Neurodiversity & Regulation Lead - The Wymering School in Sunderland

We are looking for a warm, emotionally intelligent and passionate professional to join our growing pastoral team and help us build a school where relationships come first.

This is a role where you can genuinely change how a child experiences school. You might be helping a member of staff understand a pupil differently. Sitting alongside a young person who is overwhelmed and helping them find their way back to regulation. Coaching colleagues, delivering training or working with a family to find a different way forward.

And sometimes, the biggest successes will be the smallest ones.

A pupil who feels safe enough to ask for help. A child who learns to recognise what they are feeling. A young person who returns to class after a difficult morning. A member of staff who says, “I understand them now.” Those moments matter.

Please note:Must have a full clean driving license and be willing to use your vehicle for school business.

The role

Working alongside our Safeguarding Lead, Senior Mental Health Lead and Family Engagement Lead, you will help develop our neurodiversity-affirming, relational and restorative culture.

You will:

• Deliver engaging training to build staff understanding of neurodiversity, SEMH and emotional wellbeing

• Coach colleagues to develop effective, individualised support strategies

• Deliver targeted emotional wellbeing, mental health and therapeutic interventions

• Build trusting relationships with young people, particularly those who may have experienced difficulties with school in the past

• Support pupils during periods of distress and dysregulation, using effective co-regulation strategies

• Help develop Positive Support Plans and Know Me To Teach Me documents

• Work closely with families and external professionals

• Contribute to whole-school approaches that promote wellbeing, inclusion and belonging

• Support safeguarding and become a Designated Safeguarding Lead, with training provided

We’re looking for someone who:

• Leads with warmth, authenticity and kindness

• Understands that behaviour is communication

• Has a strong understanding of neurodiversity, emotional regulation and trauma-informed practice

• Has experience supporting neurodivergent children and young people, particularly those with autism, ADHD and SEMH needs

• Can deliver emotional wellbeing, mental health or therapeutic interventions

• Builds trust quickly and communicates with warmth and empathy

• Remains calm and reflective in complex situations

• Can coach, challenge and inspire colleagues

• Is positive, curious and committed to learning

• Genuinely believes that every child has strengths, potential and possibility

You’ll need GCSE Grade C/4 or above (or equivalent) in English and Maths, plus a relevant qualification or experience in an area such as mental health, psychology, counselling, child development, youth work, therapeutic practice, SEND/neurodiversity, coaching or mentoring.