13 days remaining to apply

  • Start date details

    January 2027

  • Closing date

    12 October 2026 at 12pm (midday)

  • Date listed

    29 September 2026

Job details

Job role

  • Assistant headteacher

Visa sponsorship

Visas cannot be sponsored

Working pattern

Full time

Contract type

Permanent

Full time equivalent salary

£67,898.00 - £75,049.00 Annually (FTE) Pending pay award

Assistant Head of Inclusion job summary

The Cooper School
Assistant Head of Inclusion
Salary: Leadership 12 - 16
Contract Type: Permanent
Start Date: January 2027
Location: Bicester, Oxfordshire

Reporting to: Headteacher

Responsible for: Special Educational Needs (SEN) Department including the SENCO and deputy SENCO, AP lead, a small number of allocated subject departments subject to change on a yearly basis and managing all staff leading trips and running enrichment clubs and events.

Thank you for your interest in the position of Assistant Headteacher at The Cooper School, part of the Acer Trust. This is a unique opportunity to be part of an exciting chapter in the school’s journey as it embarks on a period of rapid change, striving to embody its school values of dreaming big, working hard and being kind. The Cooper School has recently appointed a new headteacher and Chair of governors; this appointment marks the next critical appointment in the school as it strives to be “ambitious for all”. The Cooper School believes in having high expectations for all members of its community, alongside warm relationships and humanity. If this ethos fits with your own values, then please do get in contact with the headteacher, Charlotte Broom, to arrange a tour of the school.


About Acer Trust

‘Working together to provide exceptional learning experiences and

opportunities, empowering everyone to realise exciting futures’

We seek to create a positive and ambitious learning environment in every one of our schools, through which young people are prepared for success now and for lives of purpose, fulfilment and contribution in the future. We are committed to being a ‘family of schools’, working in genuine partnership, sharing expertise, challenge and support, so that each school, and every learner within it, thrives. Our values, collaboration, trust and ambition, underpin everything that we do, guiding how we work, lead and learn, and strongly shape our culture.

Job Purpose

The key purpose of this role is to improve outcomes for every student by implementing the school’s vision of being a truly inclusive setting. The AHT of Inclusion and Enrichment will work alongside the Deputy Headteacher of Teaching and Learning to ensure that classroom practice is inclusive. They will also ensure that the SENCO, deputy SENCO and SEN team, implement robust assess, plan, do, review cycles embedding a graduated response to support at the school. This role will also require close work with the vulnerable learner lead in the school. Finally, the role will be overseeing our enrichment offer, ensuring that trips, clubs and events are inspiring, inclusive and accessible to all.

Key Responsibilities1. Inclusion and Special Educational Needs (SEN)

  • Line Management of SEN: Provide direct line management, leadership, and line-management support to the SENCO, SEN Department, and associated support staff to ensure engagement with high-quality provision across all key stages.

  • SEND Identification & Outcomes: Lead the SEND team to ensure that student needs are identified early and met effectively, maintaining oversight of an accurate SEND Register, Pupil Passports, and EHCP provision.

  • Adaptive Teaching: Work alongside senior leaders for Teaching & Learning to ensure high-quality adaptive teaching strategies are deployed across all classrooms for students with SEND.

  • Exams & Interventions: Ensure that Exam Access Arrangements (EAA) are compliant with JCQ regulations and that targeted interventions produce measurable progress for priority students.

  • Line management of AP: Line manage the AP lead in the school, ensuring that alternative provision is used appropriately, strategically and inline with the school’s inclusive vision. Ensure the school’s use of AP is compliant with DFE guidance.

  • Vulnerable learners: Work alongside the Vulnerable Leaders Lead to ensure that all students, regardless of vulnerability, are included and catered for at The Cooper School.

2. Inclusive Enrichment, Trips, and Educational Visits

  • Whole-School Enrichment Strategy: Lead, design, and monitor the school’s enrichment programme, ensuring provision is fully inclusive, diverse, and caters to all students across all year groups regardless of SEND status or socioeconomic background.

  • Trips and Visits Oversight: Act as the strategic lead for school trips and educational visits, ensuring a wide-ranging, well-managed, and equitable outdoor learning and educational visits calendar.

  • Barrier Removal: Identify and remove physical, financial, and logistical barriers so that disadvantaged and priority students (e.g., Pupil Premium and SEND) fully participate in enrichment activities, clubs, residential trips, and educational visits.

  • Compliance & Safety: Take on the role of Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) to ensure all health, safety, risk assessment, and safeguarding requirements for trips and off-site visits are rigorously met.

3. Line Management of Academic Departments

  • Departmental Leadership: Act as Curriculum Leader Link / Line Manager for a small number of designated academic departments, driving high standards of curriculum planning, assessment, and subject-specific outcomes.

  • Quality Assurance: Coach department leads to help them improve classroom practice in their subject areas.

  • Performance Management: Conduct appraisal and performance management cycles for designated middle leaders, holding teams accountable while fostering professional growth and wellbeing.

4. Senior Leadership & General Responsibilities

  • Strategic Vision: Co-lead the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the strategic vision, values, and annual School Improvement Plan for The Cooper School.

  • Priority Students & Data: Oversee progress tracking and interventions for priority student cohorts (including PP and Looked-After Children/LAC where assigned), evaluating data to close achievement gaps.

  • Safeguarding & Behaviour: Act as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) where required, upholding robust child protection practices and reinforcing positive behaviour management throughout the school.

  • Community Engagement: Promote positive relationships with parents, carers, governors, external agencies, and the wider Bicester community.


Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.
Visas cannot be sponsored.
If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

View advert on external website (opens in new tab)

About The Cooper School

Organisation type
Academy, ages 11 to 18
Education phase
Secondary school
Size
1118 pupils enrolled
Age range
11 to 18
Ofsted report
View Ofsted report
Website
The Cooper School website
See more jobs
teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/the-cooper-school-bicester

At The Cooper School, we pride ourselves on being forward thinking in terms of curriculum decisions which support our students; focused on improving learning through the use of new technologies and determined to continuously refine our approaches to teaching and learning. Investing in the Media Suite reflects a small part of our approach to making learning engaging, relevant and active for our students.

Joining us as a member of staff at The Cooper School means being able to see the big picture for the students here. It means that whilst we always strive for academic excellence, we also place great value upon students becoming adaptable, resourceful and enquiring. These are the sort of skills that will enable them to become effective citizens, just as much as their academic results will. As such, we encourage independent learning, enrichment initiatives and House-based teamwork and co-operation.

Working here is an opportunity to flourish as a professional. We ‘grow our own’ leaders. Many new staff have taken on additional responsibilities which is a mark of their quality and commitment to making progress in their own careers as well as their desire to become part of a successful and positive organisation.

School location

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