Deputy Headteacher
Ashton-on-Mersey School, Sale, Cheshire, M33 5BP16 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2026
Closing date
30 January 2026 at 8am
Date listed
14 January 2026
Job details
Job role
- Teacher
- Deputy headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Working pattern
- Full time: 27.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £88,951.00 - £98,106.00
Pay scale
- ISR Scale Point L23-L27
What skills and experience we're looking for
This exciting opportunity is for an experienced leader who has the vision, drive and energy to take forward the school with the Headteacher and the leadership team. The school is looking for a leader who has the following skills, experience and qualities:
- At least three years of proven, strong, successful senior leadership and management experience in a secondary school
- Expertise in strategic and operational leadership across several key areas of school improvement
- A commitment to inclusion and a comprehensive understanding of the safeguarding and welfare of pupils
- An ability to inspire others and to create an ethos of high staff morale
- Experience of instilling high corporate standards, aspirations and outcomes amongst staff and pupils.
What the school offers its staff
Benefits available at The Dean Trust
- Automatic Enrolment to Teachers’ Pension Scheme
- 24/7 access to an Employee Assistance Programme
- Access to Family Friendly and Leave of Absence Policies
- Recognition Awards
- Health Care Cash Plan, Level 1 funded by the Trust
- Salary Sacrifice Schemes
- Preferential admission
The school has:
- An ambitious co-produced curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 leading to a full A-Level and vocational qualification offer in Key Stage 5 at our thriving sixth form
- A reputation for securing year on year examination results that are consistently strong
- Modern, high-quality facilities with the latest technology solutions accessible to all staff and pupils and with sports facilities that rank alongside some of the best in the country
- An exceptional character and personal development programme which involves a renowned provision of extra-curricular activity with specialism in Sport and Performing Arts
- A dedicated group of teaching and support staff that lead excellent pastoral care in an inclusive school which maintains a traditional expectation with regards to standards of behaviour
- Direct access to the Believe Learning Institute (The Dean Trust’s centre for professional learning including leadership development), Turing NW Maths Hub and SCITT; all based on site
- World class opportunities and partnerships forged with national and international partners including Sale Sharks and Manchester United Football Club with whom we have provided an educational package for youth players for over 25 years
Further information about the job
Key Responsibilities
Core purpose and accountability:
- To be an inspirational leader that creates an ethos and culture of high staff morale, excellent attitudes to learning and strong outcomes for pupils.
- To embrace, model and embed a culture of high corporate standards, aspirations and outcomes amongst staff and pupils.
- To lead on establishing and implementing a safe, calm and well-ordered environment for all pupils and staff, focused on safeguarding pupils and developing exemplary behaviour in the school and in the wider society.
- To demand ambitious standards, expectations and aspirations for all pupils, overcoming disadvantage and advancing equality.
- To instill a strong sense of accountability in staff for the impact of their work on pupils’ academic and social development.
- To play a major role under the direction of the Headteacher/Executive Headteacher: setting the key improvement objectives of the school; establishing and embedding policies, systems and practice; and managing staff and resources so that these objectives can be achieved.
- To use external and internal research and development to innovate and improve attitude to learning and behaviour across the school providing a research-led approach.
- To undertake the professional duties of a Deputy Headteacher as reasonably delegated by the Headteacher.
- To undertake the professional duties of a Headteacher, in the event of the Headteacher’s absence from school
- To provide strategic and operational leadership for key areas of school improvement as reflected in the School Improvement Plan.
- To support the Headteacher in providing assurance to the Governing Body so that Governors have an accurate and robust understanding of the school’s strengths, weaknesses, key improvement priorities and strategies to address these priorities.
Strategic leadership:
- To support and secure the commitment of others to the vision, ethos and policies of the school and promote the highest levels of expectation, aspiration and achievement for pupils.
- To embed ambition and drive improvement across the school.
- To be able to articulate the vision of the school and ensure that it is understood, shared and acted upon by all.
- To model the highest standards of professional conduct and to be an ambassador for the school and wider Trust.
- To demonstrate the vision and values of the Trust in everyday practice.
- To support colleagues through effective direction, mentoring and coaching, so that they can be more effective in how they lead and manage pupils and staff.
- To contribute to the creation and implementation of the School Improvement Plan and take responsibility for leading key aspects of it.
- To lead school self-evaluation - in relation to standards and achievement - and thereby identify priorities for improvement.
- To identify key professional development needs in relation for the areas of responsibility and ensure that these are addressed.
- To understand curriculum models and associated financial planning.
- To understand school performance management and its impact on school improvement.
