Head of School – Green Street site
Location: Newport - Green Street Site
Salary: Leadership Scale L10–L16 (dependent on experience)
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Start Date: Spring term
About Us
Medina House School is a thriving and inclusive special school dedicated to providing exceptional education and care for pupils with a range of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) on the Isle of Wight. We are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and ambitious learning environment where every pupil is empowered to achieve their full potential.
Due to the next stage in our development, we are seeking an inspirational and highly effective Head of School to further develop our leadership team and help shape the future of our provision. This role is based at our Green Street site as this is being expanded to allow for greater resources and facilities as part of the Council’s £1.5m project to increase SEND capacity on the Island. This site will cater for circa 75 pupils who are predominantly EYFS and Key Stage 1 and serves as the first experience that children and parents will have of Medina House before transitioning to the School Lane site, also in Newport.
The Role
Working closely with the Headteacher and other senior leaders, the Head of School will provide strategic and operational leadership across the school. The successful candidate will champion high standards of teaching, learning, safeguarding, wellbeing and inclusion, ensuring that every pupil receives the highest quality education and support.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader who is passionate about SEND and committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with complex needs.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strong, visible and inspirational leadership across the school.
- Lead and develop a culture of high expectations, inclusion and continuous improvement.
- Drive excellence in teaching, learning and assessment.
- Promote outstanding safeguarding practices and pupil welfare.
- Support the recruitment, development and performance management of staff.
- Work collaboratively with families, external agencies and multi-disciplinary professionals.
- Contribute to strategic school improvement planning and self-evaluation.
- Ensure effective implementation of statutory requirements relating to SEND.
About You
We are looking for a leader who:
- Holds Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
- Has leadership experience within a special school, SEND setting or inclusive mainstream environment.
- Demonstrates a strong understanding of SEND legislation, safeguarding and inclusive practice.
- Has a proven track record of raising standards and improving outcomes for pupils.
- Possesses excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
- Can motivate, inspire and develop staff at all levels.
- Is committed to fostering a positive and supportive culture for pupils, staff and families.
What We Offer
- The opportunity to make a significant difference to the lives of children and young people with SEND.
- A supportive and collaborative leadership team.
- High-quality professional development and leadership training.
- Access to employee wellbeing initiatives.
- A welcoming school community with dedicated and passionate staff.
- A school filled with wonderful children who make coming to school every day a joy.
Safeguarding Statement
Medina House School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and all relevant pre-employment checks in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.
How to Apply
Internal candidates – Using the draft job summary as your guide, please complete an expression of interest form specifically highlighting how your current role and experience can effectively meet the key responsibilities and demands of the Head of School role. Please restrict this task to two sides of A4
External candidates – For an application form, job description and person specification, please email admin@medinahouse.iow.sch.ukor visit our website. Completed application forms should be returned to Katie Pender, School Business Manager, via admin@medinahouse.iow.sch.uk.
Closing Date: Friday 4th December
Interview Date: Thursday 10th and Friday 11th December
Visits to the school and/ or discussions with the Headteacher are warmly welcomed and encouraged. To arrange a visit, please contact the school office.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all school staff are employed directly by the Isle of Wight Council, you can ask on application who the employer for this role will be.
To discover more about our careers please visit Jobs and careers - Isle of Wight
Find out more about Our culture and environment & living on the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination, and this is supported by the following;
We actively promote the diversity of our workforce, and we provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees.
The Isle of Wight Council’s Terms & Conditions of employment are available upon request. Please contact our recruitment team via adverts@iow.gov.uk if you would like to receive a copy.
The Isle of Wight Council is an equal opportunities employer, proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community. In addition to this, we are also a Disability Confident Employer. Along with a number of other areas of commitments, this means that providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.
The management reporting line for this role is ultimately through the Isle of Wight Council Children’s Services directorate.
This council and its schools recruit according to the council’s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.