St Giles School
Croydon
£89,447 - £103,013 per year
Salary:
Leadership - Outer London
Job type:
Full Time, Permanent
Start date:
01 January 2026
Apply by:
23 September 2025
Job overview
St Giles School is a prestigious SEND school for physical and sensory located in South Croydon, Greater London. We are committed to providing high-quality education to students from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Position: Headteacher
Job Description:
We are seeking a highly qualified and experienced individual to join our team as the Headteacher. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading the school, overseeing its operations, and ensuring academic excellence.
Contract Terms: Permanent
Skills and Qualifications:
* Minimum qualification of Qualified Teaching Status (QTS)
* At least 5 years of experience in teaching or educational leadership
* Successful experience of working in SEND educational settings
* Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate staff
* Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
* Proven track record of implementing effective educational strategies
* Ability to manage budgets and resources effectively
* Have knowledge and understanding of the needs of complex SEND pupils
* Show the experience required to be responsible for an irresistible Curriculum,
* Be committed to providing a high level of Safeguarding for pupils and the school community in all areas of school life.
* Have ambitious expectations for all pupils with SEN and disabilities
* Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of, and manage a large team
* Have the skills and ability to provide professional leadership and management of relevant school staff in order to enhance their effectiveness.
* Be professional and highly motivated with the ability to inspire others.
Values and Attitudes:
* Passionate about providing quality education
* Committed to fostering a positive learning environment
* Dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the school community
* Demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and ethical behaviour at all times
If you meet the above criteria and are looking for an exciting opportunity to lead an international school, we encourage you to apply for this position.
The Headteacher and Governing Body invite applications from highly motivated and experienced individuals with energy and vision to join our excellent and dedicated team as our new Headteacher.
St Giles is a school for pupils with complex health needs, physical disabilities and associated learning difficulties. The school caters for pupils aged 2 to 19 and our learners are from PMLD, SLD and MLD learning pathways.
In our last Ofsted April 2023 we continued to be identified as a 'Good School'.
We have a strong commitment to providing bespoke education which meets individuals needs and provides a memorable learning experience for all.
We are looking for a Headteacher who can provide strategic vision and leadership in all aspects of education. The successful candidate will be positive, forward thinking and able to communicate effectively.
We can offer you:
The opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our very special pupils and to have fun
A welcoming and enthusiastic environment with a talented and dedicated staff team
A supportive and inclusive school community where everyone is valued
A bespoke programme of CPD
A highly skilled and supportive governing body with a strong commitment to the school.
Please visit the school website to find out more details about St. Giles'.
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The school follows safer recruitment procedures. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure & Barring Service.
Please complete the on-line application form and write a letter of application showing your experience in relation to the job description and person specification which can also be obtained from the HR Lead, Margaret Booker. Please contact the school office.
Closing date Tuesday 23rd September 2025, 4.00pm.
Interviews will take place on Friday 26th September 2025. We ask that all candidates keep this date free in case you are shortlisted.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA If you are appointed, you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be required to declare any cautions, convictions, reprimands or final warnings which are not protected (i.e., that are not filtered out*), as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended).
You will also be required to disclose any other information that would suggest that you may be unsuitable to work with children. Having a criminal record will not necessarily prevent you from taking up appointment; it will depend on the nature of the offence(s) and their relevance to the post you are applying for.
However, should you not declare any of the above and this is subsequently revealed, for example through the DBS check, then this may place your employment in jeopardy.
Any information given will be treated in the strictest confidence and with due regard to the ROA and data protection legislation. *Amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected' meaning that they are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account.
All guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found in the DBS filtering collection on the website and further information on disclosing a criminal record can also be obtained from Nacro. It is a criminal offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
Online Searches following shortlisting:
In line with the statutory guidance document Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023), the school will conduct online searches after the shortlisting process for any candidates who accept an invitation to interview. The purpose of the online search is to uncover any information that may suggest the candidate is:
* a potential safeguarding risk
* their appointment may damage the reputation of the school or;
* they are unqualified for the role they have applied for.
No recruitment decision will be made solely on the basis of an online search and all relevant information uncovered will be discussed with the applicant at interview. All online searches will be conducted by individuals who are not involved in any other aspect of the recruitment process. No irrelevant information uncovered will be provided to the staff responsible for interviewing the job applicant. All candidates will be treated consistently.
The same online search for all shortlisted candidates will be undertaken consisting of:
* A Google search of the candidate's name linked to their current employer, previous employer, educational institutions attended, previous job titles and news articles.
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About St Giles School
St Giles School
Pampisford Road, Croydon
Surrey
CR2 6DF
United Kingdom
Mission Statement
At St. Giles we are passionate about learning. Our school community includes and values everyone, working together to achieve in a supportive, caring and professional way. Our enthusiasm and positive energy makes St Giles a truly happy and vibrant place to be.
About St Giles School
St. Giles is a community special school, providing education for nursery children and young people with physical disabilities and complex medical needs aged 2-16 across the ability range and for pupils aged 16-19 with profound and multiple learning difficulties.
All pupils have a statement of SEN which includes a degree of learning difficulty and they are admitted at any point in their school career. If appropriate pupils are helped to transfer to mainstream. Almost all leavers at 16 and PMLD pupils at 19 go onto further education. The catchment area includes the whole of Croydon and adjoining boroughs.
St Giles Nursery is part of the Croydon Local Offer for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and has places for 12-part time or 6 full time nursery children aged over two with identified needs under the Croydon commissioning arrangements.
Pupils with PMLD aged 16-19 can remain at St Giles in the Further Education Unit for pupils.
History
The first St. Giles' School opened in 1925 and was sited in Thornton Heath. In 1933 the school moved to Featherbed Lane, Addington. Since 1977 it has been housed in its current purpose-built accommodation in Pampisford Road.
Accommodation
St Giles is a single-storey, accessible building. The main building is divided into two main sections on different levels linked by a ramped corridor. The upper level contains the reception area, administration offices, staff room, sensory rooms and 3 classrooms. From here you come to the hall and school kitchen, swimming pool and bases for the Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Nursing Team.
The lower level contains Early Years, Primary and Secondary classroom areas. There is also a library and specialist rooms for Music and DT.
In the grounds there is a single storey modular build which contains the nursery class and an additional Lower Department class. Both have large classrooms and smaller rooms for individual or small group work. The building has a hygiene room with changing beds and additional toilets.
Welfare facilities such as toilets and staffrooms can be found throughout the building. Please speak to your class teacher to confirm the allocated toilets and staffrooms for your class.
The school is set in its own grounds with a variety of recreation areas available for different learners and different needs.
Specialist facilities include:
❖ Hygiene rooms with hoists and changing beds ❖ Hydrotherapy pool ❖ Trampoline for Rebound therapy ❖ Dark sensory room ❖ Light sensory room ❖ Hall ❖ A creative resource and learning space ❖ Creative therapy room
Staffing
The school staff includes teachers, teaching assistants, pupil care and support assistants supported by administration, catering, premises management, swimming, technical and cleaning staff.
All school staff are specially trained to become experts in working with pupils with a wide range of learning difficulties, physical disabilities, complex medical needs, complex speech and language difficulties, visual and hearing impairments and sensory issues.
Pupils are grouped in small classes of 6-10 pupils. Class size is dependent on pupils' ages and learning needs with a very high level of staffing to support their learning and access needs.
There are three departments: Lower school – Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Middle school – Years 3-6 Upper school – Years 7-14
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