Deputy Headteacher - Special School
Oakfield Park School, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 7DT80 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2026
Closing date
12 April 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
21 January 2026
Job details
Job role
- Deputy headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- Leadership: L19 - L23
What skills and experience we're looking for
The Role
Reporting directly to the Headteacher, the Deputy Headteacher will support and assist in all aspects of school leadership and management and will deputise for the Headteacher when required. The successful candidate will work strategically and operationally to ensure high standards of teaching, learning, safeguarding, and inclusion across the school.
You will be a visible, approachable leader with a strong moral purpose, able to inspire staff and pupils while driving continual improvement in outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
Key Responsibilities
- Support and deputise for the Headteacher, including leading the school in their absence
- Provide strategic leadership across teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment
- Promote and safeguard the welfare of all pupils, ensuring safeguarding policies are rigorously implemented
- Lead and manage staff effectively, including performance management and professional development
- Play a key role in whole-school self-evaluation and improvement planning
- Develop and lead a knowledge-rich, well-sequenced bespoke curriculum
- Work closely with governors, parents, external agencies, and the local authority
- Contribute to financial and resource management
- Maintain a strong presence across the school, modelling outstanding practice and behaviour management
The Successful Candidate Will Have
Essential:
- Qualified Teacher Status with a good honours degree
- Substantial teaching experience across primary/secondary phases, ideally within SEND
- Proven experience in senior or middle leadership with strategic responsibilities
- A strong track record of improving outcomes for pupils, including those with SEND and from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Outstanding classroom practice and deep knowledge of safeguarding requirements
- Experience of leading staff, managing underperformance, and delivering effective CPD
Desirable:
- Postgraduate qualification
- National Professional Qualification (NPQSL or similar)
- NaSENCo qualification
- SEND teaching experience across a range of settings
Personal Qualities
- A calm, resilient, and flexible leader with excellent interpersonal skills
- Highly organised, proactive, and able to manage change sensitively
- A positive, solution-focused approach with the ability to hold difficult conversations
- Enthusiastic, self-motivated, and able to lead by example
- Strong alignment with the values and ethos of Oakfield Park School
What the school offers its staff
Oakfield Park School is seeking to appoint an exceptionalDeputy Headteacherto join our committed and ambitious leadership team. This is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in an Outstanding, specialist SEND, as affirmed by Ofsted in March 2025, setting where every pupil has an Education, Health and Care Plan and deserves the very best education and care.
Oakfield Park School caters for 177 young people in the secondary and post 16 phases with severe, complex, or profound multiple learning difficulties. Among our diverse student body, many individuals contend with additional needs, including Autism, multi sensory impairments, as well as medical and physical needs.
We have 2 sites; our main site is located in Ackworth and caters for 20 classes of 6 to 12 students aged between 11 and 19. Our satellite site is located in Thornes Park Wakefield which caters for 15 students aged 16 – 19 who are accessing our Work skills pathway. This role presents an exciting opportunity as we continue to grow.
Why Join Oakfield Park School?
- An Outstanding specialist provision with a strong reputation
- A highly skilled, committed staff team
- Pupils who are valued, understood, and supported to succeed
- A leadership role with real influence and scope to make a difference
- Supportive governance and strong partnerships with the local authority
Visiting Oakfield Park School
We encourage potential candidates to arrange a visit to the school by contacting recruitment@oakfieldpark.wakefield.sch.uk
Further information
The successful candidate will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and to provide criminal conviction information.
Completed application forms should be returned to recruitment@oakfieldpark.wakefield.sch.uk or Oakfield Park School, Barnsley Road, Ackworth, Pontefract WF7 7DT no later than midnight on 12th April 2026 at midnight.
Closing Date: 12th April 2026 midnight
Shortlisting Week commencing 13th April 2026
Interview date: 27th & 28th April 2026
For further details and an application form contact the School on 01977 613423 or recruitment@oakfieldpark.wakefield.sch.uk
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Oakfield Park is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our students and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Governing Body has a duty of care to students and all members of the school community. There is a comprehensive Safeguarding policy in place which, along with a policy for Health and Safety, is regularly reviewed by the Governing Body.
Our Safeguarding policy can be found on the school website under the Policies section and is also available upon request from the school office.
Applying for the job
This job requires you to download an application form, you will be able to upload the application once complete.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Oakfield Park School
- School type
- Special school, ages 11 to 19
- School size
- 162 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Oakfield Park School website
- Email address
- recruitment@oakfieldpark.wakefield.sch.uk
Oakfield Park School is a Local Authority maintained school situated in the pleasant village of Ackworth, near Pontefract. We provide a high level of specialised education for young people aged 11 to 19 years who have severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties. Many of our pupils have additional complex needs including ASDs, sensory impairment, challenging behaviour and physical difficulties. We provide high-quality specialist resources across the school, including a hydrotherapy pool, a sensory room, activity and soft play area, a food tech room, and a variety of outdoor resources.
We aim for all our students to develop a ‘voice’, to be as independent, social, and healthy as possible, enabling them to become citizens who engage positively with society while leading happy and fulfilled lives.
In October 2019 we received our second consecutive Ofsted judgement of “Outstanding”. The inspectors found that:
• The quality of education at Oakfield Park is outstanding.
• Oakfield Park is a remarkably friendly and welcoming school.
• Pupils work hard and achieve highly at Oakfield Park.
• Pupils say they love coming to school
• They (pupils) feel happy and safe because they know that adults care about them.
• By the time students leave school, they are exceedingly well prepared for adult life.
• Sixth form students get precisely the right support to help them to get ready for when they leave school.
• [There are] exceptionally strong relationships between pupils and staff
Pupils attend from across the Wakefield Metropolitan District. The school is well equipped providing excellent accommodation for pupils with disabilities including those with physical and complex needs. It is a single-storey construction allowing access for wheelchairs. We have:
- A heated hydrotherapy pool which is used by school pupils and hired out for community use.
- Activity soft play room
- Sensory Room
- ICT Suite
- Specialist Food Technology Room
- Independent Living flat
- Adventure playground
- Horticulture area including a large poly-tunnel
- Sensory garden
- Large wildlife area
- Spacious playing fields
- Well resourced specialist classrooms
- 3 adapted minibuses and a people carrier
Our Aims
We are a school which provides a centre of excellence through:
• Working in partnership with parents, families, staff, governors and other professionals to ensure the right of every person who has special educational needs to access the quality of education to which they are entitled.
• A shared commitment to building on knowledge and skills to develop independence in preparation for lifelong learning.
• Having high expectations of pupil standards, achievements and behaviour.
• Ensuring the care, safety and welfare of all of its pupils.
• Valuing every member of the school community.
• Providing a highly trained, professional staff team who are committed to delivering quality learning experiences that are challenging and rewarding.
• Celebrating progress, success and achievement through building on ability rather than disability.
• Being inclusive and promoting equal opportunity for all.
“All Different, All Valued, All Equal”
Arranging a visit to Oakfield Park School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@oakfieldpark.wakefield.sch.uk.
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