Deputy Head Teacher

Churchill Special Free School

Deputy Head Teacher

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Salary: Leadership 11-16 (£60,488 to £68,400)

Start date: September 2024

Our school community is looking for a deputy headteacher who is approachable, compassionate, collaborative, child centred and is passionate about SEND. You will have a passion for educating children with Autism and will use your experience to work in a special school that staff, students and the local community are proud of. Your journey to transformative leadership starts with this exciting opportunity to join our Trust. We are making considerable investment in achieving ‘excellence’ in all that we do and this includes our people. 

Our young people at Churchill Special Free School need personal support particularly at points of transition and change. They need a deputy headteacher who will help them realise their ambitions for independence, academically and socially, fostering some much needed self confidence in themselves and pride in becoming positive contributors to their own chosen communities. You will be a senior leader with a track record and understanding of outstanding provision and can demonstrate excellent leadership and managerial skills. These will be complemented by good interpersonal skills along with successful inter-agency working. Your understanding of the curriculum and assessment for children with autism will be essential. You will deepen our clear vision for the school and what will set you apart will be your commitment to achieving high standards of teaching and learning, attendance and outcomes for students with autism. 

Churchill Special Free School educates children and young people from year 4 to year 11 (aged 8 – 16) and sometime post 16 up to year 13 (aged 18) with our fellow secondary school Samuel Ward Academy who we share a site with. All of our children will have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) constructed through joined up multi-agency support and co-operation. It is important to belong at work and the work you do is relied upon by our pupils, so even small positive differences which are made, make people very happy. 

In return we will offer: 

• Two week autumn half term break 
• Bespoke leader development programmes supported by our Teaching School Hub and Unity Institute 
• Excellent career development opportunities across our trust network including trust-wide projects 
• Access to excellent senior leadership training
• Support from an experienced and nurturing school improvement team 
• On-hand expertise from our dedicated education and operations teams who are ready to support you and your schools 
• Evidence-informed research opportunities via our Research School and programmes to reduce teacher workload 
• Influence across network-wide issues through our leadership meetings and regional collaboration events 
• Executive coaching for headteachers to assist them with identifying and achieving their professional goals 
• Wellbeing packages and an employee assistance programme 
• Family friendly policies 

You can view a full list of requirements and further information about the school and trust in the candidate pack. If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don’t meet all the requirements, please apply as we may be able to support you in any areas for development or we may have alternative roles that are a good fit for you. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. 

At Unity Schools Partnership our objective is to smash through barriers to make remarkable change happen. We pride ourselves on being an educational organisation that puts children first, going the extra mile for the vulnerable and disadvantaged, and every one of us has an impact on unlocking our pupils’ potential. We are committed to providing a working environment where our employees can grow and thrive. We value collaboration, wellbeing, diversity, equality and work-life balance. Throughout our diverse family of schools and within our vibrant central hub we nurture talent, whether you are at the beginning of your career or looking to grow your expertise. 

Unity Schools Partnership is made up of a family of 33 schools (9 secondary, 19 primary and 5 special schools of which 3 are designated SEMH) located on the Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire borders, as well as Romford in East London. The Trust expects its work to be characterised by ethical leadership, an ambition for improvement at pace and the expectation that remarkable improvements can be achieved. We refer to ourselves as a family because, throughout the trust, we foster a supportive and collaborative relationship, whilst recognising, and celebrating that, we are all different and have our own contextual characteristics. Sharing the same values and facing similar issues not only enables us to support each other, but to challenge each other too. This interdependence allows each of our schools to flourish and grow; providing stimulating, nurturing yet self-challenging environments in which our pupils and staff members can thrive. Unity Schools Partnership has created a subsidiary trading company, Unity Schools Partnership Education. Having a separate legal entity that is free to trade independently with other commercial organisations as well as schools, gives scope and opportunities for greater impact and reach within the wider sphere of education. In return, income is invested into our trust to improve educational outcomes for the children in our schools. By working with Unity Schools Partnership, you may have the opportunity to work on a commission basis beyond a standard career in education and develop some ideas of your own. 

We would encourage applicants to arrange a visit to our school, please contact Chris Komodromos, Headteacher on ckomodromos@churchillschool.co.uk or by ringing the school office on 01440 760338 Closing Date: 9.00 am, 30th April 2024 Interviews: 7th May 2024 For more information and to apply, please visit https://unitysp-careers.co.uk/ 

Closing date: 9:00am, 30th April 2024

Interview date: 7th May 2024

We care deeply about inclusive working practices and diverse teams. If you’d prefer to work part-time or as a job-share, we’ll facilitate this wherever we can – whether to help you meet other commitments or to help you strike a great work-life balance. We’re keen to ensure we’re designing an organisation that works for everyone, so we particularly encourage applications from different under-represented groups. 

Unity Schools Partnership is committed to equal opportunities, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required. 

Unity Schools Partnership – welcoming diversity.