Assistant Headteacher Personal Development

About the School:
The British School of Barcelona (BSB) is a great school in a wonderful location. We are an HMC school and were judged by a recent BSO (British Schools Overseas) inspection to be outstanding in every area, including quality of education, safeguarding, pupil welfare and academic outcomes.

BSB is a large, very popular school for children aged 3 to 18. Our curriculum is based on the English National Curriculum, and we offer a wide range of GCSEs, A levels, BTEC and the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB), all alongside a significant enrichment programme.

Approximately 2350 students from more than 74 nationalities attend the school and over 335 staff work at BSB. We are based in three locations, two just outside the city of Barcelona – in Castelldefels, where we have a Primary, Secondary and Pre-University campus, and in the cosmopolitan town of Sitges, where we have another Primary campus. There are two more campuses in Barcelona, located in the heart of the city and featuring a Foundation campus, BSB Esperanza, which offers EY and Year 1 (opened in September 2021), as well as a brand-new main campus, BSB Luca, which offers Primary, Secondary, and Pre-University education and opened in September 2023.

In September 2026 we will be opening another campus, initially for EYFS and Primary-aged students, north of Barcelona, in the Maresme area.

The growth of the school has been accompanied by significant investment over recent years, including the building of a state-of–the art Pre-University Centre (Nexus), a full-sized 4G rugby and football pitch, dedicated STEAM facilities and the new BSB City and Maresme campuses.

Barcelona is a wonderful place to live, combining an amazing city with beaches and mountains nearby. The quality of life is excellent with a mild climate and year-round sunshine.

The school now has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Assistant Headteacher Personal Development to join our fantastic team. 

About Cognita:
Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 90 schools in 21 countries - in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East - serving more than 100,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can, "Thrive in a rapidly evolving world".

At Cognita, we know every student is unique. We nurture their distinct personalities and strengths. We support them academically, socially, and emotionally, wherever they are in the world, wherever they’re starting from. And each and every one of our schools is unique too.

It’s an individual approach that empowers every school, teacher and student to focus on what they do best and thrive.

About the Role:
We are looking for an Assistant Head Personal Development to work as a Secondary Teacher and have the additional following functions:

• Act as a deputy for the Headteacher when necessary.
• Lead the development and implementation of identified strands within the School Improvement Plan (SIP).
• Contribute proactively to the smooth operational running of the school on a daily basis.
• Support the strategic development of the school, ensuring alignment with its vision and goals.
• Contribute to the wider leadership of BSB by helping to deliver whole-school strategic priorities.
• Undertake any reasonable responsibilities required by the Headteacher and Principal.
• Oversee secondary personal development and behaviour management for all students.
• Line manage Heads of Year, PSHE Lead and House Champion, ensuring alignment with school goals.
• Lead quality assurance for personal development initiatives (PSHE, attendance, rewards, sanctions, student voice etc).
• Develop and promote initiatives to enhance student support and well-being.
• Represent the school at Cognita meetings and contribute to cross-school collaborations.
• Conduct staff appraisals, addressing underperformance within the personal development team.
• Ensure effective communication with parents and students regarding personal development matters.
• Collaborate with academic and personal development leaders to ensure integrated academic mentoring and intervention.
• Provide support during key student transitions, ensuring both emotional and academic needs are met.
• Use data (behaviour, attendance, well-being surveys) to evaluate and improve personal development programmes.

Please note – A university degree with QTS or an international equivalent is essential, as is relevant experience teaching in English in Secondary school across all three key stages. This position is not suitable for newly qualified teachers.

Who We Are Looking For:
We are looking for a full-time, permanent Assistant Head Personal Development (Pastoral) for our BSB Castelldefels campus, to start in September 2026.

This is a key position overseeing the care and wellbeing of approximately 950 students Years 7-11. There is a team of Heads of Year as well as a Head of Student Support and an Assistant Head Nexus (Sixth Form) who all play a key part in the personal development team.

What we can offer you:
• A fantastic team of staff who are committed, supportive and collaborative.
• The wider support of BSB, including access to high level CPD and future career opportunities.
• The support of the Cognita network, including cross-school learning partnerships.

Benefits at Cognita:
All positions are offered with attractive packages, including competitive salaries, places for children at BSB, and other local benefits. Full induction and support with settling in Barcelona will be provided.

How to Apply:
Deadline for applications: 9am (Spanish time) 13th April 2026 but early applications are encouraged.

Long list online interviews to be held the week commencing 13th April 2026 but some may be the week before for early applicants.
Shortlist interviews to be held at the School on Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Cognita Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. 

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background.