Deputy Head Teacher – Pastoral

Welcome to Woodstock House

Woodstock House is a very special place.

Our students, staff and parents often say that this is a school where magic happens — and we think they may have a point.

Woodstock House is a co-educational independent specialist SEND school, welcoming students from 8 to 20 years old. Set within eight acres of beautiful Surrey countryside, our grounds are breathtaking, inspiring and provide the perfect backdrop for a school that believes education should be about much more than what happens in a classroom.

We are incredibly proud to support young people who have struggled to thrive in mainstream education. Many of our students are neurodiverse, including students who are autistic, have ADHD, AuDHD or experience demand avoidance. We understand that every young person is different, and our approach reflects that. Learning, timetables and support are carefully tailored to individual needs, with teaching delivered in very small groups or on a 1:1 basis.

But being a specialist school does not mean lowering expectations. Quite the opposite. We are determined that every student has the opportunity to achieve outstanding academic qualifications, whilst also developing the confidence, independence, resilience and life skills they need to move successfully into adulthood.

When a young person joins Woodstock House, they become part of the Woodstock House family. We nurture, challenge and encourage our students towards a fulfilled, successful and increasingly independent life. Our curriculum is broad and varied, with a genuinely holistic approach to education that recognises the whole young person — their strengths, interests, ambitions and individual barriers to learning.

We are now entering an exciting new chapter. As a result of becoming part of a Kingswood House School Trust, we are taking the opportunity to rejuvenate and strengthen our Senior Leadership Team. We are looking for talented, ambitious and values-led educational leaders who want to help shape the next stage of Woodstock House’s development.

This is an opportunity to join a school that is already doing something rather special, whilst having the opportunity to help shape what comes next.

Our culture is built around high expectations, collaboration, kindness, inclusion and belonging. We want our students and staff to have a voice, to feel valued and to know that they matter. Our Headteacher is creative, inspiring and open-minded, with the courage to think differently and the kindness and integrity to bring people with him. He is committed to fostering a culture in which everyone is included and supported to succeed.

We strive every day to meet the needs of our students while ensuring that our staff are happy, supported and genuinely feel part of the Woodstock House family.

If you are excited by the opportunity to make a real difference, think differently about education and help shape the next chapter of a school where magic happens, we would love to hear from you.

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Could you be the person who notices what others miss?

We are looking for an exceptional Deputy Head Teacher – Pastoral to join our specialist SEND school for pupils in Years 4–13.

In our school, pastoral care isn’t an add-on. It is the foundation on which everything else is built.

Our pupils are wonderfully individual. Some arrive at school ready to conquer the world; others may arrive having already used up most of their emotional energy before they’ve even found their classroom. Understanding the difference — and knowing what to do about it — is at the heart of what we do.

We are looking for a pastoral leader who understands that behaviour is communication, relationships matter and knowing the child really matters.

The role

As Deputy Head Teacher – Pastoral, you will play a key role in creating a school where pupils feel safe, understood, valued and ready to learn.

Working closely with the Headteacher and wider leadership team, you will lead the pastoral provision across the school, ensuring that our approach to behaviour, wellbeing, safeguarding and personal development is consistent, thoughtful and firmly rooted in our SEND ethos.

You will help us to:

• Lead and develop the school’s pastoral strategy and provision.
• Promote a culture where pupils feel safe, respected and known as individuals.
• Lead on behaviour, ensuring that expectations are high while recognising the underlying needs and individual circumstances of our pupils.
• Develop consistent, relational and restorative approaches to behaviour and regulation.
• Oversee systems for monitoring attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and pastoral concerns.
• Work closely with the DSL and safeguarding team to ensure pupils are protected and concerns are identified and acted upon appropriately.
• Support pupils with emotional regulation, resilience, friendships and social development.
• Work closely with families, helping to build positive and trusting relationships between home and school.
• Lead and support pastoral staff, tutors and other colleagues involved in pupil wellbeing.
• Work collaboratively with SEND, therapeutic and academic colleagues to ensure pupils receive joined-up support.
• Contribute to personal development, PSHE, careers and wider enrichment opportunities.
• Support pupils as they move through the school and prepare for their next steps beyond Year 13.
• Use pastoral information and data intelligently to identify patterns, respond to concerns and evaluate the effectiveness of our provision.
• Contribute to whole-school improvement and strategic leadership.

You might be our person if…

You are an experienced teacher and pastoral leader who:

• Has a genuine passion for working with pupils with SEND and additional needs.
• Understands that excellent pastoral leadership starts with relationships.
• Can balance warmth with boundaries and compassion with high expectations.
• Is confident leading behaviour and pastoral systems in a complex school environment.
• Can remain calm when everyone else is having a slightly less calm day.
• Has strong safeguarding knowledge and understands the importance of professional curiosity.
• Is confident working with parents and carers, including when conversations are challenging.
• Enjoys developing staff and building confident, consistent pastoral practice.
• Can spot a pattern before it becomes a problem.
• Is organised, resilient and able to juggle the strategic with the very practical.
• Believes that pupils don’t need adults to have all the answers — but they do need adults who will keep trying to find them.
• Has the judgement, humour and emotional intelligence needed to lead in a specialist SEND environment.

What we can offer you

In return, we can offer you the opportunity to:

• Join a specialist school where relationships genuinely come first.
• Make a tangible difference to the lives of pupils who may have found school challenging elsewhere.
• Work with an experienced and supportive leadership team.
• Shape and develop the school’s pastoral vision and practice.
• Work alongside teachers, SEND professionals and therapeutic colleagues as part of a genuinely collaborative team.
• Develop innovative approaches to behaviour, wellbeing and personal development.
• Build a culture in which pupils are understood rather than simply managed.
• Be part of a school where success might sometimes be an outstanding GCSE result — and sometimes be a pupil managing to walk through the door on a difficult morning.

And finally…

We are looking for someone who is calm when things are complicated, curious when things don’t make sense and relentlessly optimistic about young people.

Someone who understands that sometimes the most important conversation of the day happens in a corridor, that a well-timed cup of tea can be surprisingly powerful, and that a pupil saying “I’m fine” doesn’t necessarily mean they are.

If you believe that good pastoral leadership changes lives, we’d love to hear from you.

Come and help us create a school where every pupil feels that they belong.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is our highest priority. All appointments are subject to rigorous safer recruitment checks, including enhanced DBS clearance, online searches and satisfactory references. We require candidates to explain any employment gaps and provide evidence of their right to work in the UK.

How to apply