At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the opening of a brand-new specialist school focused on therapeutic education.
- Company: Sector-leading specialist in therapy and education for children with adverse childhood experiences.
- Benefits: Significant autonomy, competitive salary, and opportunity to shape a new school.
- Other info: Join a growing organisation with a relationships-first approach and excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a genuine difference in pupils' lives and establish a thriving school community.
- Qualifications: Qualified Teacher Status and substantial leadership experience in SEMH settings required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Founding Headteacher – SEMH / SEND Full-Time, On-Site Contract
We are exclusively partnered with a sector-leading specialist in therapy and education for children and young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. Since 2012, they have led the way in delivering therapeutic education. Their expert team of teachers and therapists ‘work as one' with pupils aged 5 to 16 who benefit from a therapeutic curriculum focused on meeting their social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.
They are now seeking an exceptional Headteacher to lead the opening of a brand-new KS2/3 specialist school in Crouch End. This is a rare opportunity to shape a school from the ground up, overseeing its final development, ensuring inspection readiness, and leading a successful launch. As the founding Headteacher, you will play a pivotal role in making a genuine difference to pupils' lives at their trauma-centred therapeutic schools.
Recent Independent School Inspectorate’s routine and material change inspections recognised a rare Significant Strength across its schools. This is in addition to their previous outstanding Ofsted reports which demonstrate the strength of their provision across all sites and the success of their specialist therapeutic approach.
- Small school settings - meaningful impact on every pupil
- A rare chance to become the founding Headteacher of a brand-new specialist school
- Significant autonomy over staffing, operations and school development
- Opportunity to join a growing organisation at the right time
This is a senior role supporting pupils with ACEs, complex SEMH needs, and associated SEND, combining strategic oversight with hands-on operational leadership. You will play a pivotal role in establishing a safe, therapeutic and high-performing learning environment for pupils, ensuring the school launches with excellence, clarity of purpose, and a strong culture from day one.
The organisation operates a relationships-first approach, moving away from traditional behaviour management and focusing on building consistent, positive relationships that enable pupils to thrive. Lead the successful opening and establishment of a brand-new specialist school, providing strategic and operational leadership to ensure the school is fully prepared for inspection, pupil intake and long-term success.
Oversee all aspects of school operations, including safeguarding, compliance with Independent School Standards (ISS), admissions, placements, staffing, budgets and resource planning, ensuring the highest standards of education, care and governance.
Drive exceptional outcomes for pupils by creating safe, structured and therapeutic learning environments, championing high attendance, positive behaviour, and a culture where every pupil can thrive.
Recruit, develop and inspire a high-performing team, providing visible leadership, effective performance management and professional development while fostering a positive, values-led culture.
Build strong partnerships with families, local authorities, placing partners and other stakeholders, maintaining excellent communication and strengthening the school's reputation for delivering outstanding specialist education.
Lead inspection readiness and continuous school improvement, ensuring the school remains compliant, quality-assured and prepared for both announced and unannounced inspections.
Work collaboratively with the Executive Leadership Team and People & Culture function to shape the school's strategic direction, supporting organisational growth, workforce planning, policy implementation and continuous improvement across the wider organisation.
Champion the organisation's relationships-first approach, leading with integrity, empathy and accountability to create a collaborative school community where pupils, families and colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to achieve their best.
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), with substantial leadership experience within SEMH educational settings.
A proven track record of leading or contributing to successful inspections, with a strong understanding of Independent School Standards (ISS), safeguarding, SEND legislation and the wider regulatory framework.
Experience working collaboratively with local authorities, placing partners and other external stakeholders.
A confident and visible leader who is equally comfortable shaping strategic direction and leading day-to-day school operations. An excellent communicator with a collaborative leadership style, able to build trust, influence others and develop high-performing teams through coaching, constructive challenge and meaningful feedback.
A strong understanding of trauma-informed and therapeutic practice, with a genuine commitment to creating safe, structured and nurturing environments where pupils, families and colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to achieve the very best outcomes.
Resilient, proactive and solution-focused, with a positive outlook, a good sense of humour and a genuine passion for helping build an exceptional school community where relationships, inclusion and the wellbeing of every child and colleague are at the heart of everything you do.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Headteacher, full time and permanent in City of London
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We think you need these skills to ace Headteacher, full time and permanent in City of London
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