Jobs in Knowle

Headteacher

Independent Specialist SEND School | Birmingham
Permanent | Full-time
January 2027, or earlier by negotiation

LTE Search is working with an established independent specialist SEND school in Birmingham to appoint an ambitious Headteacher to lead the next stage of the school's development.

The school provides specialist education for young people aged 11–19 with a range of special educational needs, including autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, cognition and learning needs, communication and language needs and sensory needs. It offers a safe, supportive environment alongside an ambitious and personalised curriculum designed to help pupils re-engage with education, achieve meaningful qualifications and prepare successfully for further education, employment, training and adulthood.

This is an important leadership appointment. The successful candidate will work closely with the wider leadership team to strengthen educational leadership, develop teaching and learning and ensure that the school's curriculum and wider provision continue to meet the increasingly diverse needs of its pupils.

The Role

Working closely with the wider executive leadership team and governing body, the Headteacher will provide clear strategic and educational leadership across the school, establishing a strong vision and direction for its continued development.

A central part of the role will be driving the Quality of Education. You will lead the development of teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment, ensuring that staff have the skills, knowledge and support to provide consistently high-quality education and that pupils receive the precise support they need to make progress.

The school is developing its specialist offer, with an increasing focus on meeting the needs of pupils with both autism and SEMH. The Headteacher will play a key role in shaping this provision, ensuring that educational, therapeutic and pastoral approaches work together effectively.

You will lead and develop staff, build leadership capacity and establish a culture of professional development, collaboration and continuous improvement.

The wider leadership brief will include safeguarding, SEND, pastoral provision, behaviour, admissions and referrals, stakeholder relationships, resources and regulatory compliance, alongside close partnership working with families, local authorities, commissioners and external professionals.

As Headteacher of an independent specialist setting, you will also need a strong understanding of the wider operational requirements of running a school, including governance, staffing, finance, facilities and compliance with the Independent School Standards.

The Person

We are looking for an experienced senior educational leader who can combine strong strategic leadership with a deep understanding of specialist SEND education and the needs of vulnerable young people.

You will ideally bring:

Proven leadership experience within a special school, specialist setting or complex educational environment, ideally at Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher or equivalent level.
A strong track record in teaching, learning, curriculum and school improvement.
A detailed understanding of SEND, with experience of working with pupils with autism, SEMH or other complex learning needs.
Experience of developing and improving curriculum and assessment so that teaching is responsive to individual pupil needs and aspirations.
The ability to develop and support teachers and leaders, creating a culture of high expectations, professional development and continuous improvement.
Strong knowledge of the Ofsted inspection framework, with experience of leading or contributing to inspections.
Strong knowledge of the Independent School Standards and the requirements of operating within an independent school environment.
Experience of ISI inspection would be highly desirable.
Excellent safeguarding knowledge and a strong commitment to the welfare and progress of vulnerable young people.
The ability to build strong relationships with parents, local authorities, commissioners and other professionals.
An understanding of the wider operational and commercial considerations involved in running an independent specialist education setting.
The strategic leadership skills to translate vision into measurable impact across teaching, learning, behaviour and pupil outcomes. QTS is essential, with NPQH or an equivalent leadership qualification desirable.

Above all, we are looking for a Headteacher who can combine vision with delivery — someone who can bring people together around a clear educational purpose and turn that vision into consistently strong practice and better outcomes for pupils.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to lead a specialist school at an important stage in its development, with genuine scope to shape its future educational offer and build leadership capacity across the school.

For the right person, there is considerable opportunity to influence how the school develops its provision for pupils with autism, SEMH and other complex needs, while working within an established wider leadership and specialist support structure.

The school offers a competitive package including an enhanced pension scheme, life assurance, funded training and qualifications, enhanced maternity and paternity provision, extensive senior leadership support and a range of employee wellbeing and discount benefits.

Interviews are taking place imminently, so early applications are strongly encouraged.

If you are an experienced educational leader who can combine strategic vision with strong educational practice and a genuine understanding of specialist SEND provision, we would be very interested in hearing from you.

The successful candidate will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check. Online searches will be conducted as part of the safer recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education