Deputy Headteacher

Unsworth Academy, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 8LP

16 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 January 2026

• Closing date

  15 October 2025 at 9am

• Date listed

  29 September 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Deputy headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 1, Key stage 2, Key stage 3, Key stage 4
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: L18-L22 - £75,675 - £83,464 (Pay award pending)

Deputy Headteacher job summary

We are seeking an exceptional and compassionate leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Deputy Headteacher with responsibility for Pastoral Care and Safeguarding. This pivotal role offers the opportunity to shape the culture and ethos of our school, ensuring every child feels safe, supported, and able to thrive.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead whole-school strategies for pupil well-being, behaviour, attendance, and personal development, fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment.
• Champion and embed a robust safeguarding culture, ensuring that statutory responsibilities are met and every child’s welfare is prioritised.
• Build strong partnerships with pupils, staff, families, and external agencies to secure the best outcomes for all.
• Provide training, guidance, and support for staff to strengthen pastoral care across the school.
• Use data and pupil voice to drive continuous improvement in attendance, behaviour, and well-being.

We are looking for a leader who has a proven track record in pastoral leadership and safeguarding, is an excellent communicator, able to inspire trust and confidence across the school community and can balance high expectations with empathy and care, ensuring ambitious standards while supporting pupils’ personal growth.

This is an exciting opportunity to take a key leadership role in a forward-thinking school where safeguarding and pastoral excellence sit at the heart of everything we do.

If you would like an informal discussion about working for Shaw Education Trust in this role, please contact Sarah Murcott, National Director of Secondary (see attachment for details)

For a tour of the school, contact Rachel Owen, Operation Admin Assistant (see attachment for details)

Unsworth Academy is a thriving, oversubscribed, co-educational and non- selective Bury high school. The school is on an incredibly exciting journey of school improvement and when last inspected in November 2019 was judged to be Good in all areas.

We are now three years into our “Good to Outstanding” journey. There have been many highlights, including superb outcomes at GCSE, but a particular highlight of the journey has been digitalisation. All our students and staff have a school iPad that they utilise in and out of lessons.

Join Shaw Education Trust – Support, Teach, Lead… Make the Remarkable Happen

At Shaw Education Trust, we believe every role holds the power to transform a life. Whether you're supporting behind the scenes, inspiring in the classroom, or leading with vision, you’ll be part of something extraordinary.

We are a dynamic and growing family of Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools, proudly serving communities from Birmingham to Bury. Our mission is to unlock opportunity for every young person—whatever their background, ability, or starting point.

Our people are our greatest asset, and we are deeply committed to their growth. Through high-quality training, apprenticeships, talent acceleration, and research opportunities, we empower our staff to thrive as skilled, confident professionals and we champion wellbeing, value every voice, and create a culture where you feel supported, motivated, and inspired to make a real difference.

You will join a collaborative network of schools where shared expertise and professional community fuel success. Every academy in our Trust has an equal voice, and every colleague plays a vital part in shaping tailored learning experiences that raise aspirations and build brighter futures.

At the heart of our work is a deep respect for the children and young adults we serve—our “precious cargo.” We are proud to "exactly like nothing else” and bridge the gap between education and the wider world, preparing every student for further education, employment, or training in inclusive environments where integrity, equality, and opportunity thrive.

If you have the heart, passion, and drive to help shape lives and create futures filled with promise, we would love you to join our incredible team.

Support. Teach. Lead. Belong. Thrive.

Together, let’s make the remarkable happen.

Shaw Education Trust offer the following employee benefits with your Teaching or Support Staff employment:

• An excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (Support Staff) / Teachers Pension (Teaching Staff)
• Support Staff only based on working full time, all year - Generous holiday entitlement from your first day of employment (37 days holiday rising to 39 days after 5 years’ service including Bank Holidays)
• Access to Medicash Health & Wellbeing Plan: Enjoy health services designed to support your well-being.
• Free DiscountForTeachers Scheme for all staff (Support and Teaching), Exclusive discounts to save money with a wide selection of discounts and exclusive offers from hundreds of the biggest brands.
• Free Eye Tests.
• Cycle to work scheme.

We know our people are the key to our success and so we’re committed to ensuring the employment experience at Shaw Education Trust is a rewarding one.

Interview date: Monday 20th October 2025

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.

About Unsworth Academy

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary
• School size: 968 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Unsworth Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/unsworth-academy

At Unsworth Academy our mission is to work together to inspire and challenge our learners to achieve excellence.

This mission is summed up in our new motto: Inspire, Challenge, Excel

Our Vision: Outstanding in everything we do.

This is our end goal. This is what we are striving to achieve in everything we do.

Our values: Respect, Pride, Ambition

These are our core principles and standards. These are what we consider to be most important to us as a school - to have respect, pride and ambition, for ourselves, our school and others.

Our partnership will secure the very best outcomes for your child. Our partnership will ensure that they achieve their full potential and leave us in Year 11 with the confidence and qualifications to enable them to lead very successful, fulfilling and productive lives.

School location

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