Job Title: Deputy Head
Reports to: Head Teacher
Contract Type: Full time, permanent
Location: Bishops Stortford
Main Purpose of the Role
The deputy head would be responsible for the management of a small site which caters for a maximum of up to 20 pupils, they would also be expected to manage the staff allocated to that site. The main purpose of a deputy head is to ensure that effective learning of the pupils is being facilitated within a manner which suits their ever changing emotional and social needs. Deputy Heads are responsible for ensuring pupils timetables and logistics are tailored to all pupils ever changing needs, communicating these logistics to staff/professionals/parents and carers efficiently and appropriately.
Deputy Heads are also required to contribute and be involved in extracurricular activities and the wider life of the school community, ensuring the site is managed effectively, leading on all incidents which may occur at their site/venue. The deputy head is also responsible for the health and safety of the site and all people who access it.
Duties and Responsibilities
Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils by:
- Establishing a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, engrained in mutual respect
- Ensuring goals are set that stretch and challenge ALL pupils
- Demonstrating consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of pupils – leading by example.
- Ensure the school environment is to the standard which promotes contusive learning, creating a calm and secure learning environment – promoting the schools Health & Safety Policy
Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils by:
- Support driving the expectation that all planning is undertaken and that the attainment, progress and outcomes is monitored and reviewed.
- Being aware of all pupils’ capabilities and their prior knowledge, supporting your staff to plan teaching to build on these, wrapping the curriculum around the individual pupils.
- To ensure your team provide required reporting and recording of pupil’s attainment, progress and results of assessments within the school’s recording and reporting structure deadlines
- Ensure your team meet deadlines for all assessment requirements – both academic and social/emotional
- Ensure impact risk assessments are adapted and updated dynamically when looking at mixing pupils
- Leading your team in understanding and demonstrating taking responsibility for promoting good standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever your specialist subject and applying cross curricular links where ever possible in planning and teaching.
Adapt teaching environment to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils by:
- Having effective relationships with pupils, so you can assess what their needs are on a dynamic basis
- Have the foresight to manage the environment effectively to support the reduction of any potential incidents
Leading staff:
- Take an active role as the deputy head and promote the Schools Appraisal and supervision schedules
- Support the creation and implementation of the SEF and School Improvement Plan (SIP), and to take sole responsibility for appropriately delegated aspects of it.
- Ensure your team are making good progress towards the areas of the SIP which they have identified as working towards in their appraisal meetings
- Effectively support and challenge all staff in achieving the priorities and targets which the school sets for itself.
- Ensure that parents/carers/professionals are well informed about the school curriculum, its targets, pupils’ attainment/progress, and their part in the process of improvement.
- Support the Head teacher in the deployment and development of staff to make most effective use of their skills, expertise and experience and to ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
- Manage the school site effectively
- Have a highly visible presence in the school to support the maintenance of a positive school ethos and positive behaviour
- Having high expectations of behaviour, using our behaviour wave system accordingly to help support our pupils, embracing the culture of ‘catching our pupils being good’
- Lead by example – show our pupils what we expect from them, positive behaviour and good manners
- Maintain good relationships with pupils, exercise appropriate authority, and act decisively when necessary
- Be responsible for leading teams of adults, and their morale management.
- Support the vision, ethos and policies of the school and promote high levels of achievement.
- Ensure all staff read key information on pupils and that information is updated dynamically, pupils RA, one-page profiles, Destination Learning Journeys, Contacts sheets and other relevant documentation
- Ensure all new pupils’ information is set up before they start their White Trees journey
- Ensure logistics/timetable is created before the staff/pupils return after a school holiday and are communicated with relevant parent/carers before returning to school
- Dynamically and efficiently make changes to the timetable to cover sickness and absence in a timely manner, making few changes as possible to try to maintain consistency – communicating these changes
- Conduct daily handovers and de-brief with team each day
- Attend required meetings
Professional development and performance appraisal:
- Attend all CPD days and training as required
- Review own professional development and identify training needs
- Take part in the school’s performance appraisal programme and be committed to improving own practice
- Act upon advice and feedback and be open to coaching and mentoring
Fulfil wider professional responsibilities by:
- Make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school
- developing effective professional relationships with colleagues
- Taking responsibility for driving the improvement of teaching through appropriate professional development, responding to advice and feedback from colleagues
- Communicating effectively with parents with regard to pupils’ achievements and well-being
- Sharing in the celebration of success of pupils
- Contributing to, and supporting pupils to contribute to the school’s news communications
- Using and monitoring of the school systems that are in place efficiently and effectively, class-dojo, Cpoms, E4L
- Ensure updates are given to the Designated Teacher and SENCO about identified pupils for up-and-coming PEP and annual review meetings
- Ensure your team are following all school policies and systems which are in place
Other responsibilities:
- Complete Designated Safeguarding Lead Level 3 training and be a DSL for the site responsible for.
- Foster good relationships with parents/carers and the wider community.
- Demonstrate a firm commitment to personal professional development.
- Ensure school cars are well looked after, organised and managed per week/day
- Carry out such other duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Headteacher/ Executive Head/ Directors.
- Recognise that duties of a post may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or level of responsibility entailed.
- Ensure ‘Keeping In Touch’ days are conducted by your team each half term, which are pre-arranged before each school holiday
Person Specification
Qualifications
- An undergraduate degree (required)
- QTS (required)
Experience
- Experience in managing a team
- Experience in working with pupils who have SEMH
Skills and Abilities
- Ability to create a safe and secure learning environment
- Ability to break down barriers to learning
- Be creative in approach to teaching, utilising pupils’ interests to hook them in and engage them
- Flexible and adaptable
- Effective communicator
- Ability to create a fun, challenging learning environment
- Be highly organised
- Caring, sensitive and responsive to the needs of our pupils
- Approachable
- Supportive
Other requirements
- Commitment to safeguarding children
- Be passionate about teaching and providing the best possible opportunities for all pupils
- A commitment to the school’s ethos and vison
- Resilient and positive
INDWT
