15 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  ASAP

• Closing date

  5 November 2026 at 9am

• Date listed

  21 October 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teaching assistant
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £33,673.00 - £38,510.00 Annually (FTE) Actual Salary – £30,321 to £34,677 p.a.

Deputy SENDCo job summary

DEPUTY SENDCO

Commencing ASAP

Term Time + 2 weeks

37.5 hours per week

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm

Salary - £33,673 to £38,510 FTE

Actual Salary - £30,321 to £34,677 p.a.

Do you have a passion for supporting students with special educational needs?

Are you ready to take the next step in your journey within an inclusive and forward-thinking school?

The Role

Watling Academy is looking for a dedicated Deputy SENDCo to support our SENDCo with the day-to-day running of our SEND provision. You’ll make sure students with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities are supported and included, and that they do well academically and personally.

Working closely with the SENDCo, you’ll help the SEND team run smoothly from day to day, including organising Teaching Assistant timetables and making sure support goes where it’s needed. You’ll also line manage a small team of Teaching Assistants to support professional development and share good practice.

The role also involves working directly with students and staff across the Academy. With the SENDCo, you will write and review Academic Profiles, identify students who need extra support, and plan, deliver and monitor interventions. You will support our statutory work on EHC Plans, including leading Annual Review meetings and helping with EHC Needs Assessment applications. You’ll make sure Access Arrangements are in place as students’ normal way of working, from keeping JCQ records up to date to reading and scribing in exams. You’ll also help students move up from our feeder primary schools.

This role would suit someone who is patient and well organised, and who can stay calm when things get busy. Experience of working with students with SEND is essential. Just as important is a genuine wish to help every young person feel included and do their best.

About Watling Academy

Watling Academy is an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ secondary school situated on the western edge of Milton Keynes, encompassing the Whitehouse and Fairfields developments. Opening in September 2020, our school is a new and vibrant learning community for students aged 11-18. We are excited to have opened the Watling Academy Sixth Form to our first cohort of Year 12 students in September 2025, which will provide further educational opportunities. Our core values of Respect, Responsibility and Kindness embody the ‘Watling Way’ and are integral to the way we interact, learn and grow together as a community.

For more information about our school, please explore our website: www.watling.academy

Learn more about why you should join us by downloading the attached Watling Academy Recruitment Pack

About The Alliance Schools trust

The Alliance Schools Trust is driven by our mission of Care, Education and Opportunity. We prioritise care by ensuring that no student or staff member ever feels anonymous. Everyone is recognised, valued and supported, creating a strong sense of belonging within our community. Our commitment to education is reflected in our proven track record of academic success, consistently outperforming both Milton Keynes and national averages. We offer opportunity through supportive and dynamic learning environments, where every student can thrive and be well-prepared for future success in higher education or employment. For staff, we offer extensive opportunities for professional development and progression within our growing network of schools, empowering you to advance your career within a united, forward-thinking Trust.

We are recognised as leaders in raising educational standards both within our Trust and in the schools we support. We are proud to appoint motivated, highly qualified staff who thrive in a culture where collaboration and the spirit of partnership are central to everything we do.

How to Apply

Due to our commitment to safer recruitment practices, we can only accept applications through My New Term. Please do not submit CVs.

The Alliance Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS check is required for all successful applicants.

E-mail: hr@tastrust.org.uk

Headteacher: Emma Anderson

Closing date for applications: Thursday 5th November 2026, 9am

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert early should a suitable candidate be appointed. Early applications are encouraged.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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.

About Watling Academy

• Organisation type: Free School, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1767 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Watling Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/watling-academy

Watling Academy is a purpose-built secondary school in its second year of operation, located within the Whitehouse development on the western expansion area of Milton Keynes. The Academy will have 1800 students when at full capacity. Watling Academy is part of the Denbigh Alliance MAT.

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