Deputy Headteacher

About The Role

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: 20/03/2026
• Interview Week: Starting 23/03/2026

Are you someone who can change lives? Do you have the passion to make a difference in a child's life?

At Compass Community, we prioritize children through our innovative, therapeutic approach. Our core values—Integrity, Courage, and Care—guide our work. We engage in active listening, challenge one another, and collaboratively address issues that arise.

This is our mission, and we invite you to join us.

Who We Are

Our students come from diverse backgrounds and all have Social, Emotional, and Mental Health needs (SEMH). Many also face additional Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including Autism, ADHD, and communication challenges.

The work we do is both stimulating and demanding. As a trauma-informed organization, we ensure that all staff receive comprehensive therapeutic training and ongoing support.

Our integrated approach places the child at the forefront of decision-making, enabling education and therapy professionals, parents/carers, local authority teams, and—most importantly—our students to collaborate for exceptional outcomes.

The Role

As a small, specialized school, the role of the Deputy Head Teacher is crucial in shaping our outcomes, successes, and overall character. Compass Education seeks a practitioner who aligns with our vision and can embody our ethos through every decision and interaction, whether with students, parents, or professionals.

The supportive staffing structure across our schools allows the Deputy Head Teacher to concentrate on priorities that truly matter. You will receive assistance from the Regional Executive Head Teacher and Head Teacher for decision-making and problem-solving, alongside administrative and compliance teams to ensure smooth operations. A dedicated Head of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum will aid you in enhancing educational quality. You will collaborate closely with a network of school leaders in similar settings nationwide, including a specialist Regional SENCO.

Compass leaders recognize that our schools thrive through collaboration with external professionals to foster lasting change.

Successfully managing these responsibilities requires boundless enthusiasm, a steadfast commitment to doing what’s right, and the leadership to motivate your team through the journey.

This role includes a teaching component.

The Right Person

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
• A proven history of effective or outstanding teaching.
• An excellent, efficient, and emotionally aware communicator.
• The capability or willingness to teach a subject specialism to GCSE or equivalent vocational level.
• A strong inclination to work inclusively within an emotionally aware environment, supporting children who have faced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
• Experience in crisis management, dealing with challenging behaviors, and supporting children with SEMH difficulties.
• Demonstrated ability to implement a creative and academically engaging curriculum tailored to individual student needs while maintaining high educational standards.
• Proven experience in effectively engaging with hard-to-reach or disengaged families.

Benefits and Rewards

• Staff laptop and mobile phone.
• Competitive salary.
• Extensive training and opportunities for professional qualifications.
• Small class sizes with specialized TA support.
• The opportunity to be part of an expanding national organization that values skill, effort, and potential, fostering its own leadership teams.
• Enhanced occupational sickness scheme.
• Flexible pension options.
• Regular therapeutic and supportive supervision.
• Employee benefits service, providing access to wellbeing services, salary sacrifice schemes, high street vouchers, and discounts at restaurants and takeaways.

We routinely review applications and may close the advert early if we identify suitable candidates. Apply via the WhatSchool platform.