Secondary SENCO | August 2025 | Deira International School | Dubai

Deira International School is an Outstanding BSO and KHDA rated, award winning school located on a beautiful campus in Festival City, Dubai. In 2023 DIS was awarded the Education Excellence Award for ‘School Team of the Year’ and is also a platinum award holder for ‘Best Place to Work’, demonstrating our commitment to continual focus on ensuring we have a happy and thriving community.

With students from ages 3-18, DIS is run as a not-for-profit school and is part of the Al Futtaim Education Foundation. Founded in 2005, the school is renowned for providing an outstanding inclusive and holistic education. In our recent inspection, the report recognised the following:

·      Staff are overwhelmingly proud of the school and believe that it is well led and provides a safe and inclusive learning environment.

·      The quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school is outstanding.

·      Teachers have high expectations of pupils and consistently challenge them in lessons and other activities to do their best.

·      Staff enjoy working at the school and believe they are treated fairly, respected and valued.

·       At every phase, the curriculum is planned with precision, is well sequenced and systematically builds on pupils’ prior learning.

·      DIS has a strong focus on academic progress and achievement.

The student body has over 90 different nationalities and this diversity is fundamental to the community nature of the school. Exceptional facilities provide wonderful opportunities for a holistic approach to education; sport, performing arts, academic, technological, leadership and creative pathways are all on offer, ensuring our students enjoy enriching and varied school experiences within our classrooms and beyond.

Although non-selective at admission, our students achieve exceptional exam results which compare to top UK schools. Digital literacy development is emphasised as the school prepares its pupils to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. This success enables our students to move on to the very top universities worldwide.

Our personalised, play-based and continuous provision in the Early Years ensures that students are rigorously assessed against the prime and specific areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. This focuses on developing key learning skills and the foundations for accessing the Primary Curriculum. In primary, students receive an enriching and broad curriculum offer, which includes the delivery of several non-core subjects. Our senior students take the IGCSE examinations in Year 11 and move into the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) or International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) in Years 12 and 13.

Al Futtaim Education Foundation (AFEF) owns and provides governance to Deira International School. AFEF aims to realise its vision of taking education in the UAE to the next level of future readiness and of preparing students for an increasingly globalised and technologically advanced world. Al Futtaim Education Foundation is an initiative of the Al Futtaim family to support the vision of the Government of Dubai and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) for the creation of a globally competitive economy while maximising its social contribution to the community through this not-for-profit endeavour.

At Al Futtaim Education Foundation, we are committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion. We believe that every individual has the right to be respected and valued for who they are, and we strive to create a work environment where all members of our community feel safe, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential. This includes recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, creating inclusive learning and working environments, and promoting equity in all of our policies and practices. We are dedicated to building a foundation of respect and understanding, and we actively work to eliminate discrimination, bias, and prejudice in all forms.

The Post: Secondary SENCO

We seek a passionate and experienced Secondary SENCO to join our international school community. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual committed to authentic inclusion in an environment of high expectation for every child. The successful candidate will demonstrate a deep understanding of Special Educational Needs, the Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework and be passionate about ensuring our students and teachers consistently strive for the best. The Secondary SENCO coordinates Examination Access Arrangements working closely with faculty and our examinations office to ensure all students are appropriately supported. The ability to collaborate effectively with teaching staff, parents, therapists and external agencies is essential to ensure the needs of our students as individuals are consistently met. Our new SENCO will share and develop our vision for inclusion with us. They will be a reflective practitioner, committed to engaging in professional learning to maintain best practice. As a large and thriving community, placing academic attainment alongside well-being, all staff contribute to our pastoral care and co-curricular programme.

The successful candidate will have the following:

• Experience working as a SENCO or inclusion teacher in a secondary school
• University degree or higher level qualification
• Qualified Teacher status or equivalent teaching qualification
• SENCO qualification (or working towards)
• Working knowledge of the English National Curriculum and JCQ
• Completion of Exam Access Arrangement training and accreditation
• A mind-set which understands that all children deserve to access high quality learning regardless of their starting point

Application Process

If you meet these criteria, we would very much welcome your application.

To apply for the above role, please share your CV and TES application below.

Deira International School, Festival City is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of its students. A UK enhanced DBS or equivalent police check is a pre-requisite for all appointments.