Assistant Headteacher

Woodside Primary School, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 1DT

53 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  4 January 2027

• Closing date

  2 October 2026 at 9am

• Date listed

  10 August 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Teacher or lecturer
  • Assistant headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Early years, Key stage 1, Key stage 2
• Working pattern: Full time: Full-time, Monday to Friday, with 0.4 (2 days per week) class teaching commitment
• Contract type: Permanent
• Pay scale: L1 to L5

What skills and experience we're looking for

This is a high-profile senior leadership role designed for an inspirational, strategic educator ready to impact a large-scale primary setting. Working closely with the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team, the Assistant Headteacher will drive the academy’s strategic vision, school growth, and continuous school improvement. In a large single academy, you will oversee an expanded staff team and substantial pupil cohorts, ensuring the highest standards of teaching, learning, and operational excellence. You will champion an inclusive culture, lead major curriculum or phase initiatives, and ensure that all children—particularly vulnerable groups—make accelerated progress. You will also take a leading role in safeguarding.

Essential:

Qualified Teacher Status

Degree level qualification

NPQH, NPQSL or equivalent

Substantial proven, successful primary teaching experience

Team leadership and/or leadership of a curriculum team or whole school initiative

Proven track record of raising standards and accelerating pupil progress

Experience liaising with and presenting to parents, carers, and other stakeholders

Strong knowledge of the primary National Curriculum and statutory assessments

Ability to analyse performance data and diagnostic assessments to track pupil progress and drive strategic decisions

Strong knowledge of identification, assessment, and provision strategies for a wide range of needs

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Experience of appraising staff

Desirable:

Experience of teaching disadvantaged children

Experience of working in a large primary school environment

Experience on SLT with line management responsibilities

Experience working as a DSL or DDSL

Understanding of academy governance, statutory compliance and safeguarding

Experience managing largescale organisational change

Personal qualities

• Positive, warm and child-centred

• Inspiring, highly visible leadership presence

• Ability to motivate teams

• Excellent emotional intelligence, resilience and adaptability under pressure

• Ability to maintain confidentiality

• Punctual, reliable and committed

• Keen to forge and maintain relationships with the community

• Team player with the ability to relate well to/communicate with children and adults

• Ability to coach and challenge colleagues

• Confidence to contribute to Senior Leadership meetings, Trustee meetings, etc

• Excellent organisational skills, including ability to manage workload, work under pressure and prioritise

• Willing to initiate and embrace change

• Adaptable and flexible approach to work

• Commitment to own professional development

• Ambition to progress towards Deputy Headship or Headship role

• Sense of humour

What the school offers its staff

We can offer the successful candidate the chance to be part of a caring, dedicated team with wonderful staff, committed trustees, a supportive community, and excellent facilities.

We are committed to investing in staff professional development and have a clear policy on staff wellbeing.

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.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Academy Management

• Translate the school vision into actionable, measurable development plans to maintain high educational standards.
• Manage the complex day-to-day operations of a large campus and deputise for the Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher as necessary.
• Support self-evaluation processes, feeding directly into the School Development Plan and Ofsted Inspection Framework readiness.
• Work with the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher to prepare high-quality, data driven reports for the Board of Trustees and academy committees.

Teaching, Curriculum, and Assessment at Scale

• Maintain a strategic leadership allocation with a limited, high-impact teaching commitment to model "quality first teaching".
• With the SLT, maintain oversight of our large-scale curriculum design, ensuring it is broad, balanced, sequenced, and aligned with national standards.

• Work with the Deputy Headteacher to lead robust assessment tracking across a large pupil population, running pupil progress meetings to prevent any child from slipping through the cracks.

• Partner with the SEND Lead and Safeguarding & Inclusion Lead to ensure provisions effectively support diverse pupil needs, maximizing the impact of the Pupil Premium Grant and other specific funding.

Safeguarding and Pastoral Care

• Act as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL), ensuring a vigilant safeguarding culture across our large school.

• Work with SLT to oversee whole-school behaviour policies, promoting a positive, inclusive environment that scales effectively across all year groups.

• Develop strong communication channels with a large, diverse community of parents, carers, and external agencies.

Leading, Managing, and Developing Staff

• Line manage phase teams or curriculum teams, establishing clear accountability and high expectations.

• With the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher, execute the school’s appraisal cycle, identifying training needs and driving staff development.

• Design and deliver whole-school professional development, supporting Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and middle leaders in collaboration with the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher.

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

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Woodside Primary School

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 3 to 11
• Education phase: Primary school
• Size: 558 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 3 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Woodside Primary School website
• Email address: ellis.l@woodside.shropshire.sch.uk
• Phone number: 01691652446
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/woodside-primary-school

Woodside Primary School is a large and popular school serving the community of  Oswestry and surrounding villages. We are a three-form entry primary school from Reception to Year 6. We also have a Nursery offering part-time and full
time provision. 
To support our parents and children we have wraparound care from 7.30am to 5.30pm providing a breakfast and afterschool club every weekday and during some school holidays. 
At Woodside we strive to ensure that our children are happy, confident and aspirational, always trying their best. Woodside children are encouraged to be respectful, resilient and to take responsibility for their own actions, making positive contributions that are recognised and celebrated by the wider community.

We can offer the successful candidate the chance to be part of a caring, dedicated team with wonderful staff, committed trustees, a supportive community, and excellent facilities. We are committed to investing in staff professional development and have a clear policy on staff wellbeing. 

Arranging a visit to Woodside Primary School

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email ellis.l@woodside.shropshire.sch.uk.

School location

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