Head of Aspire Centre
Shire Oak Academy, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 9PA13 days remaining to apply
Job start date
5 January 2026
Closing date
9 December 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
25 November 2025
Job details
Job role
- Other leadership roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 37 hours per week, Term Time (39 weeks) Monday – Thursday 8.30am - 4.30pm and Friday 8.30am - 4pm
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- Grade 6 - £24,020 - £27,712 (Actual Salary)
What skills and experience we're looking for
ASPIRE Centre Manager
Closing date - 9th December 2025
Salary: Grade 6 - £24,020 - £27,712 (Actual Salary)Hours: 37 hours per week, Term Time (39 weeks)Monday – Thursday 8.30am - 4.30pm and Friday 8.30am - 4pmContract type: Permanent Reporting to: Assistant Headteacher responsible for pastoral care
Responsible for:
Main purpose
The ASPIRE Centre Manager, under the direction of the Assistant Headteacher responsible for pastoral care, will:• Support our most vulnerable and at-risk students by assessing their barriers to learning and providing an alternative space and curriculum.• Be able to devise strategies that have a clear impact on students’ progress and ability to access their education. • Have a determination for continuous improvement and social justice• Contribute to strategy and leadership across the pastoral team supporting the aims and values of our pastoral offer• Be passionate about supporting vulnerable young people to ensure they reach their full potential and improve their life chances.
Duties and responsibilities
• Manage the onsite ASPIRE centre, a small, detached classroom base for students who are struggling in the main school setting. The role would be student facing, delivering some aspects of the curriculum and leading a team of mentors. • Have oversight of the Shire Oak ASPIRE interventions programme.• Assess the needs of students who receive ASPIRE referrals and plan an appropriate programme of intervention.• Plan and oversee appropriate intervention timetables for the ASPIRE mentors and associate heads of year.
Leadership
Under the direction of the Assistant Headteacher:• Coach and manage the ASPIRE mentors, ensuring quality interventions are being delivered.• Assess the needs of students who receive ASPIRE referrals and plan an appropriate programme of intervention.• Plan and oversee appropriate intervention timetables for the ASPIRE mentors and associate heads of year.• Utilise the school-based systems and agencies already existing within the school, including the phase leaders, heads of year, associate heads of year and mentors.
- Communicate with the wider school about students and their needs, influencing the practice of other staff and providing support and training of how to work with the students in the wider school.• Manage the ASPIRE Centre daily - both the RESET room and ASPIRE room.• Deliver interventions as required within the ASPIRE centre timetable.• Link with external agencies to review the quality of their provision, attendance and engagement.
Other responsibilities
The ASPIRE Centre Leader will be required to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and follow Academy policies and the staff code of conduct.
Please note that this is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the ASPIRE Centre Leader will carry out. The postholder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role, as directed by the Headteacher
Come and see what Shire Oak Academy has to offer, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
For a more detailed look at our Academy access our website onwww.shireoakacademy.co.uk.
Further details are available by contacting the Headteacher’s PA by e-mail ons.read@soa.merciantrust.org.uk
The Mercian Trust 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. Pre-employment checks include an enhanced disclosure and barring service check as a requirement of this post. Our Safeguarding Policy is available on our website, and we encourage applicants to review it before applying.
This position is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check (formerly CRB) under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Further details regarding this check are available from the school or by visitingwww.crb.gov.uk.
What the school offers its staff
At Shire Oak Academy, we will invest in you and support you to reach your potential. As a school we are only as good as the people we work with and to ensure that we get the best from our young people, we need to make sure that we also get the best from our staff. Relationships matter and this is at the heart of what we do every day in our school and as one of 12 schools within the Mercian Trust.
Shire Oak Academy is not the easier school to work in currently, but we encourage you to visit to see we are far more than our most recent Ofsted report. We have a new Leadership Team, led by experienced Headteacher Matthew Everett and we would welcome applications from those wishing to join us on the exciting journey that Shire Oak is currently on. We are a community secondary school in Walsall Wood and proud of our inclusivity. Our ethos is built upon #BeIncredible and we accept that young people are going to make mistakes, but through positive interactions and support we will help to ensure that they fall less often and can reflect and learn from their mistakes and #BeIncredible in all that they do . Through our House System, and form tutors, we provide the care and support that is needed for all individuals and their families, including healthy competition. Everyone within the academy is expected to be an active member of their house, students and staff alike!
As well as offering a knowledge rich curriculum, which includes the full spectrum of creative subjects, we also offer an extensive enrichment and extra-curricular programme. Our drama shows are as good as what you would see in the local theatres, our sports teams are committed and driven taking part in local and regional competitions, and our wide array of trips provide awe and wonder for our young people. If there is an opportunity to improve the cultural capital of our young people, we will always be open to ideas.
The design of our building is unique, a huge campus at the highest point in Walsall with incredible views and huge open spaces, with top of the range facilities, including sport, technology and photography spaces.
Come and see what Shire Oak Academy has to offer, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
For a more detailed look at our Academy access our website onwww.shireoakacademy.co.uk.
Further details are available by contacting the Headteacher’s PA by e-mail ons.read@soa.merciantrust.org.uk
The Mercian Trust 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. Pre-employment checks include an enhanced disclosure and barring service check as a requirement of this post. Our Safeguarding Policy is available on our website, and we encourage applicants to review it before applying.
This position is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check (formerly CRB) under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Further details regarding this check are available from the school or by visitingwww.crb.gov.uk.
Further information about the job
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.
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 Shire Oak Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1297 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Shire Oak Academy website
- Email address
- hrmatters@merciantrust.org.uk
Arranging a visit to Shire Oak Academy
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hrmatters@merciantrust.org.uk.
School location
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