SENDCo Primary School Term 3 AY 2025 2026

Job Overview

The Arbor School is seeking an exceptional and passionate SENDCo.(Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) to join our thriving community. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled middle leader who is deeply committed to inclusive education and believes that every child can flourish. The successful candidate will bring extensive SEND experience and a strong understanding of research-informed inclusive practice. Working under the guidance of the Head of Inclusion, you will lead a team of inclusion teachers and support staff, ensuring high-quality provision across the Primary School. You will coordinate the day-to-day operations of the SEND department, develop and adapt curriculum pathways and targeted interventions to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners, including students with autism, dyslexia, ADHD and physical disabilities, and collaborate closely with class teachers, specialists, year group leaders and department heads to embed inclusive practices across the school. Strong communication with parents, delivery of professional learning, and engagement in action research focused on sustainable, skills-based development will be key aspects of the role.

We are ideally seeking a candidate to join us in Term 3; however, for an exceptional candidate, a start date of August 2026 may be considered.

Enough For All, For Ever

The Arbor School opened in 2018 with a very different vision of what education could and should be – experiential, authentic and inspired by the natural beauty, human ingenuity, and profound ecological and social challenges of the Arabian Peninsula.

The cultivation of a learning community uniquely committed to understanding and restoring the health of ecological and human communities as interconnected parts of a whole requires equal parts optimism, ambition, and humility. A fundamental belief in the inherit goodness of people and their capacity to act with empathy and compassion underscores the sense of hope that is fundamental to learning for a sustainable future. The resilience and determination to tackle challenges that have grown to global proportion is essential to finding sustainable solutions and orchestrating the social changes needed to grow them to scale. The realisation that comes from recognising that we are all students – never a master – drives our commitment to ignite a lifelong love of learning. 

Role

Recognising the interconnected nature of the cognitive, affective, and participative domains, and their roles in shaping learning, we are pursuing a holistic approach to teaching and learning, designed to prepare learners:

• to understand the interconnected concepts of sustainability, individual and collective well-being, and environmental and social justice;
• to find purpose, meaning and joy in their interactions with the natural world and with each other, and to seek to understand people who are different to themselves;
• to experience a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy through their actions at home, in school and in the wider world.
  
  

 

The Arbor Promise

Arbor teachers are a part of a community which is inclusive, fun-loving, and active. Arbor teachers enjoy authentic friendships with their colleagues, positive relationships with school leaders, who care for their wellbeing, and are a team in the true sense. Arbor teachers are resilient in the face of challenge, are stable and calm in the face of change, and creative and flexible when solving problems. Arbor teachers bring their passions and interests to enrich our school and are clear that there is an expectation to do so. We commit to meeting agreed deadlines, to communicating proactively with an assumption of positive intent and share a passion to provide an education of the highest quality to our students.

Job Summary

As a member of the Middle Leadership Team, you will work in close partnership with the Head of Inclusion to lead and further develop the SEND provision across the school. You will champion the learning and personal development of students with special educational needs and disabilities, ensuring high-quality, inclusive practice is embedded consistently across the Primary phase. As SENDCo at the Arbor School, you will play a pivotal role in cultivating a culture of belonging and achievement, aligned to our Strategic Intent, Mission Statement and the Arbor Promise, ensuring that every learner is supported to flourish within our values-driven community.

Key Responsibilities

• Doing all that you can to ensure that you safeguard and promote the welfare of students (in line with Arbor’s Safeguarding framework/policy/Code of Conduct).
• Positively and actively promoting the Arbor vision, mission, and values.
• Ensuring your practice is in line with the Arbor Staff Handbook, the Arbor Support Teacher: A Framework for Outstanding Support.
• Implementing, where appropriate, school policies, procedures and expected practices, as identified by the Senior Leadership Team at the Arbor School.
• To ensure that the learning environment is well-ordered, safe and stimulating, leading by example to encourage a high standard of display work in classrooms and communal areas with a clear emphasis on celebrating success, sharing achievements and highlighting specialist subject knowledge.
  
  

Required Candidate Profile

• Native-level English language skills
• Bachelor’s degree in Special Needs Education / Inclusion or similar, with a PGCE in Education with QTS or equivalent
• Additional qualifications, including the National Award for SEN Coordination is desired.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience working with SEN or inclusion-focused roles in the UK or a reputable British school
• A track record of outstanding teaching and learning, and an ability to create a caring and nurturing classroom environment.
  
  

Remuneration: A competitive tax-free compensation package will be provided in accordance with the Schools policy and UAE labour law regulations.

Application: To apply for this position, please complete the application on TES and upload:

• An up-to-date CV with a recent photograph to be included.
• A letter of application, no longer than two pages in length, which outlines your educational philosophy and suitability for the Arbor School.
  
  

The Arbor School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We hold ourselves to a high standard of effective, safer recruiting practices with specific attention to child protection. All appointments are subject to CV and qualification checks, interview, identity checks, criminal record checks, and successful references.

All appointments are subject to the approval of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

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