Makerfield Academy Trust Chief Executive Officer / Headteacher
The Byrchall High School, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PQ43 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 January 2026
Closing date
7 September 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
22 July 2025
Job details
Job role
- Other leadership roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- L33-L39B
What skills and experience we're looking for
Makerfield Academy Trust is based in the North West of England and is seeking an exceptional and visionary leader. This exciting opportunity has arisen due to the retirement of our long-standing Chief Executive Officer / Headteacher.
We need a dynamic leader who is committed to ensuring that our young people are fulfilled academically and socially, and make a positive contribution to their community.
We are committed to providing a rich education for every young person in our Trust, maximising each pupil’s academic achievement through the creation of an exceptional environment where personal abilities and individual talents are fully developed and celebrated.
Our vision is to:
- nurture an ethos that promotes academic and personal growth.
- ensure high quality teaching and learning with high expectation.s of individual pupil performance
- provide an outstanding curriculum that inspires pupils to develop academically and personally, whilst equipping them for adult life in the 21st century and life beyond school.
- offer a modern, well-resourced learning environment, within which pupils feel valued and learn to respect and co-operate with one another.
We pledge to achieve our vision for our pupils’ education by:
- treating everyone justly regardless of religious belief, ethnic origin or social background.
- promoting excellence academically, in sport, in the performing arts and in behaviour.
- supporting pupils to develop their personalities, talents and abilities to the full.
- recognising and respecting the important partnership between home and school.
We are dedicated to enabling our pupils to achieve academic success, but we also want them to develop enquiring minds, a balanced outlook on life and to be fully confident adults.
Currently, there is one school within the Trust, Byrchall High School. Formerly the Ashton Grammar School, Byrchall High School is now an 11-16 co-educational comprehensive school of approximately 1,000 students. The school takes its name from Robert Byrchall, the original founder of the school in 1588.
Byrchall High School is a modern, forward-looking establishment; the school’s substantial new-build programme opened in September 2024. We aim to be at the forefront of teaching and learning developments and are highly committed to CPD. Our emphasis on learning and achievement is allied to a strong moral and ethical dimension that reflects our founding principles.
Currently graded Good in all areas by Ofsted, Byrchall High School has high expectations of what pupils should achieve. They have a clear and ambitious strategy for school improvement. This has put the pupils’ best interests at heart. Recent improvements that leaders have put in place have made a real and positive difference to the quality of pupils’ education”.
What the school offers its staff
Why work for Makerfield Trust?
The Makerfield Trust provides a collaborative and supportive leadership structure. This allows the Headteacher to focus on educational outcomes while being backed by sustained professional networks.Byrchall High School has an established reputation within the community, with solid values, committed staff, and a strong student ethos. As Headteacher, you'd be building on this strong foundation, with scope to drive further school improvement, academic excellence, and pupils' personal development.
Trustees are looking for an inspirational leader to lead our trust on the next stage of its journey and who:
- has a proven leadership track record.
- is pupil centred, ensuring pupils are safe and have a positive learning experience.
- is committed to equalities, ensuring pupils with SEND and disadvantage thrive and make the best progress.
- is inspirational and committed to high standards across the whole organisation.
- is committed to making a difference in the community.
- is committed to playing an active role in the wider Wigan community, working collaboratively with our local partner organisations.
Further information about the job
We strongly encourage prospective candidates to visit our website, browse our social media channels and to come and see us in action. If you feel this may be the opportunity you are looking for, please contact Michelle Foster, Clerk to the Selection Panel, Governor Services, 2nd Floor, Life Centre South, College Avenue, Wigan WN1 1NZ, or by e-mail at michelle.foster@wigan.gov.uk. Application packs are also obtained from the Clerk to the Selection Panel.
Your application must include two professional references. Failure to provide these will result in your application not progressing.
Closing date for applications: Midnight on 7th September 2025
Shortlisting: 9th September 2025
Selection days: 22nd and 23rd September 2025
Makerfield Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
As part of the shortlisting process, online searches will be carried out on shortlisted candidates in accordance with the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
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 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 The Byrchall High School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1075 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The Byrchall High School website
- Email address
- michelle.foster@wigan.gov.uk
Formerly the Ashton Grammar School, Byrchall High School is now an 11-16 co-educational Comprehensive School of 1000 students. The school takes its name from Robert Byrchall, the original founder of the school in 1588.
The school is governed by the Makerfield Academy Trust, which is a charitable company. The members of the Trust agree its visions and values. The Board of Directors set the strategic direction of the organisation, ensure the vision and values are upheld and ensure financial probity. The school has a Local Governing Body who oversees the leadership and management of the school.
The current Byrchall High School is a modern, forward looking establishment. We aim to be at the forefront of teaching and learning developments and are highly committed to CPD. Our emphasis on learning and achievement is allied to a strong moral and ethical dimension that reflects our founding principles.
The school was judged as ‘Good’ in all areas by OFSTED in September 2022. They noted that the school has high expectations of what pupils should achieve, and it has a clear and ambitious strategy for school improvement. It said the pupils behave well around the site and that they have positive attitudes to their education.
Byrchall High School has a truly comprehensive intake, ranging from students who will go on to study at top universities to those who require additional support. All students are valued equally. Byrchall High School has a strong academic record. In 2022, 75% of students achieved grade 4-9 passes in both English and maths. Across all subjects Attainment 8 was 49.62. Both these figures are well above the Wigan and national averages.
Our students participate and achieve in a wide range of academic competitions including Debating and Public Speaking, the UK Maths Challenge, The Big Book Quiz, Engineering and Stem Challenges.
The school is situated on a very pleasant site on the outskirts of the small town of Ashton-in-Makerfield in the Wigan Local Authority. The school is opposite Haydock Park Race Course and very close to the junction of the A580 and the M6 motorway; it is, therefore, easily accessible from any number of directions and within easy reach of Manchester and Liverpool.
The school is having a substantial new build programme, which is scheduled to open in September 2024. This includes new sports facilities, drama studios, classrooms, dining facilities, Learning Resource Centre, Administration offices, SEN suite and specialist teaching rooms for Science, ICT, Product Design, Food, Art and Music
Arranging a visit to The Byrchall High School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email michelle.foster@wigan.gov.uk.
School location
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