Deputy Head Teacher
The Ladder School, Walsall, WS1 1RS11 days remaining to apply
Start date details
January 2027 but earlier start date negotiable
Closing date
21 September 2026 at 9am
Date listed
8 September 2026
Job details
Job role
- Deputy headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full time equivalent salary
- £71,330.00 - £78,702.00 Annually (Actual) L14 - L18
Deputy Head Teacher job summary
Job Title: Deputy Headteacher
Location: The Ladder School, Walsall
We’re looking for a visionary and compassionate school leader to become the Deputy Headteacher of The Ladder School - The Mercian Trust’s Alternative Provision Free School for students aged 13-19, set in a fantastic modern building in the heart of Walsall.
At The Ladder School, we provide a purposeful, nurturing and ambitious education for young people who need something different from mainstream provision. More than an alternative placement, The Ladder School offers students a fresh opportunity to reconnect, re-engage and prepare positively for their future.
Every student is known as an individual. Our staff look beyond behaviour, barriers and previous experiences to understand the whole child. Through strong relationships, consistent routines and high expectations, students are supported to rebuild trust, develop confidence and re-engage with learning.
Our school has a warm, family feel. It is safe, respectful and inclusive, while remaining clear about standards, responsibility and ambition. Students experience care, structure and challenge in equal measure, and are encouraged to recognise their strengths, overcome obstacles and believe in what they can become.
This is a rare opportunity to help guide The Ladder School into its next chapter; shaping the future of a school that makes a meaningful difference every day. You will work alongside a team united by its commitment to young people, families and lasting transformation.
At a school where every day brings fresh challenges and fresh rewards, as Deputy Headteacher you will lead with ambition, determination and honesty - you will embody our Mercian Trust values - that we care, we are courageous, we are candid, and we are accountable.
These values underpin our Trust-wide social mobility and social justice mission to increase opportunities and improve outcomes - especially for those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs or disabilities, or are more likely to face discrimination.
The Ladder School is more than just a school building with its staff, students and families - it is a strategic approach for redefining alternative provision - both across our twelve Mercian Trust schools, and wider, across all the communities we serve in the towns of the Black Country.
You will bring significant experience of school leadership - whether that is in the Alternative Provision, SEND, or other atypical school sector, or within mainstream schools. The key skillset we are looking for is the drive, energy and innovation to be a key member of the leadership team of a truly remarkable school and continue its journey to redefine alternative provision.
Role overview:
A crucial leadership role in our forward-thinking Alternative Provision school
Join us at a crucial stage of our social mobility mission
A competitive salary in range L14-18 (Pay Award Pending)
To start January 2027, or earlier by negotiation
Why The Mercian Trust?
As one Trust we share a common purpose. We call it our social mobility and social justice mission to change our communities through the very best equitable education. When we get this right, it enables our children and young people to fulfil their potential, thrive in the world of work, and make a positive contribution to the local, national and international community. Our recent achievements include:
Sustainable Growth - becoming one of the largest and most diverse trusts in the region
Social Mobility & Social Justice - National recognition for the Trust’s two selective grammar schools who the most successful on the number of local disadvantaged students passing the entrance and joining the schools
Increasing Opportunities - Opening brand-new purpose-built campus in Walsall Town Centre including an alternative provision for students at risk at permanent exclusion from mainstream schools alongside a Digital Skills Hub to provide professionals and employers
Pioneering Spirit - National recognition for pioneering work around youth mental health, including establishing an in-house multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals delivering interventions and providing support to vulnerable students
Outward Looking- Organising and hosting the region’s first Youth Suicide Conference (2023) and Youth Violence Conference (2024) at Villa Park
Innovation and Improvement - A multi-million-pound investment in the digital infrastructure of Trust schools and our Digital Skills Hub underpinning the ongoing transformation of how staff teach, students learn, leaders lead and the whole Trust operates in readiness for the AI-supercharged careers and workplaces of the future.
Want to be a part of something extraordinary? Find out more: The Mercian Trust - Home
What can we offer you:
Benefits:
Financial, Health and Lifestyle
- discounts on everyday purchases (Eden Red)
- a comprehensive free of charge health plan (UK Health Care)
- a cycle to work scheme via Halfords
- Access to the Blue Light Card
For further benefits including education sector leading CPD: The Mercian Trust - What we can offer you
The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults, and all appointments are subject to enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks and satisfactory references.
The Mercian Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.
Please take time to read our policies attached to this advert.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
The Ladder School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A copy of the ‘Safeguarding Policy’ is available to view or download by logging onto the School website: www.theladderschool.org.
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 Ladder School
- Organisation type
- Free School, ages 13 to 18
- Size
- 62 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 13 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Website
- The Ladder School website
We are an Alternative Provision Free School located in Walsall Town Centre. The Ladder School was established in January 2019 and has now moved in to a brand new, purpose-built building based on the edge of Walsall town centre where there are excellent links to the local and wider community. Over the coming years we will continue to grow and become the ‘go to place’ for alternative provision in the borough.
At The Ladder School, we recognise that mainstream school does not suit all young people and we are here to offer a second chance. We work on a commissioning basis, that means that a school or the Local Authority must approach to place a student. Unfortunately, we cannot accept direct referrals from parents/carers.
The staff work incredibly hard to ensure our students make the most of the opportunities that they get whist they are with us. Unlike other alternative provisions, we offer a range of GCSE courses, supplemented with some vocational courses to ensure students get a well-rounded education.
We are a positive environment, that uses praise and encouragement to enable our students to see things differently. We have a set of values that underpin everything we do.
School location
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