Deputy Headteacher

Closing Date: 27 February, 2026

Salary: £55,000

Location: Bloomsbury

The role of the Deputy Headteacher is important both to the strategic development of the school as well as the effective management of the school’s operational functions.  

The role is to deputise for the Headteacher and oversee the school’s special needs co-ordination.  The Deputy Headteacher is expected to operate within the agreed management system of the school, subject to the direction of the Headteacher.  

The purpose of our school is to ensure that all our pupils have a positive experience of education and can achieve their personal best. The Deputy Headteacher, as part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), is expected to take a leading role in promoting high standards, expectations for all pupils and a positive team ethos within the school.   

QUALITIES AND KNOWLEDGE 

• Support with the day-to-day management of the school. 

• Communicate the school’s vision compellingly and support strategic leadership. 

• Lead by example, articulating clear values and moral purpose, and focusing on providing excellent education for all pupils. 

• Build positive relationships with all members of the school community, showing positive attitudes to them. 

• Keep up to date with developments in education, and have a good knowledge of education systems locally and nationally. 

• Seek training and continuing professional development. 

PUPILS AND STAFF 

• Demand ambitious standards for all pupils, instilling a strong sense of accountability in staff for the impact of their work on pupil outcomes. 

• Ensure excellent teaching in the school, including through training and development for staff. 

• Establish a culture of ‘open classrooms’ as a basis for sharing best practice. 

• Identify emerging talents, coaching teachers and support staff. 

• Support the headteacher to recruit and interview potential staff members. 

SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES 

• Ensure that the school’s systems, organisation and processes are fit for purpose. 

• Provide a safe, calm and well-ordered environment for all pupils and staff, focused on safeguarding pupils and developing exemplary behaviour. 

• Implement systems for managing the performance of all staff, addressing any underperformance, supporting staff to improve. 

• Work with the CEO and Business Director as appropriate. 

• Support strategic, curriculum-led financial planning to ensure effective use of budgets and resources. 

• Support distribution of leadership throughout the school. 

THE SELF-IMPROVING SCHOOL SYSTEM 

• Create an outward-facing school which works with other schools and organisations  to secure excellent outcomes for all pupils. 

• Develop effective relationships with fellow professionals. 

• Model entrepreneurial and innovative approaches to school improvement and leadership. 

• Inspire and influence others to believe in the fundamental importance of education in young people’s lives and to promote the value of education. 

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF SEN POLICY AND PROVISION 

• Have a strategic overview of provision for pupils with SEN or a disability across the school, in line with the founding aims and ethos of the school, monitoring the quality of provision. 

• Assess and support SEN admissions and assessments, disseminating information to teachers and relevant staff and monitoring provision. 

• Evaluate and report on the effectiveness of additional specialist support, suggesting areas for development. 

• Develop and monitor systems of guidance designed to assist staff in maximising student participation and attainment. 

• Raise awareness of SEN strategies across the school to enable teachers to be more effective in teaching students on the SEN register. 

• Contribute to school self-evaluation, particularly with respect to provision for pupils with SEN or a disability. 

• Ensure the SEN policy is put into practice, and that the objectives of this policy are reflected in the school improvement plan. 

• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of national and local initiatives which may affect the school’s policy and practice.

 SAFEGUARDING 

• • Ensure all staff within all disciplines support effective operations and risk management. 
• • Highlight any emerging concerns about procedure, systems, and risk management that you are not able to address personally with the Headteacher. 

 COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIP

• Ensure that all documentation is available on request 

 RECORDING & REPORTING

• Actively work to remove individual pupil barriers to inclusion and attendance.
• To fulfill teaching responsibilities as required by the school and under the instructions of the Headteacher.

IMPROVING ATTENDANCE & PUPIL ENGAGEMENT 

TEACHING & LEARNING 

• Ensure that parents and pupils are well informed about curriculum attainment and can understand targets for improvement 

• To lead on all annual reviews and EHCP requirements for children enrolled in the school (including the outreach programmes).  

• To lead the intervention team to support transitions of pupils from the outreach programme and/or school refusers.  

• To ensure all individual pupils’ progress is regularly recorded by teaching staff. 

• To ensure intervention programmes are implemented for all pupils failing to make at least ‘good’ progress in Literacy and Numeracy. 

• To ensure all staff apply individual pupil strategies in a consistent manner. 

• To support the Headteacher in ensuring Supervision and Appraisal of staff are maintained in timely fashion. 

• To help support all young people to reach their maximum potential in their learning. 

• To liaise with other multi-disciplinary professionals supporting the young person. 

• To fulfill teaching responsibilities as required by the school and under the instructions of the Headteacher. 

IMPROVING ATTENDANCE & PUPIL ENGAGEMENT 

• Work collaboratively with the school staff team and/or families to ensure good attendance and improved pupil behaviours. 

• Actively work to remove individual pupil barriers to inclusion and attendance. 

• To target interventions towards students who are regularly late to school and struggle with punctuality. 

 RECORDING & REPORTING 

• Ensure all records and documentation are accurate and delivered in a timely manner 

• Ensure that all documentation is available on request 

• To coordinate and carry out Annual Review meetings for all students 

 COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIP 

• Model the good personal standards of behaviour and professional relationship standards with all others to the standard we wish to see in Odyssey House School. 

• Highlight any emerging concerns about procedure, systems, and risk management that you are not able to address personally with the Headteacher. 

• Ensure positive and effective communication takes place between all parts of organisation. 

• Ensure all staff within all disciplines support effective operations and risk management. 

• Disseminate policies and procedures including ‘Code of Conduct’ and ‘Equality & Diversity’ within daily operations. 

 SAFEGUARDING 

• Ensures compliance to all Odyssey House School Safeguarding policies and procedures. 

• Ensure all staff undertake all pupil behaviour interventions within a legal framework. 

• Ensure staff team operate within a legal framework for all operational activities. 

• Report any concerns (including near misses) without delay to the Headteacher. 

• Maintain a culture of vigilance within workforce in regards to Safeguarding. 

• Where necessary represent Odyssey House School within LADO/Police investigations. 

• Provide necessary safeguarding reports, updates and audits to the Proprietors as required. 

 MEETINGS  

• Actively maintains good relationships with LA, families and other teams.  

• To attend meetings that are required to fulfil the role.  

• Ensure that all minutes are recorded and stored safely on the school IT systems and relevant staff have access to these.  

• Ensures that all representations of Odyssey House School are conducted in a professional manner at all times.

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