Deputy Head Teacher
The Role
Deputy Head Teacher (SENCO & Senior Leader)
Summerhouse Behaviour Support Service – Southwark
Contract: Leadership Group 8–15 | Full-time | Permanent
Start Date: April 2025 (or earlier by negotiation)
We are seeking an exceptional, passionate and resilient Deputy Head Teacher to join the senior leadership team at Summerhouse Behaviour Support Service, a unique primary SEMH provision offering short-term placement and outreach support to Southwark schools. You will play a key strategic role in leading teaching and learning, behaviour and inclusion, and ensuring that every child receives high-quality education, care and personalised support.
As Deputy Head Teacher, you will:
- Lead on teaching, learning and curriculum development across the service.
- Be class-based up to 40% of the week, modelling outstanding practice.
- Lead assessment, progress tracking and data analysis.
- Oversee SEND provision as the service SENCO.
- Deputise for the Head Teacher and contribute to whole-school strategic direction.
- Coordinate support for staff underperformance and lead induction for new staff.
- Monitor and report on key priorities including safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and pupil progress.
- Support the reintegration of pupils back to mainstream school.
This is a rare opportunity to help shape a highly regarded specialist service and make a significant difference to children with social, emotional and mental health needs.
About You
We are looking for an inspiring leader who is committed to inclusion, trauma-informed practice and improving outcomes for vulnerable children. You will bring:
- Substantial primary teaching experience and proven senior leadership experience.
- SENCO qualification or equivalent substantial SENCO experience.
- Expertise in SEMH, behaviour support, safeguarding and multi-agency working.
The role
- The ability to lead staff, drive improvement and support professional development.
- Strong skills in assessment, data analysis and school improvement.
- Excellent communication, emotional intelligence and a reflective, resilient approach.
- A deep commitment to anti-racist, inclusive and relationship-based practice.
If you are motivated by the belief that every child can succeed with the right support, we would love to hear from you.
What We Offer
At Summerhouse, you will join a warm, skilled and highly committed team who are passionate about improving children’s life chances. We offer:
- A strategic leadership role with meaningful responsibility and scope to shape the service.
- A supportive, collaborative culture rooted in compassion, respect and ambition for children.
- High-quality professional development including leadership training and SEND development.
- Opportunities to work closely with a wide network of Southwark schools and agencies.
- A well-established and respected SEMH provision with strong systems and a clear ethos.
- Access to Southwark employee benefits, wellbeing support and professional networks.
Visits to Summerhouse are warmly encouraged.
This post requires a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) DBS check at Enhanced level.
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Recruitment timetable
Advert closing date: 11.59pm on Monday 5th January 2026
Interviews: Thursday 15th January 2026
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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