Head of Learning Support
ST MARY'S SCHOOL CAMBRIDGE
30,965 - 43,671 per year
Cambridge
Full-time
17th April 2026
Listed today
Head of Learning Support (SENDCo) Start date: September 2026 Fixed Term: 1 Term (Autumn); 3 days per week £30,965 to £43,671 full time equivalent (FTE) £18,579 - £26,202.60 prorata St Mary’s School Bateman Street Cambridge CB2 1LY T: 01223 353253 hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk St Mary’s School Cambridge – A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Office: Bateman Street Cambridge CB2 1LY – No. 184031 England Registered Charity No. 290180 Welcome from the Head Thank you for showing interest in this role at St Mary’s School, Cambridge. We are an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3 to 18. We have a school roll of around 600 students. Approximately 15% of the students are boarders. Reflecting the cosmopolitan community of Cambridge, on average 25% of students originate from overseas, from around 30 countries. The School offers a secure and welcoming learning environment for girls: we are delightfully situated in the heart of the academically renowned and culturally vibrant city of Cambridge. The Junior School is adjacent to the famous backdrop of Coe Fen, and the Senior School and Boarding House overlook the University of Cambridge Botanic Gardens. Cambridge is an outstanding place to live and work. As a university city, Cambridge has the cultural advantages of a much larger settlement but with a population of approximately 145,000, it is a safe, clean and attractive location. The city has an international reputation owing to its world ranking university and the school benefits from its proximity to the digital and enterprise communities in the various high-tech science parks and enterprise hubs. We are within easy travelling distance of London, less than an hour by train and a short hop from London Stansted Airport. There has been major investment in new facilities at the School over the past decade: a new Junior School; a new Sixth Form Centre; new provision of Art & Photography; the creation of our Science Hub; and our new boarding facility, Mary Ward House. We have developed our sporting facilities through an ambitious collaboration with Homerton College, University of Cambridge and have invested in a new boat house in a joint partnership with City of Cambridge Rowing Club and Homerton College. We are proud to have opened our Mary Ward Educational Suite in January 2024 which provides new state of the art teaching spaces. High quality facilities are only as good as the people who work in them, so we invest heavily in our staff, who we know are our greatest asset. We encourage staff to develop themselves through training and facilitate bespoke CPD opportunities for all. St Mary’s School promotes equal opportunity for all staff and pupils and is committed to its culture of diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. Above all, St Mary’s School, Cambridge is a very happy place. We have an excellent local reputation for being very friendly and nurturing, and yet ambitious, for the young women in our care, enabling strong progress to next steps at university, the world of work or a gap year. Our girls are genuinely delightful, the teachers and support staff are exceptionally dedicated; we are a very close-knit, loving, joyful and purposeful community. St Mary’s really is a warm and welcoming environment for all staff, whatever their role, and we look forward to receiving your application. Hannah Helliar The St Mary’s Approach We are proud to be a Christian school in the Catholic tradition and founded on the principles of our 17th century foundress, Mary Ward, our vision is that ‘By God’s grace, women in time will do much’ (Mary Ward 1585-1645). The challenge for women is not over, and whilst there are now more opportunities for 'women to do much' there are still considerable barriers and so our work continues via our mission to develop curious, creative and compassionate young women with the aspiration, confidence and integrity to shape a better world for the common good. Our approach is based on the core values of Freedom, Joy, Justice, Love and Truth and we live these values in school through our HEART habits of H – Hard work E – Empathy A – Adaptability We show perseverance and sustain focus. We are kind, joyful, generous, value friendship and celebrate diversity. We adjust to difficult situations, are open minded, discerning and take calculated risks. R – Responsibility T – Thoughtfulness We act justly and strive to uphold truth and lead by example. We are creative, reflective, attentive, show gratitude, hear others and disagree well. Our unique approach to education fosters a love of life and of learning, while growing the academic curiosity and spiritual wellbeing of each individual girl so that they can look beyond themselves and enter adulthood aspiring to be more and to give more, not just to have more. We warmly welcome girls, and staff, of all Christian denominations and other faith and secular backgrounds to join our thriving community. Last year the school celebrated its 125th anniversary. Building on our 400-year tradition, St Mary’s School, Cambridge belongs to an international network of approximately two hundred Mary Ward schools. Innovative Learning at St Mary’s We empower all our students to aim high. As an accredited High Performance Learning World Class School there has never been a more exciting time to join our team. High Performance Learning (HPL) is a research-based, pedagogy-led philosophy that responds to our growing understanding of human capability. It sees all students as potential high performers who are not limited by ‘ability’. HPL makes the goal of high performance the expectation for all students and uses a unique teaching and learning framework to systematically grow minds and develop the cognitive skills, values, attitudes and attributes needed to reach success. Here at St Mary’s, we are proud to be developing our own approach to HPL and welcome applications from like- minded colleagues who are ambitious for their students and committed to research-based approaches to teaching and learning. For further information please visit https://www.highperformancelearning.co.uk/ Digital St Mary’s St Mary's is a digital school. The goals of the School are supported through • developing a community of staff and students which learns in, responds to and engages with an ever- changing digital world; • preparing students for their future by giving them the confidence to work in a digital environment; • establishing creative teaching and learning environments; • employing teaching staff who are trained and supported to be technologically and