Teaching applications from ECT to headteacher
Pillar guides for teaching and school leadership applications. Early Career Teacher to headteacher, KCSIE 2025 safer recruitment, SENDCO and NASENCO, and the Teaching Vacancies service.
Pillar guides
Teaching Vacancies: The Complete Application Guide (ECT to Headteacher)
How to apply for teaching roles in England. QTS, safer recruitment, Teaching Vacancies service, and what each career stage (ECT, classroom teacher, middle leader, senior leader, headteacher) evidences.
Read pillarSafer Recruitment and KCSIE 2025: What Schools Actually Check
The statutory safer recruitment checks every teaching and school-support applicant must pass. Full employment history, DBS, TRA list, references — how each works and where applications fail.
Read pillarSENDCO Applications: NASENCO, SEND Code of Practice, Worked Examples
How to apply for a SENDCO role — NASENCO qualification, the SEND Code of Practice, EHCP accountability, and worked supporting statement paragraphs that score with senior leadership panels.
Read pillarWhat changes between levels
- Early Career Teacher (ECT)
- Demonstrate QTS, classroom management, lesson planning, and willingness to learn from your mentor. Evidence is about your training year and placements.
- Class teacher / Subject teacher
- Demonstrate independent classroom practice, assessment for learning, parental communication, and contribution to a department or year team.
- Head of Department / TLR holder
- Demonstrate leadership of a subject or pastoral area, line management of teachers, exam results accountability, and curriculum design.
- SENDCO
- Demonstrate NASENCO qualification (or commitment), strategic SEN provision, multi-agency working, and EHCP processes.
- Senior Leadership / Deputy / Headteacher
- Demonstrate whole-school leadership, Ofsted accountability, safeguarding leadership (DSL), and outcomes for the school as a whole.
All Education guides
Teaching Supporting Statement Examples
Worked teaching supporting statement extracts across ECT, classroom teacher, middle leader, and senior leader career stages.
Read guideEarly Career Teacher (ECT) Application Guide
What ECT panels look for, how to reference QTS and placements, and a worked supporting statement paragraph.
Read guideKS1 Teacher Application Guide
What KS1 teacher panels look for — phonics, early reading, formative assessment, safeguarding — with worked evidence.
Read guideKS2 Teacher Application Guide
What KS2 teacher panels look for — mastery, reasoning, SATs preparation, upper KS2 writing — with worked evidence.
Read guideSecondary Teacher Application Guide
What secondary teacher panels look for — exam board specialism, behaviour management, GCSE outcomes — with worked evidence.
Read guideHead of Department Application Guide
What HOD panels look for — department leadership, curriculum design, exam outcomes, team management — with worked evidence.
Read guideTeaching SENDCO Application Guide
SENDCO application requirements at teaching level — NASENCO, SEND Code of Practice, EHCP process, worked evidence.
Read guideDesignated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Application Guide
DSL application requirements — safeguarding training, KCSIE 2025 fluency, multi-agency working — with worked evidence.
Read guideHeadteacher Application Guide
What Headteacher panels look for — vision, school improvement, governance, financial leadership — with worked evidence.
Read guideDeputy Headteacher Application Guide
What Deputy Head panels look for — portfolio leadership, SLT contribution, headship readiness — with worked evidence.
Read guideSupply Teacher Application Guide
What agencies and schools look for from supply teachers — QTS, flexibility, behaviour management, KCSIE compliance.
Read guideTeaching Assistant (TA) Application Guide
What TA panels look for — support for SEND, safeguarding awareness, relationship with class teacher — with worked evidence.
Read guideCover Supervisor Application Guide
What cover supervisor panels look for — classroom management, subject adaptability, behaviour — with worked evidence.
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