Key Role Information

Salary
£85,547.00 - 94,349.00
Job type
Full Time
Contract type
Permanent
Closing
12/10/2026 12:00
Interview
20th & 21st October
Contract term
TTO Plus - Term time only plus weeks
Pay grade
Leadership Group (National) | L20 - L24
Department
Senior Leadership
Key stage
Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4
Hours per week
32.50
Weeks per year
52.000
Visa sponsorship
No

Your Role

Are you an ambitious and values-driven leader ready to make a real difference in Alternative Provision?

Educational Diversity is an all-through, two-site Alternative Provision supporting children and young people from primary age through to Year 11. As part of Synergy Education Trust, we are entering an exciting phase of development and are seeking an exceptional Deputy Headteacher to help shape our future.

At Educational Diversity, relationships are at the heart of everything we do. We believe alternative provision should be an intervention, not a destination, helping pupils reconnect with learning, make progress and successfully transition to their next stage.

This is a key whole-school leadership role, working closely with the Headteacher and senior leadership team to drive school improvement, develop leadership capacity and ensure our values of Belong, Learn, Progress and Prepare are embedded across both sites.

The successful candidate will:

  1. Provide strategic leadership across the school and deputise for the Headteacher when required.
  2. Lead on culture, behaviour, attendance, engagement and relationships.
  3. Serve as the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
  4. Support, coach and challenge leaders to deliver high-quality outcomes.
  5. Maintain a teaching commitment and model excellent classroom practice.
  6. Champion inclusion and hold high expectations for all pupils.

We are looking for a leader who understands the power of education to transform lives, thrives in a complex environment and is committed to securing the best outcomes for children and young people who may have faced barriers to learning.

Experience in Alternative Provision is welcomed but not essential. We are seeking someone with strong leadership experience, a commitment to inclusion and safeguarding, and the energy, curiosity and ambition to help Educational Diversity continue its journey of improvement.

Visits to the school are strongly encouraged.

Join us and play a vital role in helping our pupils connect, re-engage, progress and succeed.

Skills

Experience

Successful experience of leading whole-school improvement priorities, including implementation, monitoring, evaluation and demonstrating impact essential
Experience of strategically improving culture, relationships, behaviour, attendance and/or engagement essential
Experience of using qualitative and quantitative evidence to identify priorities, evaluate provision and secure improvement essential
Experience of safe recruitment, deployment and professional development of staff essential
Experience of working with pupils with SEND, SEMH and/or within Alternative Provisionessential
Experience of budget/resource management and securing best value essential

Leadership

Experience of providing leadership and management across a whole school settingessential
Strong leader in the delivery of excellence in teaching and learningessential
Successful senior leadership experience within a school or educational settingessential
significant experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead, or substantial safeguarding leadership experience demonstrating readiness to undertake the DSL role essential
Understanding of effective distributed leadership, including how to maintain clear accountability while empowering others to lead improvement essential
A compelling and credible senior leader who can support the Headteacher in the strategic leadership of Educational Diversity and deputise when required essential
Able to lead through others: inspiring, challenging, coaching, supporting and holding colleagues to account essential
Model the school's values, ethos and commitment to trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches.
Promote a culture of high aspirations and achievement for all pupils, regardless of their starting points or barriers to learning.

Personal Attributes

Commitment to the development and maintenance of good relationships with staff, parents, pupils, governors and the community.essential
Strong understanding of teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment essential
Strong understanding of the social, emotional and educational development of children and young people essential
Strong understanding of SEND, SEMH, inclusion and the barriers that can affect pupils’ engagement, attendance and achievement essential
Strong understanding of relational, trauma-informed and inclusive approaches to culture, relationships and behaviour essential
Understanding of the complex factors affecting attendance and engagement, particularly for vulnerable pupils, and how evidence and data can be used to secure improvement essential
Committed to equality, diversity and inclusive education essential
Self-motivated, resilient and highly organised, with the ability to prioritise effectively within a complex, multi-site organisation essential
Committed to Educational Diversity’s relational, inclusive ethos and to the principle that alternative provision is an intervention, not a destination essential

Qualifications

Qualified Teacher Status essential
Relevant, recent professional development and/or qualification that prepares the applicant for senior leadershipessential
Relevant leadership qualification and/or evidence of sustained professional development for senior leadership essential

Educational Diversity

Louise Bamforth

louise.bamforth@eddiversity.seteducation.org.uk

278a Whitegate Drive,
Blackpool
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 9JW

Safeguarding Information

Introduction

Synergy Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its schools. The Trust complies with the statutory legislative requirements and guidance that seeks to protect children, including ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Safer Recruitment

Job descriptions and person specifications make reference to safeguarding and child protection. All posts are subject to satisfactory completion of enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate (DBS) checks. All advertisements include a safeguarding statement and commitment.

Application Stage

All applicants are scrutinised to verify identity and academic qualifications, Professional references are requested using our standard pro forma for short listed candidates. As a minimum, references should be from the two most recent employers. References are checked against previous employment history and gaps in employment. Professional references must be obtained from work email addresses. Our standard reference proforma makes reference to suitability to work with children and young people. The application form require applicants to complete a disclosure of any criminal convictions.

Short listing

Only those candidates meeting the criteria outlined in the person specification will be short listed. All short

listed candidates will be subject to an online search as part of our safer recruitment due diligence.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will take part in an interview and selection process. Candidates will be asked to address any discrepancies or gaps in their employment history. Candidates will be reminded of their responsibility to disclose any criminal convictions if they have not already done so. Proof of identity, qualifications and right to work in the UK must also be provided at interview.

Appointment

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate (DBS) will be required for all appointed posts. Other pre employment compliance checks will be carried out. This post is subject to satisfactory references which will be requested prior to interview, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, online searches, medical check, evidence of qualifications plus verification of the right to work in the UK. For teaching positions, barred list checks and prohibition from teaching checks will also be carried out. For leadership positions, section 128 checks will be performed. All staff will receive a comprehensive induction programme covering all aspects of safeguarding and health and safety.

Probation

All new staff will be subject to the trust probation procedures for a period of 6 months. The probation period is to enable the assessment of an employee’s suitability for the job and which includes a review of the performance of new staff in relation to duties, skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the job description and person specification.

This will also include an employee’s suitability to work with children and young people and their commitment to safeguarding and child protection.

Equal opportunities

The Trust recognises the value of, and seeks to achieve a diverse workforce. We takes positive steps to create an employment culture in which people feel confident of being treated with fairness, dignity and respect, irrespective of their differences. The Trust is committed to the elimination of unlawful discrimination and to the promotion of good relations between all.


We are deeply committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All necessary safeguarding checks will be undertaken which must have satisfactory outcomes, otherwise the conditional job offer may be withdrawn. Details of the checks that will be undertake can be found at: Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2026 . No applicant will be disadvantaged or discriminated against because of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.