English Lead – Specialist SEND School | North London

North London
Full-time | Permanent / Long-term
Salary dependent on experience
QTS required

I am recruiting an experienced English Lead to join a small specialist SEND school in North London, working with secondary and post-16 pupils who require a more individualised and therapeutic approach to education.

This is an opportunity for an accomplished English Teacher who wants to take greater ownership of their subject while continuing to teach directly and build meaningful relationships with young people.

The school supports pupils within a nurturing specialist environment, so this role requires more than strong subject knowledge. The successful teacher will need to understand how SEND, emotional regulation, communication and previous experiences of education can affect a young person's ability to engage and achieve.

The role

As English Lead, you will take responsibility for driving high-quality English teaching and learning while ensuring the curriculum remains accessible to pupils with a wide range of individual needs.

Your role will include:

• Teaching English across the secondary age range

• Leading the planning and development of the English curriculum

• Ensuring lessons are appropriately differentiated and accessible

• Monitoring pupil progress within English

• Supporting appropriate assessment and accreditation

• Developing engaging schemes of work and learning resources

• Supporting colleagues with the delivery of literacy and English

• Maintaining high expectations while recognising individual starting points

• Using adaptive teaching approaches to support SEND

• Working closely with SEND, pastoral and therapy colleagues

• Contributing to whole-school curriculum development and quality improvement

The wider school places an emphasis on curriculum quality, assessment, accreditation, pupil progress and adaptive teaching, with education staff working closely alongside SEND and therapy colleagues.

What are we looking for?

Essential:

• Qualified Teacher Status

• Strong experience teaching English at secondary level

• Excellent subject knowledge

• Confidence planning and delivering differentiated lessons

• Strong classroom and behaviour management

• Ability to engage pupils who may have experienced barriers to education

• Strong understanding of safeguarding

• Good organisation and communication skills

Desirable:

• Previous responsibility for English or curriculum development

• Experience as an English Lead, Subject Lead or aspiring Head of English

• SEND teaching experience

• Experience within specialist education or alternative provision

• Experience supporting pupils with SEMH, autism or additional learning needs

• Experience with examination or alternative accreditation pathways

What makes this role different?

This is not simply a mainstream English teaching position with a leadership title attached.

You will be working within a specialist setting where pupils may have very different relationships with education and very different starting points.

For some pupils, success might mean achieving an English qualification. For another, it could begin with re-engaging with reading, completing a piece of extended writing or developing enough confidence to participate in a lesson.

The challenge is maintaining ambition while adapting how you help each pupil get there.

A collaborative specialist environment

The school works collaboratively across education, SEND, pastoral and therapeutic provision.

Staff are expected to communicate closely with colleagues and external professionals and contribute to a safe, calm and supportive environment where pupils can develop independence and make progress.

This could be an excellent next step for an experienced English Teacher who is ready for subject leadership, or an existing English Lead / Head of English who would like to move into a smaller specialist SEND environment.

Parker Smith Inclusion

Parker Smith Inclusion specialises exclusively in SEND recruitment.

I work closely with specialist schools across North London and will give you an honest overview of the setting, expectations and pupil needs before your details are submitted.

Our approach is transparent and personal — the aim is to make sure the role genuinely suits you rather than simply sending your CV to another vacancy.

If you are an experienced English Teacher with QTS and are interested in taking responsibility for English within a specialist SEND setting, I would be very interested in speaking with you.

Safeguarding: Parker Smith Inclusion is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Successful applicants will be subject to appropriate safer recruitment checks, satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.

Please contact Zack on 02030114848 or email zack@psinclusion.co.uk