People Partner

At Octavia House Schools, we have a passionate team delivering high quality trauma-centred therapeutic education, supporting and building relationships with pupils who have adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and complex social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, as well as other associated special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Octavia House schools have been leading the way in therapeutic education since 2012. Recent Independent School Inspectorate’s routine and material change inspections of our London and Essex schools were successful and highlighted a rare significant strength. This is in addition to our previous outstanding Ofsted reports which demonstrate the strength of our provision across all sites and the success of our specialist therapeutic approach. We are now offering an exciting opportunity for a People Partner to join our dedicated People team on a fixed-term contract from October 2026 (maternity cover). People Partner will work alongside the Head of People, taking on both strategic and operational responsibilities for various aspects of people, culture, recruitment, and retention—covering the full employee lifecycle at Octavia House Schools. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: An experienced, professional and ambitious HR professional with a proactive and results-driven mindset An individual with proven leadership credibility and gravitas, with the ability to persuade, influence, and build trust at all organisational levels A self-motivated individual with strong organisational skills and great attention to detail Relevant degree and post-graduate HR qualification(s) Experience in the independent special school sector is desirable BENEFITS OF WORKING AT OHS: An opportunity to be part of a unique, seamless therapeutic team model. Vitality's private healthcare package which includes health, medical and dental insurance, lifestyle benefits, heavily-discounted gym membership and various rewards. High quality professional development, career pr