Staffing structures: special schools

See examples of structures from primary, secondary and all-through special schools, and read advice on what to consider when reviewing your staffing structure.

Last reviewed on 3 March 2023
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 11702
Contents
  1. Identify your needs and what you want to achieve
  2. Carry out a staffing review
  3. See examples from other schools
  4. More on staffing structures

Identify your needs and what you want to achieve

There's no particular staffing structure for special schools – it's up to you to decide on one that best fits your school's need. 

Your structure will depend on:

  • The philosophy of your school
  • Its current needs
  • What you're trying to achieve through your staffing structure

Think about your leadership structure

Your senior leadership team (SLT) and middle leadership structure can help you develop talent across your team and build succession planning into your leadership. For example, having fewer deputy headteachers and more assistant headteachers allows you to develop current middle leaders into senior leadership roles. 

SLT roles could focus on:

  • Teaching and learning
  • Pastoral support
  • Phase leadership
  • Legal requirements and the day-to-day running of the school

Carry out a staffing review

Your review should look at:

You'll want to make sure you're getting value