At St Martins, our aim is to Shape Successful Futures for our students throughout their time in school – whether in the classroom or through our extensive enrichment programme. We believe that all time spent in school is a valuable opportunity for personal development. We believe in developing our staff team to help them reach their potential, with opportunities for further development and progression available to all.
We are looking for an outstanding Headteacher to lead our school with vision, empathy, and ambition. You will drive a culture of inclusivity and high aspirations, ensuring every student is empowered to be the best they can in a supportive and nurturing environment. With a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence in SEND education, you will inspire and lead a dedicated team to shape brighter futures.
The ideal candidate will have:
- Extensive Senior leadership experience working with children and young people with a wide range of Special Educational Needs.
- A deep understanding of special educational needs, including Autism, ADHD, SEMH, and complex learning difficulties.
- The ability to implement and develop innovative teaching and learning strategies tailored to diverse needs.
- Experience in driving high standards of SEND provision, including personalised learning and therapeutic interventions.
- A keen understanding of education and operational strategy.
You will be a ‘people person’ with the capability to lead and nurture a dedicated and hard-working team who pull together to ensure the very best outcomes for every St Martin’s student.
If you are a dynamic, experienced and compassionate leader ready to champion the success of our students, we’d love to hear from you!
If you would like an informal discussion about working for Shaw Education Trust in this role, please contact Melsa Buxton, National Director - Specialist, (see full job advert for contact details)
Start date - 1st September 2025 or January 2026
St Martins is a large Specialist School with nearly 250 students and shares a site with Noel-Baker Academy in Alvaston, whilst Horizons 6th Form is based in Derby city centre. Our expanding Supported Internship programme for Year 14 students is based at the Royal Derby Hospital and Derby University. We received our fourth consecutive 'Outstanding' OFSTED in October 2024 and we continue to aspire to the highest standards for students and our staff team. We are a vibrant 11-19 Special School in Derby, dedicated to preparing our young people with diverse learning difficulties and complex needs, including Autism, ADHD, SEMH, and other needs to be successful adults.
Our specialist settings cater for children and young people with a wide range of Special Educational Needs from children with profound medical needs and life limiting conditions, those with severe, moderate and sensory needs through to young people with social emotional and mental health needs that require support and understanding to help them to navigate their world. All of our Specialist Schools are unique by design and are moulded to meet the needs of their current cohort. Every Specialist School has the end in mind and is dedicated to a ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ programme to ensure that each individual is ready for their next stage in life’s journey.
Shaw Education Trust are a growing group of dynamically awesome academies providing education to children of all ages and abilities. Staff across our team of schools are dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to be successful, whatever their starting point in life.
We place high achievement at the heart of everything we do, and we are determined that no individual has their opportunities limited by their background, or by their ability. We are focused on harnessing the power of people to affect positive change for our children and young adults. We work closely with children, leaders, teachers and support teams, to create their individual best futures: one size fits one. Education should be an exciting space, buzzing with vibrancy, dynamism and unlimited potential. Innovation and entrepreneurialism fuel our passion, enabling creativity and re-conceptualisation to be agilely applied to context and circumstance.
Shaw Education Trust offer the following employee benefits with your Teaching or Support Staff employment:
- An excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (Support Staff) / Teachers Pension (Teaching Staff)
- Support Staff only based on working full time, all year - Generous holiday entitlement from your first day of employment (37 days holiday rising to 39 days after 5 years’ service including Bank Holidays)
- Electric Car Scheme: Environmentally friendly vehicles with our electric car scheme.
- Access to Medicash Health & Wellbeing Plan: Enjoy health services designed to support your well-being.
- Free DiscountForTeachers Scheme for all staff (Support and Teaching), Exclusive discounts to save money with a wide selection of discounts and exclusive offers from hundreds of the biggest brands.
- Free Eye Tests
- Cycle to work scheme
- Access to our Institute of Education and fantastic opportunities to help you grow, contribute and flourish in your role and in the Trust.
We know our people are the key to our success and so we’re committed to ensuring the employment experience at Shaw Education Trust is a rewarding one.
Colleagues within the Trust benefit from: Access to a full range of courses both in-house and professionally accredited. These courses include all of the National Professional Qualifications – NPQH, NPQSL, NPQEYL, NPQLL, NPQLT, NPQLTD, NPQLBC are all delivered by the Shaw Education Trust as a delivery partner for Ambition Institute. In addition, we provide access to the NPQEL for Executive Leaders.
- Experienced leadership and subject-specific support.
- Guidance from former HMIs and serving Ofsted Inspectors within the Trust.
- Access to the Trust’s Institute of Education and SCITT.
- Opportunities to work with different schools within the Trust as a Professional Advocate.
- Participating in peer reviews.
- Access to a suite of online courses.
- Placement projects within our family of schools.
St Martins 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 position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including an online checks and criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions.
All shortlisted candidates will undergo an online search as part of Trust safer recruitment.
We reserve the right to appoint before the closing date as we review applications on an on-going basis and interviews may be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, therefore, we encourage early applications.
We are an Equal Opportunities employer and will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.
In accordance with our safer recruitment policy CV’s alone will not be accepted.
We reserve the right to appoint before the closing date, therefore, we encourage early applications.
Successful candidates will be subject to a fully Enhanced DBS check along with other relevant employment checks.