Assistant Head in Wigan, United Kingdom

Atherton High School seek to appoint an Assistant Headteacher to join the school in January 2027.

What does this job do?

1. To provide high-quality strategic leadership across nominated areas of the School Improvement Plan, with specific responsibilities determined according to your strengths, experience and expertise. A background in Science would be advantageous. 

2. To drive sustained school improvement, translating strategic priorities into effective action and securing measurable improvements in the quality of education, pupil outcomes and the wider life of the school. 

3. To strengthen leadership at all levels, particularly middle leadership, through effective line management, coaching, challenge and professional development, building leadership capacity and accountability across the school. 

4. To be an excellent and credible classroom practitioner, modelling consistently high expectations, strong subject knowledge and high-quality teaching, and contributing to the continued development of teaching and learning across the school.  

5. To work collaboratively as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, promoting the school’s values, culture and high expectations and providing visible leadership across the full range of school life, including whole-school initiatives, events and wider school development. 

What are the job requirements?

1. Qualified Teacher Status (preferably science)

2. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, share responsibility for the strategic direction, improvement and day-to-day leadership of the school, consistently modelling our values of Respect, Responsibility and Ambition. 

3. Provide effective strategic leadership of designated areas of the School Improvement Plan, securing measurable and sustained improvement in provision and outcomes for pupils. 

4. Promote an ambitious, inclusive culture in which all pupils are expected and supported to attend well, behave respectfully, participate fully and achieve highly, particularly disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and those experiencing barriers to learning. 

5. Be an excellent and credible classroom practitioner, modelling strong subject knowledge, high expectations, effective classroom routines and ambitious, inclusive teaching; teach within your subject specialism, with Science particularly desirable. 

6. Line manage and develop designated leaders and teams, strengthening middle leadership, accountability and leadership capacity through appropriate support, challenge and professional development. 

7. Use relevant evidence and school information intelligently to identify priorities, evaluate impact and respond to underperformance, ensuring that improvement activity makes a demonstrable difference to pupils. 

8. Support high-quality, ambitious curriculum provision within areas of responsibility, ensuring that pupils build the knowledge and foundational skills needed to access, remember and succeed within the curriculum. 

About Atherton High School:

‘Our curriculum ambition at Atherton High School is to make lear ning irresistible  for all'. We have designed a challenging and ambitious curriculum to provide the best learning opportunities for all our students to aspire and achieve.

Our core values that drive our curriculum are:

1. Aspiration for all to improve life chances for every student.

2. Excellence in learning through an ambitious knowledge and vocabulary rich curriculum for all.

3. Character and personal development to equip all of our students to succeed in life.

At Atherton High School what is taught is coherently planned and sequenced to equip students to succeed in life. Our curriculum supports students from all backgrounds, including those who are disadvantaged, so students can access a high-quality, knowledge-rich curriculum. Our school community believes strongly in providing disadvantaged pupils with a curriculum that enables them to reach the academic standards of their non-disadvantaged peers. Our goal is to bring our young people into the big conversations of subject disciplines, to bring depth to our curriculum, so the y can understand the world around them.

About the Education Partnership Trust (EPT):

EPT was established in 2012 as a multi-academy trust and is an approved academy sponsor. Our vision is to create outstanding schools which transform learning, lives and communities. We benefit from our diverse and unique range of schools which include secondary mainstream, alternative provision and special and have a proven track record of sustained improvement. Our schools are united by a drive to improve opportunities and outcomes for children and young people within a collaborative learning culture.

Our staff are our most valued asset so we continually invest in our colleagues and we believe that all teaching and support staff posts within our schools are key in terms of supporting pupil achievement and improving their life chances. As such we are keen to recruit dedicated and ambitious professionals who will add value to our schools and trust by helping our young people to succeed. 

“If you’re good at what you do, you can work anywhere. If you’re the best at what you do, we want you to work for Education Partnership Trust.”

Our extensive range of rewards and benefits include:

1. Healthcare cash back plan provided free by the trust includes optical, dental, physio, diagnostics, health assessment, NHS prescription charges, hospital cover, discounted gym memberships plus lots more.

2. Employee Assistance Programme including, counselling, CBT, and wellbeing initiatives.

3. Cycle to Work scheme.

4. Electric Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme.

5. Access to government pension schemes.

6. Free parking.

7. Training, mentoring and progression opportunities including our Emerging Leaders programmes.

8. Trust wide intranet to share knowledge and resources. 

Incomplete application forms will not be shortlisted, if you need to discuss a reason for being unable to complete a section, please contact the recruitment team [email protected]

We warmly welcome  an informal visit or a conversation prior to application. P lease contact the School Business Manager – [email protected] .

Please be advised, as part of due diligence checks, online searches will be carried out on shortlisted candidates.

Safeguarding Information

The Education Partnership Trust is committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed. 

Education Partnership Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.