Overview
The role is based at Castle Hill School, Newsome Road South, Newsome, Huddersfield. HD4 6JL
Salary: L25 - L31 £93,424 - £108,202
Contract: Leadership
Closing Date: Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 9am
Interview: Week commencing 23 February 2026
Start Date: 1 September 2026
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
We are seeking an experienced or an aspiring, outward looking, inspirational Principal who has the skills, abilities and passion to lead an outstanding specialist school. Together Learning Trust is a thriving, high performing trust that is highly regarded within the region and beyond, sitting securely in the top 10% most improved Trusts nationally. We are proud to lead a group of nine schools, presently three secondary, five primary and one special school inspiring over 5700 young people and 800 staff in Calderdale and Kirklees.
Together Learning Schools are wonderful places to work. We value and support our teams across all our schools, and recognise the ideas, experience and expertise of our staff. Our schools work closely together to identify and implement the best strategies for teaching and learning, recruitment and talent management.
Castle Hill School is an outstanding school with incredible dedicated professionals. We are looking for a leader who can foster a safe and inclusive culture for all staff and students and demonstrate complete commitment to the progress of all students.
This is a phenomenal leadership opportunity in which you can make a real difference to the lives of children and young people through the provision of inclusive and caring educational support in a modern and impressive specialist facility. You will join an exceptional school-based team who work hard and are committed to ensuring students thrive.
If you have a clear vision and ambition, with a track record of success we would love to have a conversation with you.
The Principal will:
* Champion exceptional student development and life chances
* Create a safe, joyful and highly personalised environment where children and young people with complex needs thrive. The Principal will ensure high-quality, ambitious provision that supports communication, independence, wellbeing and preparation for adulthood, so every learner is enabled to achieve their very best.
* Be a visible, trusted and values-led leader
* Lead with warmth, credibility and presence, inspiring confidence among staff, students, families and the wider community. The Principal will model the ethos and culture that make Castle Hill such a special place, sustaining its strong sense of belonging, care and shared purpose.
* Inspire and grow great staff
* Build a culture where staff feel valued, supported and professionally fulfilled. By aligning curriculum, systems and development, the Principal will enable staff to deliver consistently strong practice, sustain wellbeing and continuously improve outcomes for children and young people.
* Shape and strengthen SEND excellence across the Trust
* Work collaboratively with Together Learning Trust and executive colleagues to develop and embed high-quality SEND practice across the Trust, sharing Castle Hill's expertise with mainstream schools and contributing to strategic SEND leadership within the wider system.
* Demonstrate ambition for future specialist provision
* Help position Castle Hill as a centre of excellence, with the vision and credibility to support the development of additional specialist provision over time, and to be recognised for exceptional practice locally, regionally and beyond.
Working Together
Benefits for you and your development?
This is a unique opportunity to work collaboratively with the exceptional talent on our executive leadership team under the direction and with the support of the CEO of Together Learning Trust.
In addition, you will receive tailored development, coaching and mentoring to help you be the best you can be, not to mention the fantastic support from the central services team, the school improvement team and the receptive and ambitious leaders of the schools in the trust. This is somewhere you can make a real difference to the lives of children, as part of a brilliant team with a shared vision and the drive to transform the lives of young people.
You will also benefit from a suite of incentives that support your financial, professional and personal wellness. In addition, this is a role where the scope for your professional development is boundless as you grow your expertise along with the role.
If our trust sounds like a place in which you could really make a difference, then we would love to show you around and tell you more about our wonderful school. Please fill in the enquiry form on the micro site to arrange an initial conversation with me and see what we could do, together?
DAVID LORD, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
THE SCHOOL
Castle Hill is an outstanding special school in Huddersfield meeting the needs of over 130 students age 3 to 19 with a range of additional needs including severe, profound, and complex learning difficulties.
Ofsted recently stated: Pupils at this school thrive in an environment tailored to their individual needs. This is a happy, encouraging, and caring school where the vision to “innovate, communicate and empower” is not just a statement but a lived reality. November 2024
Communication is fundamental to our learning strategy and underpins participation in all aspects of school life. Other key skills are supported by a cross curricular approach enabling our students to engage, interact and ultimately understand their world.
The school also uses a range of specialist learning strategies supported by other professionals towards outstanding outcomes. Child centred planning and careful assessment ensures the curriculum is engaging and personalised to support the best possible progress for all.
The school is purpose built and provides a bespoke learning environment which continually adapts, changes, and develops to meet the evolving needs of our students.
Visit our webpage dedicated to this role, please click the link to hear more about our school and the role from our CEO. Principal
Safeguarding
SAFER RECRUITMENT
We are committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff and volunteers are expected to behave in a way that supports this commitment and are subject to an enhanced DBS check. Please be aware that it is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. If you are shortlisted for interview, we will undertake an online public search in line with guidance from the Department for Education and Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025.
We are seeking an experienced or an aspiring, outward looking, inspirational Principal who has the skills, abilities and passion to lead an outstanding specialist school. Together Learning Trust is a thriving, high performing trust that is highly regarded within the region and beyond, sitting securely in the top 10% most improved Trusts nationally. We are proud to lead a group of nine schools, presently three secondary, five primary and one special school inspiring over 5700 young people and 800 staff in Calderdale and Kirklees.
Together Learning Schools are wonderful places to work. We value and support our teams across all our schools, and recognise the ideas, experience and expertise of our staff. Our schools work closely together to identify and implement the best strategies for teaching and learning, recruitment and talent management.
Castle Hill School is an outstanding school with incredible dedicated professionals. We are looking for a leader who can foster a safe and inclusive culture for all staff and students and demonstrate complete commitment to the progress of all students.
This is a phenomenal leadership opportunity in which you can make a real difference to the lives of children and young people through the provision of inclusive and caring educational support in a modern and impressive specialist facility. You will join an exceptional school-based team who work hard and are committed to ensuring students thrive.
If you have a clear vision and ambition, with a track record of success we would love to have a conversation with you.
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