Assistant Headteacher Head of Secondary Oakfield Outreach (Internal applicants only)

PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS ONLY OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: Oakfield Short Stay School - various locations

Salary: Leadership Scaleper annum (Pro rata for part time)

Working Hours:Full time

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 29th April 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

About the Role

Oakfield Short Stay School is Leicestershires provision for school aged children who have been permanently excluded or are at risk of permanent exclusion from school.

This role provides strategic leadership for Oakfields Secondary Outreach offer working alongside the Executive Headteacher to shape and oversee flexible holistic and trauma-informed provision that improves engagement and life chances for children and young people at risk of exclusion or non-attendance.

Through the line management of Outreach Managers and senior practitioners the Head of Oakfield Outreach Secondary ensures that outreach services forums and locality-based partnership working enable schools to respond effectively to pupils with complex SEMH needs. The role sits at the heart of Oakfields inclusion mission influencing practice across Leicestershire secondary schools and strengthening system-wide approaches to early intervention reintegration and sustained inclusion.

The postholder will be an experienced leader with strong communication and interpersonal skills able to inspire others and provide professional challenge where required. While not a direct teaching role the Head of Oakfield Outreach Secondary must demonstrate strong empathy and a deep understanding of pupils with complex SEMH needs and lead others in delivering relational trauma-informed approaches that help pupils overcome barriers to education and successfully re-engage with their education community.

This position offers a flexible hybrid working arrangement combining remote work with regular fieldbased duties. The successful candidate will work across home office Oakfield Schools mainstream schools and community settings to meet the needs of children families and partner agencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and Inspire: Strategically plan implement strategy and lead teams of staff across a large and complex environment that spans different types of settings including the Oakfield Schools mainstream schools and community locations. Provide strategic direction and leadership for secondary outreach and prevention services across a large and geographically dispersed county ensuring consistency quality and impact through effective line management and governance.
• Support Reintegration: Hold strategic responsibility for systems and processes that support the reintegration of pupils into mainstream education ensuring timely wellcoordinated support that equips pupils and schools for sustained success.
• Collaborate with Agencies: Provide strategic leadership for multiagency collaboration working with local authority officers school leaders SENCOs the voluntary sector and partner services to improve outcomes for vulnerable pupils.
• Accountability: Contribute to Ofsted readiness and inspection activity providing leadership oversight of outreach impact quality assurance and performance analysis at both service and system level.
• Promote Inclusion: Champion inclusive traumainformed and relational practice across the outreach offer ensuring equity consistency and a strong sense of belonging for all pupils.
• Stay Informed About National SEND Developments: Maintain an uptodate understanding of the national SEND landscape including policy statutory guidance and emerging research and ensure the service adapts proactively and strategically in response.
• Stay Informed About Wider Educational and Childrens Services Changes: Maintain a broad awareness of national developments across education Ofsted frameworks childrens services safeguarding and wider policy affecting children and families. Understand and anticipate how these shifts may impact inclusion attendance suspensions and permanent exclusions ensuring the service responds adaptively and supports schools to reduce barriers to engagement and improve outcomes for vulnerable learners.
• Embed EvidenceBased Practice: Ensure all interventions programmes and outreach activity are grounded in credible evidencebased approaches. Use data research and impact measures to inform decisionmaking and refine practice ensuring the service delivers demonstrable and sustained impact.
• Report and Present to Senior Leaders: Provide clear timely and datainformed reports to senior leaders governors and local authority officers. Present service updates impact reports and strategic recommendations at internal and external meetings representing the service professionally with partners stakeholders and wider networks.

What We Offer:

• Unique Learning Environment:Experience a diverse and dynamic workplace where every day is different.
• Professional Development:Access opportunities for professional growth and bespoke training.
• Supportive Team:Join a highly skilled and supportive team of practitioners.
• Make a Difference:Play a crucial role in transforming the lives of young people.
• Flexibility:Options for part-time or full-time work to suit your lifestyle.

An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders please see our policy statement.

About You

To apply for this post you must have/be:

• Qualified teacher status and several years of leadership experience in a Secondary setting. An NPQH qualification is preferable. LCC Designated Safeguarding Training.
• Current experience of working with pupils with special educational needs in a Secondary school Secondary pupil referral unit or special school.
• Experience of leading and performance managing a team across multiple-site organisations.
• Experience of teaching challenging pupils knowledge of behaviour management strategies experience liaising with parents/carers and experience of writing/implementing IEPs/PSPs.
• Ability to provide strategic direction on curriculum development and current issues.
• Experience of educational development and planning contributing to policy development and working with external agencies.
• Knowledge of the provision of education for excluded and vulnerable pupils SEN legislation and county SEN policy and procedures. Knowledge of other relevant legislation and guidance e.g. health & safety child protection attendance curriculum employment equal opportunities etc.

In addition we also expect you to shareour commitment to our valuesandto delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working which may include part time working job sharing term-time working flexible start and finish times and hybrid working depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussionplease contact:

Victoria Edwards - Executive Headteacher

Telephone:

Email:

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council were looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are wherever youre from and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation not just whats on your CV. Thats why weve designed a recruitment process thats fair accessible and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire wed love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the About You section above. Without this information we wont be able to assess your suitability for the role and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement see the How to Applysection on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore if you are interested please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning0(select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: applying for this post you agree to ourTerms and Conditions.