Headteacher

Hawthorns School, Lumb Lane, Audenshaw, Manchester M34 5SF

Salary Range: L23 – L27. The starting salary will be negotiable dependent upon experience.

Start date – September 2024 or sooner in discussion with the appointed candidate

Hawthorns School in Tameside is an innovative and ambitious primary special school which supports pupils with a range of SEND needs, most particularly with language and communication challenges. It has an excellent reputation in the local community and demand for places is high with the school tripling in size in recent years. There are currently 220 pupils on roll across 4 sites within Tameside, and this number will rise to 230 in September 2024. In September Hawthorns will move into a new £20 million purpose-built school building based in Mottram-in-Longdendale, when all its settings will be coming together on one site. This is a fantastic opportunity for a new Headteacher to lead the school into this exciting next phase in its development and to even greater success.

The school was graded as Outstanding in 2019 but is never complacent and has developed significantly since then. With the support of a strong, committed and capable staff team it has a well-developed curriculum and assessment frameworks, based around a number of pathways supporting specific pupil needs and has been highly responsive to changing pupil profiles, making adaptations and being open to new ideas. There is a mature culture of on-going training and development for everyone which the new Headteacher must continue to develop and there is an ambition that the school offers support and training to other schools, which will be enhanced through training facilities at the new site. The school is committed to continuous improvement in all aspects in order to secure the very best offer for its pupils, and the new Headteacher will need to share and build on this approach

The school joined New Bridge Multi-Academy Trust in 2018. It is a vibrant, aspirational and inclusive multi-academy trust of six special schools and two specialist post-16 provisions across Oldham, Tameside and Rochdale. As part of the wider New Bridge Group there are also two post-19 provisions. The settings support a wide spectrum of needs from age 4-19 and beyond. The Trust is proud to be national leaders in Special Education and has a culture of creating outstanding opportunities for all and is now entering the next stage of its evolution with its new CEO taking up post in September 2023.

If you are an experienced senior leader with an interest in SEND, and you have a track record of sustained improvement, then this is a fantastic opportunity to bring fresh challenge and ideas that will secure further improvement. Questions and challenge are perceived as positive contributors to the process of improvement, and the school is looking for someone who can demonstrate an open and enquiring mind. You will share the school’s ‘can-do’ spirit and model it in your daily practice and leadership to inspire and engage the children, parents/carers, staff and the local community. You must also be a confident, positive, compassionate and strong leader who can hold staff to account whilst being accountable yourself. Above all, you will share the passion and belief that children, their learning and developing their potential are at the heart of all decisions.

To find out more about this exceptional opportunity please visit www.hays.co.uk/vacancies/hawthorns-school or contact Martin Blair at Hays Leadership for a confidential discussion, to arrange a visit to the school or to discuss making an application.

Please do not use online “Apply” options.

Martin Blair

T: 07736791138

E: martin.blair@hays.com

Closing date – 8am on 19th February

Interviews – 26th and 27th February

Hawthorns School and New Bridge Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced disclosure from the DBS