Head of School - Teaching & Learning + DSL
Employer: Autistic Girls Network - The Haven
Location: Hybrid / Remote (UK). Applicants need to be resident in England.
Working hours: 4 days per week (with agreed core hours for DSL availability)
Salary: £55,000 FTE (pro-rata)
Closing date: 26 November
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About The Haven
The Haven is a neuro-affirmative, trauma-informed online/hybrid school for neurodivergent girls and non-binary people aged 12–17 who need a different kind of safety, structure, and belonging to thrive. We design flexible timetables, relational pedagogy, and evidence-led support that meet young people where they are – then grow from there. The Haven is a not-for-profit provision which is part of Autistic Girls Network charity.
The Role
We’re recruiting a Head of School to lead Teaching & Learning, hold the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) remit, and run the day-to-day operation of our growing provision. You’ll build coherence across curriculum and practice; coach and line-manage educators; and ensure that safeguarding, inclusion, and quality are rock-solid in a live online environment.
This role blends strategy with hands-on leadership. You’ll be the person who quietly keeps the whole system calm and consistent for a highly sensitive cohort – protecting language, pacing, and expectations so that every interaction builds trust.
Progression: As the school grows, there is a clear pathway for this post to expand subject to scope and scale.
What you’ll lead
Strategic leadership
Own the daily operation in line with our ethos and safeguarding commitments.
Develop and deliver the School Development Plan (intent → implementation → impact).
Prepare for Ofsted (registration/inspection) and align practice to the EIF & Independent School Standards.
Hold the DSL function; coordinate with DDSLs, SENCo, and DPO.
Teaching, Curriculum & People
Quality-assure Teaching & Learning across subjects; coach and line-manage educators with reflective supervision.
Embed learner voice, trauma-informed practice, and neuro-affirmative design in curriculum and assessment.
Coordinate moderation, progress tracking, and use of digital artefacts/portfolios.
(Subject to need) teach up to 6 lessons/week in a non-core area.
Safeguarding, Governance & External
Lead safeguarding in line with KCSIE 2025; ensure swift, proportionate responses.
Maintain policy compliance (KCSIE, ISS, online safety, data protection).
Communicate clearly and sensitively with families and external partners, including Local Authorities/commissioners.
You’ll bring
Senior leadership success (Head/Deputy or equivalent) in secondary, AP, or hybrid/online.
QTS and a strong T&L track record, including coaching/QA of staff.
DSL (or DDSL) experience with deep working knowledge of KCSIE 2025.
Proven understanding of trauma-informed and neuro-affirmative practice.
Confidence preparing for Ofsted/ISS in a non-traditional, online context.
Excellent communication, empathy, and boundary-holding – especially with a cohort who have experienced barriers to education.
Digital fluency (e.g., Google Workspace; VLE/LMS; live-class tools).
What we offer
A values-led team where compassion and high standards coexist.
4-day week with defined DSL availability and flexible non-DSL hours.
Ongoing CPD in trauma-informed and inclusive education; reflective supervision and wellbeing support.
The chance to help reimagine education for learners who need it most.
Person specification
Essential
Proven senior leadership in secondary/AP/online (Head/Deputy/HoD or programme lead) with line-management and coaching of staff.
Current/recent DSL (or DDSL) experience; confident with KCSIE 2025, online safety, Threshold of Need, early help, and multi-agency working.
Deep understanding of trauma-informed and neuro-affirmative practice; skilled at pacing, co-regulation, and protective language.
Track record of improving Teaching & Learning (QA cycles, instructional coaching, curriculum coherence, moderation).
Experience working with SEND/EHCPs, reasonable adjustments, and graduated response.
Clear, compassionate communication with young people and families; professional boundaries under pressure.
Evidence of safeguarding-first decision-making (accurate records, chronology, risk assessment, secure information sharing).
Organised, systems-minded, and calm in live online environments; able to prioritise and follow through.
Commitment to equity, inclusion, and reflective supervision for self and team.
Desirable
Ofsted/ISS prep or inspection experience in a non-traditional or online setting.
Experience with AP/medical tuition/EOTAS/LA commissioning pathways.
Experience designing hybrid timetables and portfolio-based assessment.
Coaching qualifications (e.g., instructional coaching, clinical supervision) or mental-health first aid.
Experience setting up safeguarding audits, Section 175/157 returns, or governor reporting.
Technical skills & systems
Essential
Live-class platforms: confident running lessons/briefings on Google Meet/Zoom/Teams; knows how to manage waiting rooms, chat, breakout rooms, captions, and safeguarding settings.
Learning platforms: working knowledge of a VLE/LMS (e.g., Canvas) and a live whiteboard/classroom tool (e.g., Pencil Spaces or equivalent).
Google Workspace: Drive, Docs, Sheets (including filters, lookups, protected ranges), Forms for registers/referrals, and basic dashboards.
Safeguarding systems: secure digital record-keeping, chronology building, incident/risk logs, CP plans, and information-sharing protocols (with DPO awareness).
Data & QA: able to set up light-touch T&L QA cycles (learning walks online, pupil voice, work sampling), and track curriculum/assessment data for governor/LA reports.
Accessibility & inclusion: applies UDL principles; uses captions, alt text, reading order; aware of WCAG basics for documents and slides.
Policy literacy: operationalises KCSIE, Online Safety, Prevent, Low-arousal/behaviour, Attendance, Safer Recruitment, Complaints.
Desirable
Canvas admin (roles, sections, gradebook setup, rubrics, blueprint courses).
Pencil Spaces (rooms, permissions, resource embedding, session exports); or similar tool administration.
Light automation in Sheets/AppScript for attendance summaries/alerts; dashboard experience desirable.
Familiarity with Stripe/Xero style workflows, or school MIS/CRM reporting to LAs/commissioners.
Basic understanding of data protection by design (DPIAs, retention schedules, secure sharing).
Experience curating digital portfolios (evidence of learning/outcomes for LAs/EHCP reviews).
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