Head of Learning Support and SENCO

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a leading co-educational school located in the historic heart of Portsmouth. We are very much a family school known for excellent teaching, superb pastoral care and wide-ranging co-curricular opportunities and offer an education across the age range from Pre-School to Sixth Form. The school seeks to appoint a well-qualified and experienced Head of Learning Support from April or September 2026. This is a full-time role and the successful candidate will have extensive experience of working with pupils with additional educational needs to support them in their learning with demonstrable impact on pupil outcomes. Learning Support is a well-established Whole School department and an integral part of the school. Teaching within the department aims to build upon all pupils’ neurodiverse strengths and develop their independent learning skills. Pupils attend one to one sessions with a Learning Support teacher or small group sessions with a Higher Level Teaching Assistant arranged on a termly basis. The focus of the support for individual pupils is dependent on their needs but could encompass literacy, numeracy, study skills, revision techniques, and curriculum support. Underpinning effective support is the early identification of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses through a comprehensive group screening procedure for Year 2, Year 7 and all new entrants to the school, followed by further individual testing, where necessary. The Head of Learning Support is responsible, with the support of the school’s leadership team, for managing the provision for pupils with disabilities and/or additional educational needs, ensuring that the resources within the department are best allocated for the benefit of the pupils within the school. The Head of Learning Support is also responsible for the management of the provision for pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL). The Head of Learning Support acts as the school’s SENCO. PGS is an all-through school from Pre-School to Sixth Form and this role will lead the Learning Support provision across all key stages and sectors of the school. The Head of Learning Support is line managed by the Deputy Head (Teaching and Learning). The school offers excellent training and support to teachers at all stages of their career. PGS teachers convey passion for their subject and seek to maximise progress by knowing their pupils well and adapting their teaching accordingly. We are always looking to develop new ideas and approaches to teaching and are keen to incorporate the particular interests of new members of staff into the overall curriculum scheme. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute fully to the pastoral and co-curricular life of the school. It is an expectation that all teachers will have a tutor group or act as a co-tutor within the pastoral system. How to apply Candidates are asked to apply via the ‘Apply’ button linked to the related advert on the Work With Us page of our PGS website. Any informal enquiries about the role or how to apply are very welcome at recruitment@pgs.org.uk The closing date will be midday on Monday 12th January 2026 and interviews are planned to take place in the week commencing 19th January, with a planned interview date of Tuesday 20th January 2026. Shortlisted candidates are asked to allow a whole day for the interview process. 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. Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The School may carry out online searches on shortlisted applicants and applicants may be required to provide details of their online profile, including social media account names/handles, as part of their application. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions on a self-declaration form in advance of attending an interview (including those which are ‘spent’ unless they are ‘protected’ under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children. #J-18808-Ljbffr