Assistant Headteacher - Medical and Pastoral Lead
Highshore School
Southwark
- Expired
- Salary:
- Leadership Scale L13-L17 (Inner London)
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 2 May 2025
Job overview
Highshore School – Inspiring Futures, Changing Lives
We are growing our provision and are excited to welcome a new Assistant Headteacher – Medical and Pastoral Lead to our Senior Leadership Team. This is a unique opportunity to lead on safeguarding, behaviour, wellbeing, and medical care in a vibrant, nurturing school environment that places pupil welfare at its heart.
Are you a strategic and compassionate leader who is committed to the holistic development of young people with complex needs? Highshore School is seeking a talented Assistant Head to lead our medical and pastoral provision, embedding inclusive, trauma-informed practices across the school.
At Highshore, you will join a positive and professional team, working in a values-led, trauma-informed environment where staff and student wellbeing are central. You will lead the implementation of high-impact pastoral systems, ensuring every young person is supported to thrive socially, emotionally, and physically.
What We Are Looking For:
- A confident and experienced middle or senior leader with expertise in pastoral and safeguarding leadership within a SEND context.
- A skilled and reflective practitioner who can embed Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and trauma-informed practices across a school.
- A leader with strong knowledge of medical needs, multi-agency working, and wellbeing strategies to support pupils with complex needs.
- A dedicated professional who is passionate about inclusion and understands the importance of holistic education.
About Highshore:
Highshore is a mixed 11–19 special school located in Camberwell, Southwark, for pupils with complex mixed needs. We currently have 168 students on roll, all of whom have EHCPs. Our pupils have a wide range of learning needs, including Down’s Syndrome, Autism, ADHD, physical disabilities, complex medical conditions, and significant speech, language, and communication difficulties. We are a happy, creative, and supportive school community where Makaton signing and daily living skills are embedded in learning.
The successful candidate will:
- Be accountable for the highest standards of pastoral and medical support.
- Lead safeguarding practice as Deputy DSL.
- Embed whole-school behaviour and wellbeing systems, informed by PBS and trauma-informed care.
- Be able to demonstrate effective and creative leadership of teams to support pupil wellbeing and staff development.
- Build strong relationships with families, carers, and external agencies to support wrap-around care.
We offer:
- A key leadership role in a dynamic and inclusive school
- Tailor-made training opportunities and career development to enable progression
- Mentoring & support from an experienced headteacher
- Professional, friendly and supportive staff
- Strong and stable senior leadership team
- A positive and purposeful working environment
Further information about this post and arrangements for visits can be made by contacting the Headteacher, Evelina Dimopoulou. For an application pack please contact Isla Western at: iwestern@highshore.southwark.sch.uk
No agencies and C.V.s are not accepted.
CLOSING DATE - 02/05/2025- 12 Noon
Highshore School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our recruitment processes follow the guidance in the DfE document, Keeping Children Safe in Education. All posts are subject to pre-employment checks, references will be sought and successful candidates will need to undertake an enhanced DBS check. Highshore School is an equal opportunities employer.
Attached documents
About Highshore School
Highshore is a complex mixed needs special secondary (age range 11 – 19) school situated in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark. We have 169 pupils on roll. Every pupil has an Education Health Care Plan.
At Highshore School we enable our pupils to gain the skills, confidence and opportunities needed to progress to employment, meaningful voluntary opportunities and training. Our pupils tell us that they want to make a contribution to society. We are a central London school and expect our pupils to be active citizens.
All of our pupils have severe or moderate learning disabilities (SLD/MLD) and come from a mix of Southwark Primary and Special schools. Our school is oversubscribed. In addition to our teaching staff one full time and one part-time Speech and Language therapist, one day a week Occupational therapy, Family worker and a Full-time work experience coordinator. We also have strong links with CAMHS, the School Nursing Service and with the Early Help team.
Our pupils have a range of needs, including: Complex medical needs, Downs Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Speech, Language and Communication difficulties, ADHD and Physical disabilities
Key Stages 3 and 4:
In Key Stage 3 our pupils start the day with Literacy and Numeracy, usually taught by their form teacher. We teach subjects such as Social Communication and Lego therapy, which your child might not have encountered in primary school, as well as the full range of National curriculum subjects. All our Key stage 3 pupils have regular swimming in addition to their PE lessons. In Key Stage 4 pupils work towards a variety of accreditation including Entry Level and Functional Skills.
Key Stage 5
Our Sixth form programme includes one day a week college link and for many pupils one day a week work experience placement. The focus of the sixth form is allowing our pupils to gain as much independence skills as possible. Travel training forms part of our programme for those pupils who are not independent travellers. Highshore has a Specialist dyslexia team who support pupils both in and out of class.
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