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). 4DWW will be rolled out within our school, when we have a full complement of staff, and within the next year – so there’s never been a more exciting time to join us #teamOFG!

Location: Willow Park School, Milton Keynes, MK14 6LJ

Salary: Up to £85,000 per annum dependent on experience (not pro-rata)

Hours: Monday to Friday

Contract: Permanent, Term-Time Only

If you really want to make your mark in a rapidly growing business that is committed to improving the lives of pupils and young people, we have the role for you! We’re looking for an experienced Headteacher to join and lead our amazing team at Willow Park School.

About the Role

As Headteacher you will have an infrastructure of support from central services for Finance, Resourcing, HR and IT including a network of supportive Headteachers from other schools alongside central school improvement support. The successful candidate will utilise their personal expertise, experience and contacts to ensure development and implementation of the strategy. The post holder will ensure appropriate standards are maintained in the educational programmes. This will be achieved by working collaboratively with senior professional colleagues to ensure services are structured, staffed, trained and operated to deliver high quality, individually tailored programmes to meet the needs of each young person.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who has had extensive and successful experience as a senior leader within a pupils’ environment, preferably within an educational setting. This must include experience within the specialist area of working with pupils with SEMH and/or challenging behaviour. You should have a positive work ethic and be able to work effectively to produce an effective leadership team. You should have an extensive knowledge surrounding safeguarding of pupils, as you will be ensuring that Senior Leaders are implementing safeguarding correctly. We want someone who places a focus on the positive outcomes of our pupils and adults and takes responsibility for helping improve the lives of our pupils.

Essential Criteria

• At least three years’ experience as a senior leader in either mainstream or special educational needs schools.
• Qualified Teacher Status or Equivalent.
• Willingness to extend personal and professional development.
• Ability to lead and provide a clear vision.
• Appreciation and understanding that leadership and management of school encompasses processes contributing to pupil outcomes, staff motivation, keeping pupils safe, filling the school with pupils, managing costs, meeting regulatory requirements and applying growth plans as appropriate.
• Full UK Driving licence.

About the School

Willow Park School is a brand new 55 place SEN school for pupils with complex needs including SEMH and Autism. A co-educational provision with entry from 9 years to 16 years old. Willow Park School is an exciting addition to the Acorn portfolio based in Milton Keynes. We are part of Acorn Education and can promise you plenty of challenges, and a rich variety of opportunities to develop your career. Acorn Education is the UK’s leading independent provider of specialist education 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 Acorn Education? 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 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 safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils. 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.

You’ll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy. 4DWW is subject to successful completion of probation and is not a contractual benefit.