Whole School Curriculum Lead

The Whole School Curriculum Lead will provide strategic and operational leadership for the design, implementation, quality assurance and continuous improvement of the curriculum across the school. The postholder will work as a senior leader to ensure that every pupil has access to a broad, balanced, ambitious and highly personalised curriculum that reflects their age, aptitude, SEND profile, communication needs, EHCP outcomes and preparation for adulthood.

The role is central to the school’s planned growth from 16 pupils to 40 pupils. The postholder will strengthen curriculum systems, staff capability, assessment practice, evidence of pupil progress, statutory compliance and inspection readiness, while ensuring that curriculum growth remains safe, coherent, well-led and sustainable.

Strategic Leadership Expectations

• Act as a senior leader within the school, contributing to whole-school strategy, school improvement planning, self-evaluation and inspection readiness.

• Lead the development of a clear whole-school curriculum vision that is ambitious, inclusive, sequenced and meaningful for pupils with autism, complex learning needs, communication differences and behaviours that may communicate distress.

• Translate the curriculum vision into practical curriculum pathways, schemes of work, assessment systems, staff guidance and quality assurance processes.

• Ensure the curriculum is fit for a growing Independent SEN school, including the development of scalable systems, staff training, curriculum documentation and progression routes for an expanding cohort.

• Provide visible, values-led leadership that models high professional standards, ethical conduct, safeguarding awareness and commitment to pupil outcomes.

• Deputise for the Principal on curriculum, teaching and learning, and other delegated school leadership matters as required.

Key Accountabilities

1. Whole-School Curriculum Design and Development

• Lead the creation, review and implementation of a coherent whole-school curriculum framework that meets the needs of pupils from current intake through planned growth to 40 pupils.

• Develop and maintain curriculum pathways that may include sensory / informal, semi-formal, formal academic, functional skills, therapeutic, vocational, life skills and preparation for adulthood routes.

• Ensure curriculum planning clearly maps intent, implementation and impact, with progression in communication, cognition, independence, regulation, social understanding, functional literacy, numeracy and personal development.

• Ensure curriculum policies, long-term plans, medium-term plans and schemes of work reflect pupils’ ages, aptitudes, needs and EHCP outcomes.

• Ensure the curriculum supports SMSC, PSHE, RSE / health education where applicable, online safety, careers, independence, community participation and preparation for adulthood.

2. Quality of Education, Teaching and Learning

• Lead improvements in teaching, learning and curriculum delivery across all classes, ensuring staff understand what pupils are learning, why it matters and how progress is identified.

• Set high expectations for differentiated, autism-informed and trauma-aware teaching practice across the school.

• Coach, challenge and support teachers, HLTAs, teaching assistants and support staff to deliver the curriculum consistently and effectively.

• Model high-quality professional practice and provide guidance on lesson structure, communication supports, low-arousal approaches, behaviour support, sensory regulation and meaningful engagement.

• Use lesson visits, learning walks, planning scrutiny, work scrutiny, pupil voice, assessment evidence and staff feedback to evaluate curriculum implementation.

3. Assessment, Progress and Evidence of Impact

• Lead the development of meaningful assessment systems that capture academic, communication, social, emotional, sensory, functional and independence progress.

• Ensure progress measures are proportionate and credible for pupils working significantly below age-related expectations, including small-step and non-linear progress.

• Analyse assessment information to identify patterns, gaps, barriers and priorities for curriculum improvement.

• Provide clear reports to the Principal, Proprietor, governance or senior leaders on curriculum impact, pupil progress, risks and improvement actions.

• Ensure assessment evidence contributes to EHCP reviews, annual reviews, placement reviews and multi-agency planning.

4. SEN, EHCP and Multi-Agency Practice

• Ensure the curriculum is responsive to pupils’ EHCP outcomes, special educational provision, communication profiles, sensory needs and individual risk assessments.

• Work closely with SENCO / SEND leads, therapists, educational psychologists, social care colleagues, families and placing authorities to align provision and outcomes.

