Deputy Headteacher for Progress and Pathways - Alfriston School
This is an incredibly exciting time to join the Alfriston school team, our school community is one that is rooted in nurture, relationships and bold aspirations.
We are seeking a ‘Deputy Headteacher for Progress and Pathways’. The ideal candidate will be passionate about curriculum design and the latest pedagogical developments in the field of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This role is central to ensuring quality assured high standards of practice in all aspects of planning, implementation and impact tracking. The Alfriston integrated curriculum is based around the pillars of ‘learning for living’ - these are engagement, organisation, resilience, independence, risk taking and social interaction. The deputy headteacher role for progress and pathways will be instrumental in taking the Alfriston core curriculum to the next level in terms of articulation and structure, application and generalisation of skills, progress tracking and reporting.
The Deputy Headteacher for Progress and Pathways will take the lead on strategic improvements and initiatives linked to all aspects of the school curriculum, shaping the school's vision, goals and policies for our changing cohort.
If you are someone who is passionate about enabling success for students with special educational needs and disabilities and are energised by multidisciplinary and integrated working models then we would love to hear from you.
Start Date: Spring Term 2025 or As Soon As Available
Term time only
Salary Type: Leadership
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Interviews to be held: Thursday 19th December 2024
About us
Our school is an outstanding Special School Academy, and we are committed to ensuring that all our pupils become the best that they can be and they can enjoy and achieve in all that they do. Our teachers have a strong sense of commitment and use their excellent subject knowledge to provide interesting and creative lessons in which all pupils learn well. They have high expectations of their pupils and develop good supportive relationships within a positive learning atmosphere where the girls can thrive.
The Deputy Headteacher for Progress and Pathways, under the direction of the Headteacher, will take a major role in:
1. Formulating the aims and objectives of the school
2. Establishing policies for achieving these aims and objectives
3. Managing staff and resources to that end
4. Monitoring progress towards the achievement of the school’s aims and objectives
5. If the headteacher is absent, the deputy headteacher will deputise, as directed by the governing board and fulfil the professional responsibilities of a headteacher, as set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).
Duties and responsibilities:
School culture and behaviour
1. Work alongside the senior leadership team (SLT) and other staff members to create a culture where pupils experience a positive and enriching school life
2. Uphold educational standards in order to prepare pupils from all backgrounds for their next phase of education and life
3. Ensure a culture of staff professionalism
4. Encourage high standards of behaviour from pupils, built on rules and routines that are understood by staff and pupils, and clearly demonstrated by all adults in school
5. Use consistent and fair approaches to managing behaviour, in line with the school’s behaviour policy.
Additional and special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities
1. Promote a culture and practices that enables all pupils to access the curriculum
2. Have ambitious expectations for all pupils
3. Make sure the school works effectively with parents, carers and professionals to identify additional needs and provide support and adaptation where appropriate
4. Be responsible for coordinating pupils EHCPs in line with statutory guidance ensuring plans are implemented effectively
5. Make sure the school fulfils statutory duties regarding the SEND code of practice.
Organisational management and school improvement
1. Establish and sustain the school’s ethos and strategic direction together with the Headteacher and governing board and through consultation with the school community
2. Establish and oversee systems, processes and policies so the school can operate effectively
3. Ensure staff and pupils’ safety and welfare through effective approaches to safeguarding, as part of duty of care
4. Manage staff with due attention to workload
5. Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk
6. Allocate financial resources appropriately, efficiently and effectively
7. Identify problems and barriers to school effectiveness, and develop strategies for school improvement that are realistic, timely and suited to the school’s context
8. Make sure these school improvement strategies are effectively implemented
Professional development
1. Ensure staff have access to appropriate, high standard professional development opportunities
2. Keep up to date with developments in education
3. Seek training and continuing professional development to meet needs
About you
Essential Experience:
1. Recent successful experience of Senior Management, including experience in leading teams.
2. Able to demonstrate successful teaching experience with evidence of exemplary practice.
3. Evidence of taking the lead in preparing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing a whole school policy or a major change in school.
4. Recent and broad experience of tailoring bespoke curriculum opportunities for children and young people with special educational needs.
5. Recent relevant experience working with children/ young people with communication and interaction needs including but not limited to ASC or ADHD.
6. Experience of working with partners including school Governors.
Essential Leadership Skills:
1. Evidence of highly effective teaching
2. Be capable of setting and achieving ambitious goals for students and staff
3. Demonstrate strategic thinking and leadership, a commitment to creativity, innovation and the use of new technologies
4. Experience of leading CPD including staff meetings and when appropriate providing support to colleagues who are required to organise staff meetings.
5. Have the ability to build relationships with the governing body and parents
6. An effective decision maker able to initiate, implement and monitor policies and practices
7. The ability and skills to mentor, challenge, influence and motivate others to attain high goals
8. Have experience of promoting principles and practice of effective teaching and learning
9. Experience of overseeing the delivery and development of part of the school curriculum
10. Experience of observing and feeding back to staff on teaching and learning in order to ensure continuous improvement of the teaching and learning across the academy
11. Ensure health and safety of self and others
Knowledge and Skills:
1. Knowledge of national educational standards and expectations
2. Substantial knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning at KS3/KS4
3. Knowledge of special educational needs.
4. Knowledge of governance at national, local and school level.
5. Knowledge and understanding of data analysis, ability to use data to set targets for improvement and evaluate an action plan in relation to those targets.
6. Energised by tracking and analysing progression data and qualitative examples of impact.
7. Confident in department or curriculum self-evaluation.
8. Up to date knowledge & understanding of the current national education agenda.
9. Understanding of how children with MLD/SPLCN learn and effectively apply their learning.
10. Understanding of the contribution of the school to the community.
Other information
Visits to the school are warmly welcome. To arrange a visit or to find out more about the role, please contact Ellie Davison on the number below.
Please send completed application forms to the email address below.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children which will be reflected throughout recruitment. The selected candidate will be required to provide suitable references and undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check before taking up the post.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:
* All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
* All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.
It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All shortlisted applicants will be required to complete self-disclosure form and return prior to interview.
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