Assistant Head Teacher

Newfield School
Old Bank Lane
Blackburn
BB1 2PW

Job Title: Assistant Head Teacher
Grade/Salary: Leadership Scale 11 to 15
Contract Type: Permanent
Contract Terms: 32.45 hours, Full time
Closing Date: Friday 9th October 2026
Required From: January 2027

TO APPLY FOR THIS VACANCY PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

The pupils, staff and governors of Newfield School are looking for an inspirational, thoughtful and experienced SEND practitioner to join our senior leadership team at an exciting point in the school's development.
Newfield is a well-resourced, multi-faith special school in Blackburn, Lancashire, providing high-quality specialist education, care and therapy for approximately 270 children and young people aged 4 to 19. Our pupils have a wide range of learning needs, including autism, profound and multiple learning disabilities, severe learning disabilities, complex medical needs, sensory impairments and physical disabilities.

Lifelong Learning for All
Our vision is Lifelong Learning for All. For our pupils, this means ambitious learning that responds to how each pupil learns, builds from individual starting points and prepares them for life in and beyond school.
Great teaching starts with understanding how pupils learn and with relationships that make learning possible. Pupils learn best when regulation, communication, relationships and belonging are secure. These are not separate from learning; they are the conditions that allow it to happen. We therefore combine high expectations with warmth, clarity and consistency.
For staff, Lifelong Learning for All means working in a learning organisation where adults remain curious, reflective and evidence-informed. Through coaching, enquiry and shared expertise, we learn from pupils, from evidence and from one another, then translate that learning into stronger everyday practice.
This post is being advertised as part of a phased school expansion in response to increasing demand for places. From September 2027, we will also operate a split-site provision for 60 Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils at a location within Blackburn.

The Assistant Headteacher role
As Assistant Headteacher, you will be a key member of an experienced senior leadership team. The role is wide-ranging, with opportunities to contribute across the full breadth of school leadership and to continue developing your own leadership expertise.
Your particular focus will be the quality of education across the 14 to 19 age range, bringing preparation for adulthood, inclusion, enrichment, personal development and wellbeing together as one coherent offer. You will strengthen the connections between curriculum, communication, independence, participation, relationships and wider experiences so that pupils can build the knowledge, confidence and agency they need for adult life.
Leadership at Newfield means setting clear expectations, developing people and distributing responsibility so that expertise is shared across the school. You will create the conditions in which colleagues can act with confidence, combining trust and empowerment with appropriate assurance and accountability for the quality of pupils' everyday experiences.

The successful candidate will

• be an excellent SEND practitioner who can inspire ambitious, high-quality learning
• understand how specialist pedagogy, communication, regulation and relationships enable pupils to learn
• be committed to improving pupils' independence, participation, belonging and future possibilities
• connect curriculum, personal development, enrichment and wellbeing to preparation for adulthood
• lead and develop adults as well as provision, using coaching and feedback to strengthen practice
• value professional enquiry, reflection and evidence-informed improvement
• build strong partnerships with families, agencies and the wider community
• develop shared expertise and distributed leadership across teams
• combine trust and empowerment with clear assurance and accountability
• contribute strategically while retaining a clear line of sight to pupils' daily experiences
• be committed to safeguarding and to advocating for the rights and aspirations of children and young people

We are looking for a leader who will grow with Newfield and help others to do the same.

What Newfield offers
We offer a comprehensive career support and development package, alongside the opportunity to help shape the next stage of a growing and continually improving school.

• a lively, creative and inclusive school committed to improving the lives of children and young people
• a supportive and friendly environment
• an ambitious and hardworking team
• a well-resourced and expanding provision
• a Governing Body committed to high standards and the professional development of staff
• a Leadership Team committed to coaching, enquiry, shared expertise and developing leadership at every level

Application packs are available to download above. Completed applications should be returned to the school by 5pm on the closing date shown above via recruitment@newfield.blackburn.sch.uk.

This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory check supplied by the Disclosure and Barring Service. The check will include any cautions, reprimands, or final warnings as well as convictions.