Are you ready to lead transformational change with clarity of vision, moral purpose, and strategic impact? We are seeking an exceptional Headteacher to provide bold, values-driven leadership and set the strategic direction for the next phase of our school’s journey. This is a rare opportunity to shape a culture of excellence, innovation, and inclusion; to secure outstanding quality of education for every learner; and to build a sustainable legacy that will strengthen the school, the Trust, and the wider community for years to come.
For an exceptional candidate with a proven track record of inspirational leadership and impact, a competitive remuneration and retention (R&R) package will be available.
As Headteacher, you will:
- Set and lead a whole-school digital strategy, ensuring technology is embedded as a driver of inclusion, engagement, and improved outcomes for all learners
- Establish and sustain a culture of learning and high expectations, where excellence in teaching and learning is the norm in every classroom
- Hold strategic responsibility for curriculum ambition and coherence, ensuring curriculum design is inclusive, future-focused, and aligned with Trust priorities
- Champion professional learning and leadership development, ensuring high-quality CPD, coaching, and talent development are embedded across the school
- Secure sustained improvement in standards and outcomes, fostering a reflective, research-informed professional culture that drives continuous improvement
- Be an experienced senior leader with a strong track record, seeking their next headship, and ready to assume full strategic accountability for school performance
We want a leader who:
- Has a proven record of strategic school improvement and securing high-quality education at scale
- Leads with clarity, integrity, and moral purpose, inspiring, supporting, and appropriately challenging others
- Builds trust through visible leadership, high expectations, and consistently strong professional practice
- Is an exceptional communicator, ensuring that learning, inclusion, and ambition remain central to every strategic decision
This is more than a leadership role—it’s a chance to transform lives, shape futures, and ensure every child is known, valued, and supported to thrive. Tottington High school is:
- A thriving, community-driven school that stands at the centre of local life and opportunity.
- A forward-thinking academy within the Shaw Education Trust, dedicated to empowering staff and driving lasting success.
- A future-ready school with a bold, ambitious vision where innovation, creativity, and inclusion shape every learner’s journey.
If you would like an informal discussion about working for Shaw Education Trust in this role, please contact Sarah Murcott, National Director of Secondary (please see contact details in the job advert attached).
All candidates are required to provide a supporting statement on the formal application forms which states clearly your reasons for applying, skills and experience for this position.
Join Shaw Education Trust – Support, Teach, Lead… Make the Remarkable Happen.
At Shaw Education Trust, we believe every role holds the power to transform a life. Whether you're supporting behind the scenes, inspiring in the classroom, or leading with vision, you’ll be part of something extraordinary.
We are a dynamic and growing family of Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools, proudly serving communities from Birmingham to Bury. Our mission is to unlock opportunity for every young person—whatever their background, ability, or starting point.
Our people are our greatest asset, and we are deeply committed to their growth. Through high-quality training, apprenticeships, talent acceleration, and research opportunities, we empower our staff to thrive as skilled, confident professionals and we champion wellbeing, value every voice, and create a culture where you feel supported, motivated, and inspired to make a real difference.
You will join a collaborative network of schools where shared expertise and professional community fuel success. Every academy in our Trust has an equal voice, and every colleague plays a vital part in shaping tailored learning experiences that raise aspirations and build brighter futures.
At the heart of our work is a deep respect for the children and young adults we serve—our “precious cargo.” We are proud to "exactly like nothing else” and bridge the gap between education and the wider world, preparing every student for further education, employment, or training in inclusive environments where integrity, equality, and opportunity thrive.
If you have the heart, passion, and drive to help shape lives and create futures filled with promise, we would love you to join our incredible team.
Support. Teach. Lead. Belong. Thrive.
Together, let’s make the remarkable happen.
In our secondary schools, we pride ourselves on our innovative approach to curriculum design, to ensure all our schools have breadth and ambition for all students, regardless of their starting points and barriers. Standard curriculum models don’t always engage all students, so we constantly seek to innovate and provide better opportunities to develop both knowledge and skills for life. We want our students to believe their curriculum is bold, exciting, purposeful, and ultimately leads to something meaningful for them. Some examples of our innovation include moving towards an extended school day, to provide a world class enrichment programme and more opportunities for essential skills like reading and cultural capital. We are also introducing vocational and technical pathways, which run through the normal school curriculum but attract support from leading employers and universities to develops work-readiness in our students, so that they can progress onto T Levels and apprenticeships.
We are currently at an exciting point in their evolution, with collaboration at the heart of our collective endeavour. We don’t operate in silos: we value the power of the pack and strive to collaborate as a collective, ensuring no school or colleague is left behind. We are currently co-constructing an aligned curriculum across all EBacc curriculum subjects, to create a world class curriculum, rich in powerful knowledge and skills.
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)
- 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 a variety of the National Professional Qualifications and the Early Carer Teacher Programme delivered by Shaw Education Trust as a delivery partner for Ambition Institute.
- 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.
Start date: Ideally Easter 2026 or September 2026
Tottington High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment, click here to review Safeguarding and Pupil Protection Policy https://www.shaw-education.org.uk/our-trust/key-information
This position is subject to robust vetting procedures, including an online search for all shortlisted candidates, in line with our Trust’s commitment to safer recruitment.
An enhanced criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), formerly known as the CRB, is required. You will be asked to disclose all relevant unspent and, where applicable, unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions, and convictions.
Shaw Education Trust is an Equal Opportunities employer. We are fully committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection processes promote equality, diversity, and inclusion at every stage.
In accordance with our safer recruitment policy CVs alone will not be accepted.
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.
Successful candidates will be subject to a fully Enhanced DBS check along with other relevant employment checks.