Co‑Headteacher
Location: Welburn Hall School, Kirkbymoorside, YO62 7HQ
Contract: Permanent
Hours/ Working Pattern: 0.4 - 0.6 FTE by negotiation
Salary/ Hourly Rate: L22-L29
Closing Date: 12th April 2026
Interview Date: 27th & 28th April 2026
Start Date: September 2026
Our Opportunity:
We are looking for an experienced and visionary senior leader to join our busy and thriving 8-19 special school and to provide joint strategic leadership during a very exciting period of growth and strategic development. Our main building, the historic house, has been extensively refurbished and, while originally intended for residential places, is now used for an additional 4 classrooms. This has allowed us to increase our student numbers to 135+, but also leaves space in the East Wing and grounds (including 2 bungalows) to develop our contribution to Alternative Provision, to extend our regional support for SEND needs and to generate potential income to contribute to our financial stability.
Our current headteacher job-share has been in place for two years and the Governors are pleased with the success of this arrangement and its benefits to the school. The present Co head is leaving after 11 years to explore how her considerable and nationally recognised skills, knowledge and experience of SEND can be used on a wider canvas. We are looking for someone with proven collaborative skills, who can take up a 0.4-0.6 share of the headteacher role and to co-lead the school successfully within the changing landscape of the new national strategy for SEND, extending our relationships with mainstream schools and further developing our role as a centre of excellence in SEND provision and practice.
About You:
You will be an outstanding teacher with substantial senior leader experience and a proven track record of whole school change management. Ideally you will currently work in a special school but relevant experience in other settings will be considered, providing you have a sound understanding of special education.
You will be working closely alongside the incumbent Co-Headteacher, co-leading the school and managing the staff. Ideally you will already have experience in school improvement and development planning, with a strong ability to inspire and co-lead your team.
Our wonderful children need someone who will be dedicated to ensuring that they reach their full academic potential, someone with a strongly positive mindset and most of all, a great sense of humour!
In return we can promise you:
- A unique, caring and ambitious school, where pupils are understood, respected and supported as individuals, and where relationships and wellbeing sit at the heart of our practice.
- A strong, stable and forward‑thinking leadership team, recently restructured to enhance capacity, succession planning and the development of emerging leaders.
- A highly skilled, dedicated and nurturing staff team who are committed to providing high‑quality specialist education for pupils with autism, complex needs and a wide range of SEND.
- A growing school with clear strategic direction, including curriculum review, development of outreach and alternative provision, strengthening SEND practice, and expanding early years and Key Stage 1 pathways.
- A supportive, fully engaged Governing Body with a rich skill set, committed to staff wellbeing, school improvement and the long‑term sustainability of the school.
- Strong partnerships with the Local Authority, with positive working relationships that support school development, SEND planning and outreach work.
- A highly valued school community, including an active and enthusiastic Home School Association who contribute significantly to the life of the school through fundraising, enrichment activities and community engagement.
- Extensive collaboration with local and regional networks, including mainstream and special schools, teaching hubs, headteacher groups and safeguarding partnerships, ensuring practice is outward‑facing and professionally connected.
- A unique and inspiring setting, including 20 acres of beautiful grounds, a historic house, hydrotherapy pool, sensory room, Forest School, on‑site farm and further spaces ready for future development.
- A clear long‑term vision, focused on developing our site and offer, enhancing outreach and AP provision, consolidating our new leadership structure, and maintaining financial stability.
- The opportunity to lead meaningful change, shaping provision in response to national SEND reforms, strengthening data‑informed practice, and supporting staff wellbeing, attendance and professional growth.
- A community that believes in what we do, values our specialist expertise, and shares a commitment to ensuring every pupil can thrive, achieve and enjoy a rich, individualised education
For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please call Chloe on 01609 536964 or email. Chloe has been engaged to support us with recruitment to this exciting opportunity.
For further information about our opportunity, please visit our dedicated recruitment microsite.
Key dates
Visits
We strongly recommend that you visit us so we can share with you why we are so proud of our school, and you will have the opportunity to see what we have to offer. If you would like the opportunity to visit, please email Chloe.
Dates when we can accommodate visits are 25th & 26th March - if these are not possible for you please contact Chloe, as we may be able to offer alternatives.
Application closing date: Sunday 12th April
Shortlisting: Tuesday 14th April
Interviews: Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th April
When applying please take into account the following supporting documents:
Person Specification
Job Description
Application guidance, including policy statement on the recruitment of ex-offenders
The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet the requirements we have outlined in the person specification. This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested.
References
When completing your application, please provide two employment referees.
Safeguarding
We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We have a robust child protection policy and all staff will receive training relevant to their role at induction and throughout employment at the school. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Please note this post is in regulated activity and exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS criminal records and barred list check for work with children. An online search may be undertaken as part of the recruitment process on information available in the public domain. Candidates should disclose anything that may be relevant in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies and process applications on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Further information on how we process your data can be found here.
Co‑Headteacher
Posted: 24/03/2026
Closing date: 12/04/2026
Closing time: 23:59