Headteacher

At OFG, we work smarter so you can spend more time doing what makes you happy! Our colleagues’ wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at OFG, so we’re always looking for new ways to improve everyone’s work/life balance. We’re taking part in a trial of the 4-Day Working Week, meaning that you could be working one day less a week (or equivalent).

We are recruiting for an experienced Headteacher for our amazing school, Upton Grange School in Slough. Our well-established school supports pupils with Autism from the ages of 5 to 11 years old.

About the role

This is an excellent opportunity for an inspiring Headteacher to join our fantastic team. Our Headteacher will commit to improving our pupil’s academic performance, help students overcome their behavioural difficulties and develop their social skills and raise their aspirations. As Headteacher, you will continue our vision and ethos of ‘Thinking and Learning Differently’ and promote a relentless focus on high quality, creative learning, delivering our pupil's educational needs, and maximising pupils’ achievement and ability to develop your strategic thinking in response to their complex. The role involves travel across the Hillingdon Manor group of schools (4).

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate will exercise dynamic leadership of the school and ensure the full development of the vision for the service, its promotion, and continuous improvement. You will create and maintain outstanding outcomes in the education of our students. You will continue to drive our shared vision and strategic plan through inspirational leadership and motivate pupils, staff, and everyone within our school community and beyond. Your leadership should express core educational values and moral purpose and include stakeholders’ values and beliefs. The strategic planning process is critical to sustaining school improvement and ensuring that the school moves forward for the benefit of its pupils. You will collaborate with the school's senior leadership team and the Regional Director to provide an inclusive approach to outstanding educational and therapeutic provision which is well established in the school. You will have overall responsibility for the strategic leadership of the school whilst maintaining ongoing communication with schools to ensure that the provision and standards are consistently high across the schools.

Essential:

• Relevant experience in the specialist area of the service, i.e. relevant experience working with young people who have additional learning and communication difficulties.
• Relevant experience as a Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher in an SEN school.
• Experience with Ofsted procedures/inspections and working with School Improvement Partners.
• Manage budgets effectively and ensure cost efficiency and financial compliance.
• Relevant Teaching Qualification.

About us

Upton Grange School is an ASD provision, and we are a part of the Hillingdon Manor group of schools and the Outcomes First Group. Upton Grange provides specialist education for pupils with Autism from the ages of 5 to 11 years old. Upton Grange deploys a wide range of teaching strategies to engage and develop the progress of learners, who present with a range of learning difficulties and styles. Our pupils are taught in smaller class sizes and work towards an Equals Semi-Formal Curriculum and National Curriculum expectations where appropriate.

Options Autism is the UK’s leading independent provider of specialist education and residential care for vulnerable pupils and young people. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in setting and delivering new approaches that provide measurable outcomes for those in our care. We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the fifth year running.

Why join Options Autism?

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks
• And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you, including:
• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the pupils and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others. We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.