ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER - BELONGING
Full time, 195 days per year
Leadership scale L10 – L14
To start 1st January 2027
We are seeking an exceptional and values-driven leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Headteacher – Belonging. This is a pivotal role focused on shaping a school culture where every student feels safe, valued, and empowered to succeed.
Our school has seen significant developments in the key area of behaviour over the past seven years, leading to improvements in metrics including suspensions, rewards, and in particular very low levels of permanent exclusion, of which we are rightly proud. We are now seeking a highly credible candidate to work with our Deputy Headteacher (Inclusion) in our Senior Leadership Team, which has been recently expanded due to our increasing capacity.
This is an exciting time in the further development of our school, ensuring that equity, opportunity and community are central in all we do, and supporting our work as an inclusive school serving the thriving market town of Wellington. Relational and trauma-informed practice, as well as high expectations and the importance of preparing students effectively for adulthood, will be at the forefront of our support for students, with behaviour, pedagogy and curriculum working together to ensure that our students receive the very best education in and out of the classroom each day.
The successful candidate will lead strategically on behaviour, rewards and participation, ensuring consistently high standards across the school, with additional responsibility for the effective quality assurance of Alternative Provision, and ensuring that cover arrangements support our most vulnerable students. This role is central to creating a strong sense of belonging for all members of our community.
We are looking for a leader who:
- Feels that integrity is their key value.
- Has a proven track record of impact in pastoral leadership, behaviour or inclusion.
- Is passionate about creating an inclusive school culture where every student belongs.
- Demonstrates strong strategic thinking alongside excellent operational leadership.
- Has the ability to inspire, challenge, and support staff at all levels.
- Is committed to high expectations, consistency and continuous improvement.
What we offer:
- The chance to join one of the most improved schools in Somerset.
- A fantastic staff team who enjoy working together to support our students.
- A supportive and ambitious leadership team.
- Opportunities for professional growth and development.
- A school community committed to inclusion and excellence.
- A chance to make a significant impact on student experience and outcomes.
Closing date for applications: 12pm 1st July 2026
Interviews: 7th & 8th July 2026
Safeguarding Statement:
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 under the Exceptions Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020). This means that both spent and unspent convictions and cautions may need to be disclosed. However, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ under filtering rules and do not need to be disclosed. Guidance on what should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974
Blackdown Education Partnership is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexuality or religion.
The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS). As part of our due diligence process when shortlisting, we may carry out an online search of publicly available material to identify any incidents or issues which we might want to explore with the applicant at interview.
References: References will be taken up on short-listed candidates that will include questions about past disciplinary actions or allegations in relation to behaviour with children, previous employers may be approached for information to verify particular experiences or qualifications before interview.
Data Protection Act: Information held by Blackdown Education Partnership complies with and is stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. If your application is successful, the information you have provided in the ‘Personal Details’ section will be used for payroll purposes and may be disclosed to the Inland Revenue. It will be disclosed within the school for security and administration.
BEP Privacy Statement–Recruitment: Please see our website for further information.
