At Outcomes First Group, we work smarter, so you can spend more time doing the things you love! 

Job Title:    Headteacher

Location:    The Holden School, Leigh, WN7 4SB

Salary:        Up to £80,000 per annum dependent on experience

Hours:         Monday to Friday 

Contract:    Permanent, Term Time Only

Start Date:  January 2026

UK Applicants only

We’re looking for an experienced Headteacher to join The Holden School. 

As Headteacher, you will promote a relentless focus on the quality of education and delivery of a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that meets the needs of pupils and young people along with producing positive outcomes.

You will be joining a high achieving company and executive team, leading your own outstanding school and positively impacting the lives of many young people. As part of our team, you will focus on developing self-esteem and wellbeing, as well as academic performance and development. 

Who are we looking for?

You will exercise dynamic leadership of the School and to ensure the full development of the vision for the service, its promotion and continuous improvement. You will create and maintain a Centre of Excellence in the education of our students.

You will create a shared vision and strategic plan which inspires and motivates pupils, staff and all other members of the school community. This vision should express core educational values and moral purpose and be inclusive of stakeholders’ values and beliefs. The strategic planning process is critical to sustaining school improvement and ensuring that the school moves forward for the benefit of its pupils. 

You will work in collaboration with other senior managers, to provide a complete service and to develop and grow the wider services offered by the Centre to encourage an increase in referrals.

• At least three years’ experience as a senior leader in a specialist school
• Qualified Teacher Status or Equivalent                                                                                 
• Willingness to extend personal and professional development                                     
• Ability to lead and provide a clear vision
• Appreciation and understanding that leadership and management of school encompasses processes contributing to pupil outcomes, staff motivation, keeping pupils safe, filling the school with pupils, managing costs, meeting regulatory requirements and applying growth plans as appropriate         

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 young people 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.

Acorn Education is the UK’s leading independent provider of specialist education and residential care for vulnerable pupils and young people. As part of Outcomes First Group, we are leading our sector in setting and delivering new approaches that provide measurable outcomes for those in our care.

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 the 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:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “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:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

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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