Job Title: Associate Assistant Principal - SENDCO
Actual Salary: £36,920 - £40,738
Full Time Equivalent Salary: £61,534 - £67,898 (CLF L8 – L12)
Contract Type: Fixed-Term (Maternity Cover)
Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract until 30 November 2027 or upon the return of the post holder
Hours: Part time, 19.5 hours per week (0.6 FTE)
Additional Information: This is a 0.6 FTE maternity cover position, working three days per week (Monday to Wednesday). The successful candidate will work full days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with Thursday and Friday designated as non-working days.
Provisional Start Date: 30 November 2026 (Subject to completion of pre-employment checks)
Are you an ambitious and inspirational leader with a passion for inclusive education and ensuring every student can thrive? Do you have the vision, expertise and determination to remove barriers to learning and champion outstanding outcomes for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?
Bristol Metropolitan Academy is seeking an exceptional Associate Assistant Principal - SENDCO (Maternity Cover) to join our supportive, ambitious and talented leadership team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to play a significant role in shaping the strategic direction of the academy, while leading and developing our SEND provision to ensure that all students receive the support, guidance and opportunities they need to succeed.
As a member of the extended Senior Leadership Team, you will lead on SEND across the academy, ensuring compliance with the SEND Code of Practice, overseeing provision for vulnerable learners, driving high-quality inclusive teaching, and working collaboratively with colleagues, families and external agencies to secure the best possible outcomes for students. You will also lead and develop staff, contribute to academy improvement priorities, and ensure that inclusion remains at the heart of our provision.
About You
You will:
- Be a qualified teacher with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
- Have substantial experience of leading SEND provision and supporting vulnerable learners.
- Demonstrate a strong understanding of the SEND Code of Practice and current statutory guidance.
- Have professional knowledge of what constitutes high-quality teaching, learning and inclusion.
- Be an outstanding classroom practitioner with a proven record of improving outcomes for students.
- Have experience of leading strategic whole-school improvement and managing change effectively.
- Be confident in analysing data, monitoring impact and using evidence-based approaches to drive improvement.
- Have experience of leading, coaching and developing staff to improve practice and outcomes.
- Demonstrate excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration with students, families, colleagues and external agencies.
- Be committed to safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.
- Share our high expectations, ambition and belief that all young people can achieve their full potential.
Applicants are advised to refer to the full job description and person specification before submitting an application.
About Bristol Metropolitan Academy:
Bristol Metropolitan Academy (Bristol Met) is an over-subscribed secondary school based in Fishponds, Bristol. It is characterised by energy, enthusiasm and a strong sense of community. The years at school are few and precious, and it is important that students at Bristol Met have a strong sense of belonging and a belief in their right and their ability to achieve highly.
Our students are excited to learn and are real ambassadors for our diverse community. 60% of our students come from global majority groups. We have more than 40 identified primary languages in our student and staff community with over 35% of our students coming from having English as an additional language backgrounds. A higher-than-average number of our students are supported with overcoming barriers due to a special educational need.
We believe we enable all students to achieve their very best through our approach to inclusion coupled with our Metropolitan Way; High Standards, High Aspirations and High Expectations working in harmony with our PROUD values of being ResPectful, Resilient, CompassiOnate, AmbitioUs and UnifieD.
Why work at CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 37 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters. Over 52% of the students who attend Bristol Metropolitan Academy are from global majority groups, so we particularly encourage applicants from those groups in order to represent the students we serve, as well as wider underrepresented groups including gender, transgender, age disability, sexual orientation or religion.
We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.
What we can offer you:
- Access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
- Comprehensive induction and ongoing support for career development and wellbeing.
- Sector-leading professional development entitlement and opportunities.
- Collaboration with colleagues across the trust through subject communities and specialist networks.
- Shared CLF curriculum, written and curated by trust experts, reducing individual teacher workload.
- Career enhancing and progression opportunities within the trust and through the CLF Institute.
- A collaborative culture which supports workload.
- Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
- Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
- A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
- Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking and many more!
Recruitment timeline:
- Closing Date: 04 October 2026
- Shortlisting: 05 October 2026
- Interviews: Week commencing 12 October 2026
We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact the academy/site directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs, a full education and employment history must be provided through our application form.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.