Assistant Head Teacher

Assistant Headteacher – Inclusion and Personal Development

Leadership Scale: L5–L8 (£57,137 - £61,534)

Start: September 2026

Contract: Permanent, Full-time

Location: Olsen House School, Merseyside

Our vision

At Olsen House School, our vision is simple: Dream • Believe • Achieve.

As a specialist ASD school, we want every student to dream about their future, believe in themselves, and achieve outcomes that prepare them for life beyond school. This vision is underpinned by our values: Be Kind, Be Ambitious, Be Inspired, which shape our relationships, our teaching and our leadership.

About Olsen House School

Olsen House School is a specialist setting for students with Education, Health and Care Plans, with a core focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and associated social, emotional and mental health needs. Many of our students have experienced barriers to learning or disruption to their education, and we respond with calm, structured, autism-responsive practice and exceptionally strong relationships.

We believe that students thrive when adults lead with kindness, hold ambitious expectations and inspire confidence and curiosity.

The opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional Assistant Headteacher – Inclusion and Personal Development to join our Senior Leadership Team. This is a key strategic role, leading inclusion and personal development within a specialist ASD setting, and supporting staff to deliver consistently high-quality, autism-responsive practice.

You will play a central role in helping students to dream, believe and achieve, while developing staff practice and strengthening provision across the school.

You will be passionate about:

• Building a whole-school culture that reflects our values of kindness, ambition and inspiration
• Improving outcomes for students with ASD and complex presentations
• Leading high-quality inclusion and SEND provision
• Developing strong personal development, wellbeing and enrichment opportunities
• Supporting and developing staff through coaching, CPD and quality assurance

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic leadership for inclusion and personal development across KS2–KS4
• Line management of key staff, including SENDCo and PSHE leadership (and teaching PSHE where required)
• Using data, evaluation and student voice to inform improvement
• Working in partnership with families and external agencies
• Contributing to self-evaluation and school improvement planning as part of SLT
• A reduced teaching timetable aligned to the strategic nature of the role

We are looking for someone who:

• Leads with kindness, consistency and emotional intelligence
• Holds ambitious expectations for students and staff in a SEND context
• Inspires others through visible, values-driven leadership
• Has strong experience working with students with ASD and complex needs
• Is confident leading, line managing and developing staff
• Is committed to safeguarding and student wellbeing

Why work for us?

• Competitive salary on leadership scale (L5–L8)
• Teachers’ Pension Scheme
• Comprehensive induction and high-quality CPD
• A supportive, visible leadership team and a culture of trust and professionalism
• Staff wellbeing focus and workload-aware systems
• Benefits including (where applicable): refer-a-friend bonus, wellbeing support/EAP, cycle to work scheme, discounts, long service awards

Visit us

We welcome candidates who would like to visit the school before applying.

Please contact: Karen Horocks (Office Manager) Tel: 0151 924 0234, email olsenhouse@kedlestongroup.com to arrange a visit.

How to apply

For full details, please see the job description and person specification.

Closing date: 27th February 2026 at 12pm

Interviews: Week beginning 2nd March 2026

Start date: September 2026

Why work for us?

• A competitive salary
• A comprehensive induction programme so you can hit the ground running
• Continued professional development and training
• Teachers’ Pension contributions
• A friendly, passionate team committed to getting the best outcomes for our young people

Benefits include:

• £500 refer-a-friend bonus
• OFSTED bonuses
• Life insurance
• Cycle to work scheme and laptop loans
• Discounts on cinema trips, electronics, fashion, home and garden, travel, groceries, gifts, utilities, health and fitness
• Birthday treats
• Long service and employee of the month awards
• Employee assistance and counselling service, wellbeing support and advice

Kedleston Group Limited is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its children and young people and we expect all staff to share this commitment. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. You will be expected to engage in annual safeguarding training, be familiar with key policies and ensure you know the steps to take should you be made aware of a safeguarding or child protection concern. You will remain vigilant and act swiftly if you have concerns about a child and be an appropriate role model for both children and colleagues at all times.

The successful candidate is required to provide references and will be expected to undertake an enhanced DBS check. We will ask you to complete a criminal self-declaration form, and we will conduct online searches for information that is publicly available. We are an equal opportunities employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES:

We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a preferred supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you! Any unsolicited CVs will be sent at the recruitment agency’s own risk and will be interpreted as ‘gifts’ and we have no liability to you for any fee or otherwise. We reserve the right to engage with candidates directly having not, in any way, entered into your terms and conditions for this vacancy. By submitting an unsolicited CV to us, or to any member of our staff, you accept these terms as the default position. If we require your assistance with any vacancy we will contact you 1002

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