Assistant Head Teacher

Overview

Assistant Headteacher – Inclusion and Personal Development

Leadership Scale:
L5–L8 (£57,137 - £61,534)

Start:
September 2026

Contract:

Permanent, Full-time

Location:

Olsen House School, Merseyside

At Olsen House School, our vision is simple:
Dream
• Believe
• Achieve.

As a specialist ASD school, we want every student to dream about their future, believe in themselves, and achieve outcomes that prepare them for life beyond school. This vision is underpinned by our values:
Be Kind, Be Ambitious, Be Inspired, which shape our relationships, our teaching and our leadership.

Olsen House School is a specialist setting for students with Education, Health and Care Plans, with a core focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and associated social, emotional and mental health needs. Many of our students have experienced barriers to learning or disruption to their education, and we respond with calm, structured, autism-responsive practice and exceptionally strong relationships.

We believe that students thrive when adults lead with kindness, hold ambitious expectations and inspire confidence and curiosity.

We are seeking an exceptional Assistant Headteacher – Inclusion and Personal Development to join our Senior Leadership Team. This is a key strategic role, leading inclusion and personal development within a specialist ASD setting, and supporting staff to deliver consistently high-quality, autism-responsive practice.

You will play a central role in helping students to dream, believe and achieve, while developing staff practice and strengthening provision across the school.

You will be passionate about:

• Building a whole-school culture that reflects our values of kindness, ambition and inspiration
• Improving outcomes for students with ASD and complex presentations
• Leading high-quality inclusion and SEND provision
• Developing strong personal development, wellbeing and enrichment opportunities
• Supporting and developing staff through coaching, CPD and quality assurance

• Strategic leadership for inclusion and personal development across KS2–KS4
• Line management of key staff, including SENDCo and PSHE leadership (and teaching PSHE where required)
• Using data, evaluation and student voice to inform improvement
• Working in partnership with families and external agencies
• Contributing to self-evaluation and school improvement planning as part of SLT
• A reduced teaching timetable aligned to the strategic nature of the role

• Leads with kindness, consistency and emotional intelligence
• Holds ambitious expectations for students and staff in a SEND context
• Inspires others through visible, values-driven leadership
• Has strong experience working with students with ASD and complex needs
• Is confident leading, line managing and developing staff
• Is committed to safeguarding and student wellbeing

• Competitive salary on leadership scale (L5–L8)
• Teachers’ Pension Scheme
• Comprehensive induction and high-quality CPD
• A supportive, visible leadership team and a culture of trust and professionalism
• Staff wellbeing focus and workload-aware systems
• Benefits including (where applicable): refer-a-friend bonus, wellbeing support/EAP, cycle to work scheme, discounts, long service awards

We welcome candidates who would like to visit the school before applying.

Please contact:
Karen Horocks (Office Manager) Tel: , email  to arrange a visit.

For full details, please see the job description and person specification.

Closing date: 27 February 2026 at 12pm

Interviews:
Week beginning 2 March 2026

Start date:

September 2026

Why work for us?

• A competitive salary
• A comprehensive induction programme so you can hit the ground running
• Continued professional development and training
• Teachers’ Pension contributions
• A friendly, passionate team committed to getting the best outcomes for our young people

Benefits include:

• £500 refer-a-friend bonus
• OFSTED bonuses
• Life insurance
• Cycle to work scheme and laptop loans
• Discounts on cinema trips, electronics, fashion, home and garden, travel, groceries, gifts, utilities, health and fitness
• Birthday treats
• Long service and…