Assistant Headteacher

We are seeking a new Assistant Headteacher for January 2023 who is committed to providing the best possible education and life opportunities for all our students.

If you are an experienced senior leader looking to consolidate your experience, or someone who is taking their first step into a senior post, with a passion for improving the life chances of students with SEND, have a drive, vision and relentless pursuit of excellence, then Bishopswood is for you. You will be ambitious for all our students, demand excellence from both staff and pupils and quickly determine aspirational end points for our students, securing high quality provision to achieve this.

Bishopswood is currently a local authority, maintained community special school in South Oxfordshire (Berkshire border) that provides specialist education for children aged 2 — 16 years with severe (SLD) or profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and complex needs, including those children with ASD. Holding an inclusive ethos, Bishopswood endeavours to provide specialist provision alongside its co-located mainstream partners across two sites;

• Primary Provision - Sonning Common Primary School, Sonning Common
• Secondary Provision - Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School, Sonning Common

Bishopswood was inspected in November 2021 and judged to be inadequate. As part of the rebuilding process, Propeller Academy Trust (PAT) has been identified as the sponsor by the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Trust are currently working in partnership with Oxfordshire Local Authority and the Interim Executive Board, who remain responsible for the education of all at Bishopswood in the meantime.

Bishopswood now benefits from strong leadership at both school and governance level with a clear strategic plan for improvement in place. At the Propeller Academy Trust, our guiding principle is to be a Trust providing quality educational offerings alongside excellent facilities, whilst maximising each school's potential. The vision is for every school in the Trust to be a centre of excellence for education, building a collaborative ethos and maximising opportunities for staff and young people.

The new Assistant Headteacher at Bishopswood will arrive at a very exciting time. As well as having the opportunity to support the Head of School to further shape and develop the team, building on the excellent work of our interim leadership group, Bishopswood has secured funding for a state of the art £5 million new build on our secondary site which will include a hydro and life skills centre.

As the Assistant Headteacher you will have direct support from the Head of School, Deputy Headteacher, Governing Body and Executive Headteacher & CEO of the Propeller Academy Trust and benefit from a collegiate and collaborative approach to school improvement.