Headteacher

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Are you an innovative Headteacher committed to improving the lives of pupils and young people?

We are looking for a Headteacher for our New Acorn School – Avonside School in Bristol. The school will have capacity for 72 pupils and is due to open August 2025. We're recruiting for a Headteacher to help set up and grow our new school. The school will be a co-educational provision for pupils with complex needs including SEMH. 

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.

• Up to £80,000 per annum depending on experience 
• Monday to Friday
• Term Time only
• Permanent

Through your knowledge and passion, you will have a real impact on the lives of pupils and young people. As Headteacher you will provide effective leadership and management of the school that ensures the school meets its aims and objectives and operates within the overall strategy and guidelines of Acorn Education. 

About the role

As a Headteacher, you will promote a relentless focus on high quality, creative learning, delivering our pupils educational needs, maximising pupil achievement, and their ability to develop.

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. 

Key objectives expected to achieve:

• Outstanding outcomes for pupils and young people that are a reflection of their needs, abilities and aptitudes. 
• A safe environment that protects the welfare of pupils and young people and staff in the school.
• Meeting all statutory requirements as defined by the DfE, Ofsted and other external bodies and achieving the highest inspection ratings possible.
• A motivated staff group that is fully engaged in the goal of achieving excellence in all areas of school life and who are committed to continuing personal and professional development.
• The commercial success of the school as defined by 100% occupancy, the rigorous management of costs and the development and implementation of growth plans as appropriate.
• Effective strategic and operational planning, that includes self-evaluation, school improvement and delivery.
• A shared vision, that fits within the overall Acorn Group strategy, which inspires and motivates students, staff and all other members of the school community.

Essential:

• At least three years’ experience as a senior leader in a specialist school for pupils with complex communication needs  
• 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        

Desirable:

• Completion of NPQH
• Experience of conducting performance management
• Experience of appointing, managing and inducting staff
• Experience of planning the curriculum across a range of ages and abilities

Why join Acorn Education?

Benefits

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.

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
• Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support. 

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.