Deputy Head of School - Commercial, Creative Industries and HE

Carshalton College are seeking a Deputy Head of School to have oversight of and responsibility for the vocational curriculum which includes Art & Design, Media, Games, Beauty, Sports and HE. The Deputy Head of School will combine leadership and management of the school and a wider operational role for the College and will join the College Management Group (CMG) and work with other managers to ensure that we deliver on our key priorities.

You will assist the Head of School and other members of the management Group in communicating the policies and procedures we agree and adopt, ensuring that all staff deliver them to a high quality and comply with the expectations set. Critically, this post will have a focus on improving the outcomes for learners across the School, with a clear emphasis on securing high grades, improving the teaching, learning and assessment, monitoring and supporting the teaching team and ensuring all students have the opportunity to develop their employability skills through a period of work experience and other work-related learning, enrichment and activities and supporting them with progression to further education/employability/HE.

The role carries a professional responsibility to be a highly competent user of key College systems and to be thoroughly acquainted with all College policies and procedures. We are looking for someone who holds relevant professional qualifications, with experience of managing a team of staff effectively, including dealing with underperformance.

You will have a thorough understanding of what makes for excellent evidence-based teaching, learning and assessment and how to monitor it effectively. With highly developed information management skills and the proven ability to use standard College systems, you will have excellent knowledge of the Government policy context for the curriculum, a strong awareness of future developments that may influence this, in particular the needs of the local and regional economy and an in-depth knowledge of how to plan, budget, resource and monitor the curriculum.

You will have excellent teaching skills and a history of good student outcomes, with a strong record in identifying interventions for needed improvements and executing them effectively. With a demonstrable record of working with subjects/courses that required improvement and achieving improvement, you will have understanding and experience of managing students who are under-achieving and/or showing high risk behaviours and conduct.

You will hold the personal skills that inspire confidence in you as a leader of others including meeting deadlines, accepting collective accountability and combining compassion with rigour and you will be able to see the bigger picture from time-to-time and to think and act strategically.

The successful candidate will be eligible for any increase in salary as a consequence of the annual cost of living review that will be implemented in the new academic year. Closing date for the return of completed applications is 27th April 2025. Interviews will take place on Thursday 8th May 2025.

The benefits package includes generous annual leave of 37 days plus up to 8 additional days over Christmas/New Year as well as an additional 5 days Wellbeing leave to enhance employees’ physical and mental health. There is an excellent pension scheme that receives a significant financial contribution from the employer (Teachers Pensions or Local Government Pension Scheme), subsidised sports facilities and professional development and training plus a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.

As part of our due diligence checks on prospective employees, successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, an online search and proof of eligibility to work in the UK. As outlined in the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

The South Thames Colleges Group is made up of Carshalton College, Kingston College, Merton College and South Thames College, which merged on 1 August 2017. South Thames Colleges Group is one of London’s largest providers of post-16 education and training and is an ongoing and significant contributor to its local communities. We aim to put students’ success at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for hard-working and collaborative people who can join our team and help challenge our students to achieve and progress.

When you click on ‘Apply’, you will be forwarded to the application page which sits on a platform hosted by an external partner called Blue Octopus who support STCG throughout the recruitment process.