digitally skilled. All members of St Mary's work digitally using Microsoft 365 as a platform. All students in the Senior School and Sixth Form have access to an individual device (Microsoft Surface Pro) which is used extensively in lessons and for home learning. Job Description Main Duties & Responsibilities • Plan and organise the Learning Support programmes across the school • Maintain an accurate SEN register and provision map • Monitor teaching and learning activities to meet the needs of children with SEND • Support the Learning Support Assistants to ensure that the learning support programme is being effectively delivered • Assess and identify the needs of individuals and produce IEPs for those children who require such provision • Ensure consistent, effective and appropriate differentiation and support is offered by all staff, for all SEND children • Support staff to effectively cater for children for whom English is an additional language (EAL) • Work with early years providers, other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals being the main point of contact. Implement and lead intervention groups for students with SEN, an evaluate their effectiveness. • Analyse assessment data for students with SEN. • • Review the education, health and care plan (EHCP) with parents or carers and the student. • Ensure if the student transfers to another school, all relevant information is conveyed to it, and support a smooth transition for the student. • Promote the student's inclusion in the school community and access to the curriculum, facilities and extra-curricular activities. • Ensure that the teaching of learning support is adequately resourced using the allocated funds effectively • Attend consultation evenings and keep parents informed about their child's progress • Disseminate good practice in SEND across the school • Devise a scheme of record keeping which will monitor the progress of individual children • Be pro-active in creating a gifted and talented programme and work with teachers who are involved in this area • Have a secure knowledge of the relevant subject(s) and curriculum areas, foster and maintain pupils' interest in the subject, and address misunderstandings. • Demonstrate a critical understanding of developments in the subject and curriculum areas, and promote the value of scholarship. • Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher's specialist subject. • Guide and advise parents in the use of external specialists and obtaining reports. • Prepare and deliver 'within school' in-service training to ensure that all staff are aware of the learning support programme Liaise with outside agencies as necessary and prepare reports for statement applications Lead on Behaviour Management, Support Plans, and Risk Reduction Plans for SEN pupils • • • Set targets for raising achievement among children with SEND • Collect and interpret specialist assessment data • Set up systems for identifying, assessing and reviewing SEND • Liaise with other schools to ensure continuity of support and learning when transferring children with SEND Leadership and Management • Lead the strategic development of the school's Special Educational Needs (SEND) provision and oversight of the day-to-day operation of that policy with the aim of raising SEND pupil achievement. • Contribute to a school self-evaluation, particularly with respect to provision for students with SEN. • Maintain up to date knowledge of national and local initiatives that may affect the school's policy and practice. • Evaluate whether funding is being used effectively and suggest changes to make use of funding more effective. • To liaise closely with the Deputy Head to ensure consistent, effective and appropriate differentiation and support is offered by all staff, for all SEND children Lead weekly data meetings to track pupil performance and well-being • • Update the Head and the governing body on the effectiveness of provision for children with SEND needs Child Welfare and Child Protection Issues The interview for this post will include exploring issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children including: • motivation to work with children and young people; • ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships with children and young people; • emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours; • attitudes to the use of authority and maintaining discipline. Any relevant issues arising from the take up of references will be discussed at interview. The school is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Check. Benefits At St Mary’s you will enjoy an exceptional career and comprehensive benefits including a contributory pension scheme, BUPA cash plan, an occupational sickness scheme, free lunches and refreshments, a season ticket discount and much more. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion St Mary’s School is committed to ensuring equal opportunities in all aspects of employment and selects staff on merit irrespective of race, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marital status, sex, sexuality/gender preference, disability or age. You are not obliged to complete the Equal Opportunities Form, but any information given will help us monitor the effectiveness of our policies and procedures. If you have a disability, you are invited to request any special arrangements that you may require for interview or any adjustments that you would consider necessary to your working arrangements by contacting our Human Resources department (hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk, 01223 353253). Process Application is welcomed by completing the Application Form and Equal Opportunities Form which can be found on the Vacancies page of our website. This may be accompanied by a covering letter and a curriculum vitae. We are unable to accept applications supported by a CV alone. Interviews will be conducted in person, and they will explore candidates’ suitability to work with children. Candidates are required to bring with them the necessary ID documentation and any relevant qualification certificate(s), all of which must be originals. Further information of the interview format will be provided if you are shortlisted for interview. If you have any question, please contact the HR Team by email: hr@stmaryscambridge.co.uk or call: 01223 353253. Closing date: 17 April 2026 – 12 noon Interview date: week commencing 20 April 2026 We will review applications on receipt. Suitable candidates may be interviewed before the closing date, and we reserve the right to withdraw the position if an early appointment is made. The school is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants are subject to an enhanced DBS check.