. This role does not offer sponsorship.
As part of our exciting continued growth, The Holden School, part of Acorn Education, is seeking an exceptional Assistant Headteacher to join our close-knit, passionate team. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping a thriving SEN school where innovation, compassion, and ambition sit at the heart of everything we do.
If you’re driven by impact, inspired by possibility, and motivated to lead meaningful change, this role could be your perfect next chapter.
About the Role
This is a dynamic and rewarding leadership position for an Assistant Headteacher who is ready to bring creativity, vision, and fresh thinking to an SEN environment supporting pupils with a wide range of needs.
Working in close partnership with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team, you will provide clear, authentic leadership across the school. You’ll help set strategic direction, uphold the highest standards of quality and compliance, and ensure our strong safeguarding culture continues to flourish—where pupils are heard, respected, and actively involved in decisions that affect them.
Every day will challenge and inspire you in equal measure as you help design and deliver personalised learning pathways that allow every pupil to succeed.
What You’ll Be Doing
1. Provide inspirational leadership to a dedicated multidisciplinary team
2. Work collaboratively with the Headteacher and SLT to shape school vision, aims, and objectives
3. Champion a culture of outstanding safeguarding, inclusion, and pupil voice
4. Ensure high standards of teaching, learning, quality, and compliance
5. Lead the development of creative, individualised programmes of learning for pupils with SEN
6. Support staff development, performance, and wellbeing
7. Play a key role in driving school improvement and long-term success
Who we are looking for
We never settle for second best for our pupils—and neither should you. We’re looking for a passionate, experienced Assistant Headteacher with the leadership skills, SEN expertise, and ambition to help build incredible futures.
You’ll be a confident leader who thrives in an SEN setting, enjoys empowering teams, and is deeply motivated by helping pupils become happy, confident, and ready to take their place in the world.
Essential Requirements
8. UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent
9. Degree-level education or equivalent
10. Proven leadership experience
11. Experience working within an SEN environment
About Us
The Holden School is an independent specialist day school for boys and girls aged from 5 to 16, catering for pupils with a wide range of needs in Lancashire, Manchester and surrounding areas. Our dedicated team work together to ensure successful outcomes for pupils who often arrive at the school with a troubled view of education and life. We are a Therapeutic Led, Trauma Informed School providing individualised curriculums for our students supported by our Class Teams, our Pastoral Team and our own Therapists.
We pride ourselves in steering pupils in the right direction, nurturing aspiration to progress them academically and socially, to encourage them to take pride in their achievements. Socially, we build confidence in our students, so they are able to have a greater understanding of the wider community in which they live.
We are part of Acorn Education and can offer plenty of challenges along with a wide range of opportunities to develop your career. Acorn Education is the UK’s leading provider of specialist education for children and young people with special educational needs. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in creating and delivering innovative approaches that achieve measurable outcomes for those in our care.
We are really proud to say that in 2025, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth year running.
Why join Acorn Education?
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 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.
Benefits
Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:
12. Life Assurance
13. Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
14. “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:
15. A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
16. 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
17. Cycle to Work Schemes
18. Electric Car Purchase Scheme
19. Critical illness cover
20. Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
*You’ll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy. 4DWW is subject to successful completion of probation and is not a contractual benefit
Outcomes First Group is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. Whilst we aim to keep applicants informed throughout, Outcomes First Group does not accept liability for any loss of earnings or other associated costs incurred by applicants as a result of delays or changes in the compliance process. All stages of the compliance process are subject to necessary safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.
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