• Support staff to understand pupils’ barriers to learning and to use evidence-informed adaptations that enable access to the curriculum.

• Contribute senior curriculum evidence to consultations, placement planning, annual reviews, transition reviews and review meetings where required.

5. Staff Leadership, Development and Accountability

• Lead curriculum-related professional development across the school, ensuring staff understand curriculum pathways, assessment expectations and adaptive teaching strategies.

• Induct new teaching and support staff into curriculum expectations, planning systems, assessment practice and autism-informed approaches.

• Support performance management objectives linked to teaching, learning, curriculum delivery and pupil outcomes, where delegated.

• Line manage or provide professional supervision to curriculum-related staff or delegated colleagues as required by the school structure.

• Build staff confidence and consistency as the school grows, ensuring systems do not rely on individual knowledge or informal practice.

6. Safeguarding, Behaviour and Personal Development

• Promote and safeguard the welfare of all pupils, ensuring curriculum leadership actively supports safer practice, pupil voice, personal development and preparation for adulthood.

• Ensure curriculum planning supports pupils to develop communication, self-advocacy, independence, emotional regulation, online safety, healthy relationships and community safety.

• Work with the PBS Lead to ensure behaviour support approaches are embedded in curriculum delivery and do not restrict access to learning unnecessarily.

• Ensure curriculum activities, off-site learning, community access and vocational opportunities are appropriately risk assessed and supported.

7. Compliance, Inspection and School Improvement

• Maintain curriculum documentation and evidence so that the school can demonstrate compliance with Independent School Standards and inspection expectations.

• Contribute to the school self-evaluation, improvement plan, curriculum action plans and evidence folders.

• Prepare concise evidence for inspections, proprietor oversight, external quality assurance and placing authority scrutiny.

• Ensure curriculum decisions are inclusive, non-discriminatory, age-appropriate and aligned with statutory and regulatory expectations.

• Identify curriculum risks during the growth phase and make practical recommendations to the Principal on staffing, training, timetabling, resources and quality assurance.

• Bike to Work Scheme
• Tech Scheme
• Paid Sick Pay
• Long Service Reward Scheme
• Support to Drive Scheme
• Development Pathways
• Comprehensive Training Package
• Christmas Saver Scheme
• Enhanced Employee Assistance Package

Person Specification

Qualifications and professional development

Essential -

Qualified Teacher Status - Evidence of substantial recent professional development relevant to senior school leadership, SEND, curriculum, assessment or school improvement.

Senior leadership experience - Successful experience in senior or significant middle leadership with whole-school responsibility for curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment, SEND provision or school improvement.

Senior leadership experience - Evidence of leading change beyond own classroom or subject area, including improving staff practice, implementing systems and evaluating impact.

SEND and autism expertise - Strong understanding of autism and an ability to translate EHCP outcomes and individual pupil profiles into meaningful curriculum planning, and progress evidence.

Curriculum knowledge - Strong knowledge of curriculum design and assessment

Regulatory and inspection awareness - Strong working knowledge of Independent School Standards, Ofsted / inspection framework in relations to curriculum/T&L and assessment expectations

People leadership - Ability to coach, develop, challenge and support teachers, HLTAs, teaching assistants and support staff with clarity, warmth and professional rigour.

People leadership - Ability to hold staff to account fairly and constructively, while supporting wellbeing, workload management and consistent professional standards.

Communication and partnership - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce inspection-ready reports, policies, curriculum documentation and professional correspondence.

Communication and partnership - Ability to work effectively with families, therapists, social care, health professionals, placing authorities, senior leaders and proprietor / governance representatives.

Safeguarding and risk - High level of safeguarding awareness and ability to ensure curriculum activities, community access and preparation for adulthood opportunities are safely planned and risk assessed.

Desirable

Experience in an Independent SEN school, specialist school, alternative provision, SEND focused curriculum design and T&L

Experience of functional skills, vocational learning, work-related learning, careers education or preparation for adulthood curriculum design.