Job title and organisation: Deputy Head/SENDCo - Lighthouse School Harrogate
Salary: £66,368 - £73,105
Hours: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Location: Lighthouse School Harrogate
Closing Date and Time: Wednesday 22 April at 9 AM
LIGHTHOUSE EDUCATION TRUST
NEW SCHOOL OPENING OPPORTUNITIES
Lighthouse Education Trust is a completely unique Multi Academy Trust focussing on providing high quality, destination led learning for students with a diagnosis of autism.
We are excited to be able to commence the search for the team for our new school, Lighthouse Harrogate, due to open in the academic year 2026/27.
Lighthouse School Harrogate is a completely unique secondary school focussing on providing high quality, destination-led learning for students with a diagnosis of autism. We already operate a very successful school in Cookridge, Leeds since 2012. We are a happy and vibrant community, where young autistic people learn, flourish and thrive. We are planning for an overall cohort of 80 students with an initial intake of 24. Students study KS3, and a range of Level 1/2 and Level 3 qualifications, including BTECs and GCSEs.
We are initially looking for expressions of interest in the roles that we have available. We plan to make these appointments in the summer term and will be happy to have informal conversations with potential candidates. We welcome visits to our Leeds school where we can show you how we have established a successful model and give you the chance to meet staff who demonstrate the passion that ensures that we can make a difference to our students.
Available roles:
Deputy Head/SENDCO Leadership Scale 11-15
All roles will be Trust appointments and whilst based primarily in Harrogate may be required to work across other schools in the trust which may extend beyond Leeds in the future.
Our roles come with full training, induction and a range of benefits:
- Salary paid across 12 equal monthly instalments, and an increase each September (subject to Trustee approval and the finances of the school).
- Mental health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do - our staff say they feel supported by the Senior Leadership Team and our Mental Health First Aider Team.
- Access to a range of free health care services including, Employee Assistance Programme offering free counselling (general/menopause), physiotherapy, 24/7 GP service, stress coaching, nurse support services, financial wellbeing coaching, surgical assistance programme, free flu vaccinations, and eye tests for VDU users. See here for more information.
- Up to date autism specific training, including person centred approaches, positive behaviour support strategies and understanding communication from our Speech and Language Therapists and our training and Wellbeing Teams.
- Continuous Professional Development including access to coaching, mentoring and supervision, as well as e-learning and online training courses.
Many of our staff have grown into roles both within school and externally, including Administrators, Teaching Assistants, Teachers, Wellbeing Tutors, Intervention Support, Behaviour Specialists and Educational Psychologists. Please refer to our staff testimonials on the recruitment section of our website.
Please visit our website to explore our trust in more detail and see for yourself what makes us so unique. Lighthouse School - Recruitment
Should you require any further information, require a tour of the school or have any queries please contact HR@lighthouseschool.co.uk.
We are also committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and do not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply to join us and positively encourage you to choose a career at our inclusive school. You may be eligible for Access to Work interventions in order to assist you to return or remain in the workplace, eligibility information can be found on the government website.
*We are also a DfE appointed Flexible Working Participant School and open to offering a range of flexible working options. Please share your preferences with our HR colleagues at your earliest opportunity in order that these can be fully considered.
Application process:
Please submit a one-page expression of interest outlining the role that you are interested in, your availability and a very brief summary of your experience. We are also happy to receive a basic CV at this stage. Once we commence a formal application process, we will require all candidates to submit a full school application form.
An example job description can be made available on request.
All enquiries will be handled in the strictest of confidence and you are welcome to call the school and speak to Joanne Colley, HR Director, on 0113 457 0605.
Closing date: 9.00am Wednesday 22nd April 2026
The above post is not a Leeds City Council vacancy and has been advertised on behalf of the relevant organisation. To apply please follow their application instructions.
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