- To understand how to implement the effective use of government grants e.g. Pupil Premium, Catch Up Grant Strategy.
- To understand effective resource deployment and the importance of informed financial planning.
- To understand how to maintain a safe and secure school site.
Student Welfare and Safeguarding
- To act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and oversee the safeguarding team, ensuring all statutory safeguarding requirements and best practices are rigorously met.
- To lead, develop and champion initiatives to enhance student mental health, emotional resilience, and overall well-being.
Management of Pastoral Staff and Systems
- To line manage and provide professional development for Assistant Headteachers, Heads of Year, Pastoral Managers, and the attendance team.
- To evaluate and refine the effectiveness of the pastoral structures, systems and processes to maximise student support and engagement.
- To lead and manage behaviour systems and processes across the school.
- To lead communication with parents/carers regarding pastoral issues, ensuring strong home-school partnerships.
- To lead pupil standards across all areas of the school including school uniform.
Inclusion and Attendance
- To lead and drive improvement in whole-school attendance and punctuality through strategic monitoring and intervention programs.
- To ensure that pastoral support is inclusive and meets the needs of all learners, particularly those who are vulnerable, have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or are Looked After Children (LAC).
Leading and Managing Staff:
- To support the Headteacher to create a safe, inclusive and aspirational environment.
- To embrace, protect and celebrate the diversity of the school and wider community.
- To embed appraisal systems across the school that are robust and effective in recognising good practice, supports staff progress against professional and performance management objectives, and have a tangible impact on pupils’ learning.
- To support staff in achieving high standards through effective professional development.
- To promote positive working relationships with and between pupils and staff throughout the school.
- To lead meetings that are associated to the Deputy Headteacher’s responsibilities and sphere of influence.
- Ensure that the Headteacher and Governors are informed and advised about educational plans, policies and priorities in the areas of responsibility and that progress is evaluated and outcomes shared.
- To commit to self-development (review own practice, set targets and take responsibility for own professional development) and to build a professional learning community which enables staff to achieve their potential.
Strengthening Community:
- To work with the Headteacher to create and maintain positive and supportive relationships with parents, carers and the wider community.
- To build, develop and maintain effective relationships with parents and members of the wider community to enhance the educational experience and outcomes of all pupils.
- To promote collaboration with other schools and organisations in order to share expertise and secure benefits for the staff and pupils of the school.
Other Duties:
- To carry out the duties of a school teacher as set out in the 2019 Pay and Conditions Document and subject to any amendments due to government legislation. This includes any duties as may reasonably be directed by the Headteacher and Executive Headteacher and expected of class teachers.
- To be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to safeguarding, child protection, health and safety, confidentiality and data protection – reporting all concerns to the appropriate person.
- To promote learning that enables pupils to achieve high standards and to share and support the school’s responsibility for the wellbeing, education and discipline of all pupils in its care.
- To uphold the school’s principles and policies that underpin good practice and the raising of standards and to promote the school’s aims and values.
- To play an active role in the school’s self-evaluation process as a member of the teaching staff as well as in the capacity you hold in the school.
- To engage in professional development: keeping ‘up-to-date’ with the latest leadership and pedagogical thinking, coaching, mentoring, self-evaluation, peer review, learning walks, work scrutiny, lesson observation and other quality assurance processes.
- To undertake any other duties and responsibilities as required that are covered by the general scope of the post.
- To undertake any other reasonable duties at the request of the Headteacher and Executive Headteacher
Commitment to safeguarding
The Dean Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to pre-employment checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Check.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Ashton-on-Mersey School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 19
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1600 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Ashton-on-Mersey School website
- Email address
- maxinemills@aom.trafford.sch.uk
- Phone number
- 0161 973 1179
Founded in 1981, following the amalgamation of separate Boys’ and Girls’ schools, Ashton on Mersey School is the founding school of The Dean Trust which is a multi-academy trust comprising seven secondary schools and four primary schools across four local authorities.
Ashton on Mersey School is one of the most popular and oversubscribed schools in the region with a reputation for aspiration, endeavour and excellence. As Headteacher, I am proud to lead a team of teachers and support staff who truly believe that every pupil should achieve or exceed their potential.
The school has an established ethos of setting high academic standards by carefully crafting a pupil-centered approach where individual needs are matched with a broad, ambitious and exciting curriculum. In addition, the school is passionate about providing rich and diverse opportunities in an environment designed to nurture lifelong learners and citizens who can thrive regionally, nationally and globally.
Arranging a visit to Ashton-on-Mersey School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email maxinemills@aom.trafford.sch.uk.
School location
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