SENDCo - Assistant Headteacher
Aylesham Primary School, Canterbury, Kent, CT3 3BS15 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 January 2027
Closing date
31 October 2026 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
16 October 2026
Job details
Job role
- Assistant headteacher
- SENCO (special educational needs coordinator)
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Early years, Key stage 1, Key stage 2
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- L1-L4
What skills and experience we're looking for
Join Our Team as SENDCo - Assistant Headteacher
Are you a passionate and ambitious leader with a commitment to inclusion and excellence? Do you believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their starting point or individual needs? We're seeking a dedicated and dynamic SENDCo - Assistant Headteacher to join our leadership team and help shape the next stage of our school's journey.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead with Vision and Purpose: Inspire colleagues through strong leadership and a shared commitment to high expectations for all pupils. Play a key role in driving school improvement and shaping our inclusive culture.
- Champion SEND and Inclusion: Lead our SEND provision, ensuring children receive the right support at the right time. Promote inclusive practice across the school so that every pupil can access a high-quality education.
- Break Down Barriers to Learning: Identify and remove barriers that prevent children from achieving their potential. Work strategically to improve outcomes for pupils with additional needs and those facing disadvantage.
- Build Strong Partnerships: Work closely with staff, children, families and external agencies to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils. Foster trusting relationships that place children at the centre of decision-making.
- Develop Staff Expertise: Support and challenge colleagues to deliver ambitious, adaptive teaching. Lead professional development that strengthens inclusive practice across the school.
- Promote Wellbeing and Personal Growth: Ensure that children feel safe, valued and supported to become confident, resilient learners who are empowered to succeed.
Ideal Candidate
- An experienced and highly effective teacher with a passion for inclusion and SEND.
- Holds, or is willing to work towards, the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO).
- Proven track record of improving outcomes for children with additional needs.
- Passionate about enabling every child to access, participate and achieve.
- Able to lead strategically whilst maintaining a child-centred approach.
- Committed to creating a positive, inclusive and ambitious learning environment.
- An excellent communicator who can build strong relationships with pupils, families, staff and external partners.
This full-time role offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact on our school community. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will play a vital role in shaping provision for some of our most vulnerable learners whilst contributing to the wider strategic direction of the school.
Join us at the heart of our local community and help ensure that every child receives the support, challenge and opportunities they need to flourish. We look forward to welcoming an SENDCo - Assistant Headteacher who shares our vision, values and unwavering commitment to inclusion.
We warmly invite all interested candidates to join us for a tour of Aylesham Primary School. During the visit, you'll have the opportunity to meet our Headteacher, learn more about our vibrant school community and see first-hand the positive impact we have on our pupils. Please contact the school office to arrange a tour.
To apply for this position please complete EKC Schools Trust Application Form 2026 (Fillable Form) and email to recruitment@aylesham.kent.sch.uk
Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close this advert early should a suitable candidate be found.
The 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 is subject to an Enhanced DBS Disclosure and two successful references. In line with KCSIE guidance, paragraph 220, all candidates who are shortlisted may be subject to an online search. This search is not part of the shortlisting process itself and all shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to address any issues of concern resulting from the search.
To apply for this position please complete EKC Schools Trust Application Form 2026 (Fillable Form) and email to recruitment@aylesham.kent.sch.uk
What the school offers its staff
EKC Schools Trust is committed to the continuous professional development (CPD) of all staff. We provide access to a range of learning and development opportunities, including formal training courses, workshops, webinars, conferences, and professional qualifications.
Employees are encouraged to maintain and enhance their skills through role-specific training, knowledge-sharing activities, mentoring, coaching, and regular development discussions. We support career progression by helping staff identify development goals, build new competencies, and access opportunities that contribute to both their professional growth and the success of the Trust.
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 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 Aylesham Primary School
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 4 to 11
- Education phase
- Primary school
- Size
- 382 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Email address
- recruitment@aylesham.kent.sch.uk
- Phone number
- 01304840392
Aylesham Primary School is a two-form entry primary school in the heart of the Kent countryside, six miles south of Canterbury, serving Aylesham and the surrounding villages.
Our school is a fun, creative and positive place that provides a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment that offers opportunities for all the children "to dig deep and expand their minds". Our mission is…‘To create a learning community that is prepared for an ever-changing future; that believes in the unlimited potential to improve themselves and others in the world around them.’
It is our intention that all children leave our school with a well-rounded education to prepare them for life, underpinned with a strong sense of morality and aspirational goals, to create new futures. In order to achieve this, our school values underpin classroom practice and are a part of our school culture and climate for learning. Our talented and hardworking staff and Leadership Team provide an outstanding quality of care and encourage an environment where children feel confident to try out new skills both inside and outside of the classroom.
In February 2025 the school academised and joined the EKC Schools Trust. As a family of schools, colleges and business units, EKC Schools Trust and its sister organisation, the East Kent Colleges Group, are committed to raising the aspirations of all within the communities they serve. Enabling all ages to access the highest quality educational provision, helping them to grow and flourish, and achieve their ambitions.
Arranging a visit to Aylesham Primary School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@aylesham.kent.sch.uk.
School location
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