Deputy Headteacher

Our School is alive with learning, ensuring everyone continually improves to be the best they can be while developing individual interests and talents. We aim for all our young people to further gain confidence and aspire to make the best progress in all they do within a safe, caring and supportive environment. As Deputy Headteacher, you will provide strategic leadership that secures the school’s vision for equity, inclusion and excellence, ensuring disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND or other barriers achieve highly and thrive socially and emotionally.

Key Responsibilities

• School Culture: Shape a positive, inclusive culture where pupils experience an enriching school life; uphold high expectations, consistent routines and professional conduct across the community. Support the leadership and development of a plethora of systems that drive character development and engagement from a wide array of stakeholders.
• Strategic Leadership of Inclusion (Ofsted 2025 Framework): Identify, assess and remove barriers to learning. Ensure the school meets the Expected Standard for inclusion by securing early, accurate identification of pupil needs, including emerging and changing needs. Oversee the graduated approach across both SEND and pastoral systems, ensuring staff are trained and confident in its implementation. Ensure robust systems for quantitative and qualitative analysis underpin inclusion work, including monitoring the impact of interventions, SEND/Pastoral interventions and specialist support. Play a key role in the development and embedding of the pedagogical framework, with adaptive teaching and quality‑first provision at its heart. Ensure all teachers consistently use learner information (PLPs, SEND reviews, critical cohorts, QLAs) to plan and adapt lessons effectively. Improve disciplinary literacy, oracy and communication support for all vulnerable learners. Oversee strategic use of the pupil premium. Support the Headteacher in ensuring that PPG funding is implemented, monitored and evaluated effectively using high‑quality evidence, including EEF research, impact reviews and trust expectations. Ensure strategies are understood and enacted by all staff, with impact reviewed through robust QA. Work with partners and key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships with the Local Authority, Virtual School, Outshine, MHST, TrustEd Schools, other providers and other specialist agencies to maximise early help and support, driving rapid and sustained progress across a whole range of functions, key measures and performance indicators.
• Leadership of Achievement, Progress & Whole‑School Data: Support our drive towards incisive data usage, developing strategic oversight of achievement trends to inform interventions for sustained improvement. Support the school’s framework for RAG meetings, critical cohort identification and progress monitoring. Ensure teaching and assessment are responsive, with consistent feedback used to inform planning, intervention and curriculum refinement. Support development of departmental assessments, including weighted assessments, improved mark books and clear assessment cycles to close gaps for all learners, especially the most vulnerable.
• Ensure that Teaching and Learning and the Curriculum is Fully Inclusive: Work collaboratively with other key members of SLT and key curriculum leaders to drive standards and high outcomes, utilising coaching and support/challenge where necessary. Ensure the intended and enacted curriculum is coherent, ambitious and sequenced to secure strong outcomes, particularly where Ofsted areas for development have been identified. Identify, trial and embed the school’s key routines (DNA, recall & retrieval, revision revolution) and other high‑impact initiatives. Be forward‑thinking, identify best practice pedagogy on a regional, national and international basis and harness it for excellence at Oldbury Wells School. Support the development and QA of core pedagogical strategies including I/WE/YOU modelling, cold‑calling, PROUD expectations and responsive/adaptive teaching. Ensure consistent quality and impact of CPD, intellectual preparation meetings and staff development pathways.
• Leadership of Behaviour, Culture & Personal Development: Support the development and refinement of strategic behaviour systems ensuring consistent expectations, routines, meet‑and‑greet, least invasive interventions and restorative practice. Embed ongoing behaviour QA with SLT, HOYs and pastoral teams. Reduce suspensions and persistent low‑level disruption by targeting vulnerable cohorts with curriculum‑first strategies. Co‑lead development of the inclusive reward system, Friday Funday model, OWs Baccalaureate and wider participation tracking.
• Leadership of Attendance: Support development of an effective attendance strategy using diagnostic analysis, banding tools and early intervention. Ensure PPM, SEND and high‑risk pupils receive timely targeted support, challenge and attendance coaching. Be outward‑facing, ensuring best practice concerning attendance is embedded across the school.
• Leadership of Safeguarding Partnerships (Non‑Designated): Monitor patterns in safeguarding, attendance and behaviour to identify vulnerable groups. Work with AHT Pastoral and SENCO to ensure interventions are responsive to safeguarding themes identified through CPOMS and external agencies.
• Leadership & Line Management: Provide high‑support/high‑challenge leadership to other Senior Leaders, middle leaders, including HODs, HOYs, SENCO and Pastoral Leads, building professional trust. Support the Headteacher in leading a culture shift toward accountability, self‑review and outward‑facing leadership. Ensure line management meetings identify next steps, drive improvement and hold staff to account for the quality of education. Contribute to TrustEd collaboration including CPD, cross‑Trust curriculum development and supporting other schools when needed.
• Deputising for the Headteacher: Lead whole‑school priorities in the Headteacher’s absence. Support strategic decision‑making on staffing, budgets, curriculum design, QA cycles and communication with stakeholders. Represent the school at trust, local authority and national‑level meetings where required.

Qualifications and Attributes

• Qualified Teacher Status with a graduate‑level qualification (essential).
• Evidence of sustained, successful teaching in a secondary school setting (essential).
• Experience improving outcomes for vulnerable learners (essential).
• Experience working with or leading pastoral/SEND/intervention teams (essential).
• Experience in data‑informed decision making (essential).
• Experience collaborating with external agencies (essential).
• Leadership or coordination experience in inclusion, achievement and standards (essential).
• Experience as a successful Senior Leader driving impact and standards (essential).
• Having experience across a number of schools, diverse in their catchment (desirable).
• Experience of driving impact and increased standards across a broad range of Ofsted foci (desirable).
• Deep understanding of the new Ofsted Inclusion judgement (and beyond).
• Expertise in SEND, PPG strategy, curriculum design, teaching & learning and pastoral systems.
• High‑level data literacy and experience driving improvement using assessment evidence.
• Proven ability to lead significant school improvement.
• High emotional intelligence and ability to build professional trust and accountability.
• Commitment to collaboration across the Trust.
• Drive to ensure that Oldbury Wells sustains rapid and transformational improvement.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion and high expectations for all learners.
• Understanding of inclusive teaching, adaptive practice and vulnerable learners.
• Clear understanding of how to develop highly effective teaching in a setting.
• Commitment to your own professional development, to be research‑led and clear evidence of your continuous engagement with, understanding and implementation of cutting‑edge pedagogy across a plethora of school facets.
• Ability to use assessment data to diagnose need and shape intervention.
• Experience of leading others to make the best use of a plethora of data to drive impact.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Personal leadership qualities that motivate and influence others.
• Understanding of curriculum‑teaching‑pastoral alignment.
• Knowledge of multi‑agency working.
• Experience in designing/evaluating interventions.
• Commitment to OWS values and inclusion vision.
• Ability to work collaboratively and contribute to Trust networks.
• Demonstrates integrity, fairness and moral purpose.
• Commitment to professional learning and improvement.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding principles.
• Knowledge of statutory guidance including KCSIE and SEND Code.
• Experience with safeguarding processes or multi‑agency work.

Overall Profile: A values‑driven, strategic, collaborative and resilient professional committed to improving outcomes for all learners, especially the most vulnerable.

Thank you for your interest in Oldbury Wells School. We are delighted to welcome applicants who share our commitment to inclusive practice, hold integrity and excellence in the highest regard, and who are ready to play a pivotal role in shaping the next phase of our school’s journey within TrustEd Alliance.