Headteacher

Horizon Care and Education; Oldham; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational provider in Oldham is seeking an experienced Head Teacher for its new school. The successful candidate will lead a team, inspire staff and students while ensuring high-quality education in a SEND environment. Responsibilities include fostering a supportive atmosphere, motivating staff, and achieving academic excellence. A thorough understanding of School Improvement processes and Independent School Standards is essential. The ideal start is January 2026, with various attractive benefits offered.

Benefits

Occupational sick pay

Christmas bonus

Blue Light Card

Colleague referral scheme

Financial wellbeing service

Life Assurance

Access to free online courses

Employee assistance programme

High quality CPD opportunities

Free eye checks

Qualifications

• Wealth of experience working as a Head Teacher in a SEND environment.
• Good understanding of the School Improvement process and effective curriculum models.
• Thorough knowledge of the Independent School Standards.
• Ability to motivate and support staff and pupils.
• Can-do attitude with a desire to succeed.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire staff and students towards academic excellence.
• Foster an environment of growth and excellence.
• Create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Empathy

Vision

Resilience

Education

Qualified Teacher Status

Job description

Want to work for a company with great values? Are you compassionate? Inspiring? Dependable? Collaborative? Then we want to hear from you!

Horizon Care and Education have an opportunity for an experienced Headteacher to lead the team at our new school based in Oldham. Ideal start date will be January 2026, but no later than February 2026 with a view to the school opening after the Easter holiday.

Thorneycroft School is an independent specialist day school providing high-quality education for boys and girls. Based in Oldham, the school meets the diverse needs of pupils aged 5-16 with a variety of SEND needs.

This will be the 14th school ran by Horizon Education, giving you an excellent support network and basis to run and develop the school as part of a market leading SEN educational provider.

Your support network will include a forward-thinking senior management team focused on quality of education and continuous development.

Horizon operates with a set of core values – Compassionate, Inspiring, Dependable and Collaborative. We expect our leaders to exemplify our values in every aspect of their role. A true leader is one who uses these values as a compass, guiding actions, decision-making, and fulfilling our collective mission of providing the very best outcomes for our young people.

We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity for an experienced and dynamic individual to join us as our Head Teacher. As a leader in our organisation, you will play a pivotal role in inspiring, motivating, and empowering our dedicated staff and students.

We are seeking a leader who embodies our core values and can guide our community towards success. The ideal candidate will demonstrate :

Vision : Inspire and lead with a clear vision for the future of our school, fostering an environment of growth and excellence.

Resilience : Exhibit resilience in the face of challenges, driving forward with determination and adaptability.

Empathy : Show genuine care and understanding for the needs of both our staff and students, creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere.

High Support & High Challenge : Strive for academic excellence while providing unwavering support to students, ensuring they reach their full potential.

The successful applicants will need :

• wealth of experience working as a Head Teacher in a similar SEND environment or setting.
• have a good understanding about the School Improvement process, effective curriculum models and the development of process, maintain and build your understanding of requirements, helping the school move towards an outstanding rating.
• have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the Independent School Standards.
• ability to motivate, drive and support staff and pupils, using a person-centred approach.
• a real ‘can do, will do’ attitude, with the desire to succeed and improve our school.
• excellent communication and top-quality relationship building skills.
• hold Qualified Teacher status.

Why work for us?

• Occupational sick pay
• Christmas bonus
• Blue Light Card
• Colleague referral scheme with cash rewards – earn up to £2500 per referral!*
• Financial wellbeing service
• Life Assurance
• Tastecard – spectacular savins on dining, pizza, cinema tickets, supermarkets, and UK attractions!
• Opportunity to progress in your career through our Education Academy, and ongoing training and professional development.
• Comprehensive and tailored induction programme including face-to-face training, online modules, shadowing, and local induction period.
• Face-to-face therapeutic training and support for all colleagues via our SHINE programme.
• Access to a wide range of free online courses for all colleagues on a variety of topics.
• Employee assistance programme – free, confidential support via Bupa.
• Supportive management and senior leaders.
• High quality CPD opportunities.
• Free eye checks.

Community and wellbeing- Your wellbeing matters to us, and we are committed to ensuring you get all the support you need to feel good about what you do. We’re in this together.

• Please note we will not interview for this role without a fully completed application pack.

Closing date for this role will be 16th January

We reserve the right to close the advert before the closing date stated if we receive a high volume of applicants.