Assistant Headteacher – Behaviour and Pastoral

Nore Academy is a growing specialist SEN school on the Isle of Sheppey, opened in January 2025. We support young people aged 11-16 with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, alongside associated areas of SEND including autism and communication difficulties. The school has continued to grow since opening, with 120 commissioned places for 2026-27.

Estuary Academy Island is our Alternative Provision, opened in September 2024 and co-located with Nore Academy. It provides up to 40 young people who are unable to access mainstream education with a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum, alongside the pastoral support they need to successfully engage with education.

While each school retains its own identity and distinct provision, we are united by a shared purpose: to remove barriers, create belonging and ensure every young person has the opportunity to succeed.

Across both schools, our work is underpinned by the Trust values of Community, Love, Flourish and Social Justice. These values shape how we lead, build relationships and champion the rights and potential of every young person. We believe pupils thrive when they feel safe, understood, valued and challenged to achieve.

Assistant Headteacher - Behaviour and Pastoral

We are seeking an exceptional, ambitious and values-driven Assistant Headteacher - Behaviour and Pastoral to join our Senior Leadership Team at an exciting point in the development of our schools.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead a highly motivated, skilled and committed pastoral team who know our young people exceptionally well and are passionate about achieving the very best outcomes for them. This is an opportunity to harness the strengths and expertise already within the team, providing the strategic leadership, direction and ambition to increase their impact even further.

You will lead the strategic direction of behaviour, pastoral provision and school culture, ensuring every pupil experiences a safe, calm, predictable and ambitious environment in which they can belong, engage and flourish.

You will lead the continued development of whole-school behaviour systems, with a strong emphasis on explicit behaviour teaching, positive relationships, consistency, structured routines and readiness for learning. You will understand the complexities that can sit behind behaviour within an SEMH setting, while maintaining high expectations and ambition for every young person.

You will line manage and empower the pastoral team, developing leadership and accountability within the team and ensuring close collaboration between pastoral support, behaviour, attendance, safeguarding, SEND and teaching and learning.

We are looking for an inspirational leader who:

• Has a strong track record of leading behaviour, pastoral provision and/or school culture.
• Understands SEMH and the complexities that can sit behind behaviour while maintaining high expectations.
• Can lead, motivate and empower an already skilled and highly committed pastoral team.
• Believes in relational and inclusive practice alongside clear boundaries, routines and consistency.
• Can use behaviour, attendance and pastoral data to identify patterns and drive improvement.
• Has excellent leadership, coaching and communication skills.
• Is visible, calm, credible and able to build strong relationships with pupils, staff and families.
• Is passionate and ambitious about improving outcomes for vulnerable young people.

This is much more than a role about managing behaviour. It is about creating the culture and conditions in which young people and adults can thrive.

You will join a committed leadership team and have the opportunity to lead a fantastic, highly motivated and skilled pastoral team, while playing a significant role in shaping the next stage of development across both schools.

For the right person, this is an exciting opportunity to make a lasting difference to our school culture and, most importantly, to the lives and futures of our young people.