, Full Time, Term Time Only
1. Location: Meadowcroft School (Wakefield - across four sites)
2. Salary: Competitive, depending on experience
About the Role:
We are seeking an inspirational and experiencedExecutive Headteacher to provide strategic leadership across Meadowcroft School.
This is a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for setting the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school, ensuring outstanding standards of education, safeguarding and compliance across all sites.
This role is ideal for a senior educational leader who combines strong educational credibility with strategic, commercial and people leadership, and who is passionate about transforming the lives of vulnerable young people.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Educational Leadership
3. Set and lead the vision, ethos and direction of Meadowcroft School across all sites
4. Ensure consistently high-quality SEN provision, aligned with Ofsted, regulatory and Acorn/Outcomes First Group standards
5. Monitor, analyse and improve school performance, pupil progress and engagement
6. Ensure a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum that meets the complex needs of pupils
7. Lead inspection readiness and ensure successful outcomes for audits and regulatory visits
Leadership & People Development
8. Provide strong leadership, challenge and support to Headteachers and senior leaders
9. Drive high performance through effective appraisal, coaching and professional development
10. Identify and develop talent, building succession plans and leadership capacity
11. Champion high standards of teaching, learning and behaviour across the school
Safeguarding & Compliance
12. Lead and model a robust safeguarding culture across all sites
13. Ensure policies, procedures and practices meet statutory and regulatory requirements
14. Oversee safeguarding concerns, allegations and investigations appropriately
Commercial & Operational Leadership
15. Contribute to budget setting and ensure effective financial management
16. Balance educational quality with commercial sustainability
17. Support growth, reputation and referrals through strong stakeholder relationships
18. Work collaboratively with Local Authorities, commissioners and external partners
About Meadowcroft School
Meadowcroft School is an independent specialist day school operating across four sites in Wakefield. We support pupils with complex SEMH needs and additional learning difficulties through small class sizes, personalised learning, and a nurturing, structured environment.
Our highly skilled teams work closely with families, therapists and external professionals to remove barriers to learning, celebrate progress and prepare pupils with the confidence, life skills and resilience they need for future success.
Why Join Outcomes First Group?
Acorn Education, part of Outcomes First Group, is a leading UK provider of specialist education for children and young people with special educational needs.
We are proud to have been officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth consecutive year.
Benefits include:
19. Life Assurance
20. Pension scheme with enhanced contribution options
21. “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental health support and physical health checks
22. Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista), including: Health, wellbeing and insurance benefits Hundreds of UK and international discounts Cycle to Work Scheme & Electric Car Purchase Scheme Critical illness cover Enhanced maternity/paternity leave and paid fertility treatment support
Safeguarding
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 check.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.