At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead behaviour, attendance, and culture initiatives for pupils in need.
- Company: Join a supportive and innovative educational trust focused on alternative provision.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, extensive professional development, and a collaborative leadership team.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth in a dynamic and inclusive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of marginalised learners and shape future educational practices.
- Qualifications: Leadership experience, knowledge of SEMH needs, and a commitment to holistic pupil development.
The predicted salary is between 57137 - 61534 £ per year.
North East Essex Co‑operative Academy welcomes an aspiring leader to support pupils most in need. The Associate Assistant Headteacher will play a pivotal role in guiding the behaviour, attendance and cultural framework of our Alternative Provision – Pupil Referral Unit.
What We Are Looking For
- Leadership Skills and Experience
- Strategic Vision: Proven ability to contribute to the whole‑school improvement plan and lead initiatives that raise standards for marginalised learners.
- Staff Development: Experience in mentoring, coaching and holding staff accountable while fostering a supportive professional environment.
- Resilience: The staying power to lead through challenges, maintaining a calm and purposeful atmosphere in a high‑pressure setting.
- Curriculum and Teaching
- Curriculum Innovation: Knowledge of how to adapt the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of PRU pupils, ensuring it is both ambitious and accessible.
- Pedagogical Expertise: Experience delivering high‑quality adaptive teaching, with the ability to model best practices for engaging pupils with complex learning barriers.
- Assessment & Progress: Competency in using data to track progress beyond academics, focusing on holistic growth and successful moving‑on plans to other educational settings.
- Behaviour Management
- Trauma‑Perceptive Practice: Deep understanding of how SEMH needs manifest as ‘challenging’ behaviour and the ability to implement restorative, non‑punitive strategies and provisions.
- EBSA Support: Experience developing reintegration plans for pupils struggling with school attendance due to anxiety or emotional distress.
- De‑escalation: Highly skilled in de‑escalation and in leading others to maintain a safe, regulated school environment via implementation of the trust policy.
- Personal Development and Inclusion
- Holistic Growth: Commitment to a whole‑child approach, ensuring pupils develop the life skills, emotional literacy and self‑regulation needed for life beyond our setting.
- Safeguarding: Unwavering commitment to safeguarding, with a comprehensive understanding of the specific vulnerabilities faced by pupils in alternative provision.
- Multi‑Agency Collaboration: Experience working with external partners (e.g. mainstream schools, Social Care, SEND Operations, CAMHS, Local Authorities) to facilitate pupils’ successful return to mainstream settings or other specialised provisions.
Why Join Us?
We offer a supportive and collaborative trust and school leadership team, extensive professional development focused on SEND and alternative provision leadership, and the opportunity to innovate and shape the future of our pastoral and academic offer. Salary Leadership 5 £57,137 – Leadership 8 £61,534. Pay award pending September 2026.
Recruitment Statement
Keys Co‑Operative Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. The Trust complies with statutory legislative requirements and guidance that seeks to protect children including ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education Guidance’. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants. This includes the disclosure of criminal records, online checks and other vetting documents. We ensure that we have a range of policies in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our schools. Keys Co‑Operative Academy recognises the value of, and seeks to achieve, a diverse workforce which includes people from all backgrounds. We take positive steps to create an employment culture in which people feel confident of being treated with fairness, dignity and tolerance irrespective of their individual differences. This commitment extends beyond the relationship between employees and potential employees, to the whole community. Keys Co‑Operative Academy Trust is committed to the elimination of unlawful discrimination and to the promotion of good relations.
Associate Assistant Headteacher: Behaviour, Attendance and Culture (DDSL) in Colchester employer: Shorefields
At North East Essex Co-operative Academy, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer that fosters a supportive and collaborative work environment. Our commitment to professional development, particularly in SEND and alternative provision leadership, empowers our staff to innovate and make a meaningful impact on the lives of our pupils. With a focus on holistic growth and safeguarding, we create a culture where every employee is valued and can thrive in their role, making it an ideal place for aspiring leaders to advance their careers.
