Role: Headteacher
Employer: Salterns Academy Trust
School: Trafalgar School, Portsmouth
Location: Hilsea, Portsmouth
Salary: L28 to L35 (£104,059 to £123,528)
Contract: Full time, permanent
Closing date: Monday 5 October 2026, 12 noon
Selection dates: Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October 2026
Start date: January 2027
Salterns Academy Trust is seeking an exceptional Headteacher to lead Trafalgar School, Portsmouth, a Good school with Outstanding personal development, and a deeply rooted commitment to inclusion and relational practice that runs through every aspect of school life.
Trafalgar is a school with a strong and distinctive identity, built on a deep and genuine commitment to relational and restorative practice. Relationships are the foundation on which everything at the school is built, from how students support one another as peer mediators and restorative ambassadors to a whole-school commitment to peace education that runs as a golden thread through school life. Trafalgar is recognised regionally and nationally for this work. The new headteacher must share this commitment authentically, as a genuine expression of who they are as a leader.
The school is part of Salterns Academy Trust, a small but ambitious trust of three Portsmouth schools building a headteacher-led model of school improvement. The new Headteacher at Trafalgar will be a full and active partner in that model, sharing expertise and collective responsibility for the quality of education across all three schools.
What we are seeking, above all, is a person of integrity who embodies the values and ethos of Trafalgar School through their actions as much as their words.
The successful candidate will be a values-led leader who can:
- sustain and deepen a relational culture that is already embedded and owned by students and staff alike
- lead with high expectations and genuine care, modelling the values of the school in everything they do
- secure strong outcomes for all students, particularly those with SEND, complex needs or other vulnerabilities
- work collaboratively as part of the trust's headteacher-led improvement model, contributing generously beyond their own school
- bring personal integrity and professional discretion, serving as a role model for the standards and values of the school and trust
- build and sustain strong relationships with students, staff, families and the wider community
Apply here
We welcome applications from serving headteachers, heads of school and strong deputy headteachers with the capacity and ambition to take on headship.
This appointment is supported by ASCL's Leadership Appointment Service. If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Sam White at
sam.white@ascl.org.uk.
Candidates are warmly encouraged to visit Trafalgar School before applying. Visits will take place between 9 and 11am on 21, 23 and 28 September. To register your interest please contact Robin Parr, Chief Operating Officer, at
rparr@salterns.org.
Full details of the role, including the Job Description, Person Specification and information on how to apply, can be found in the Applicant Pack, available on the school website at
www.trafalgarschool.org.uk/working-at-trafalgar-school/vacancies/
Completed application forms and personal statements should be submitted to Sam White at
sam.white@ascl.org.uk.
Salterns Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check with barred lists. Online searches will be conducted as part of pre-employment checks. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities.