At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead school improvement across multiple academies and champion evidence-informed practices.
- Company: A Christian Trust dedicated to nurturing every child's potential.
- Benefits: Ongoing professional growth, staff wellbeing package, and a competitive salary.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for collaboration and travel across schools.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in education while upholding strong values and ethics.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership experience in school improvement and a strong alignment with Christian ethos.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 65000 £ per year.
Salary: L17-L23
Hours of work: Full time
Contract: Permanent
All about the role
Rooted in a strong Christian vision and ethos, our Trust exists so that every child and adult in our schools can learn, grow and flourish. As RDE you will bring experience of leading school wide improvement, strategic clarity, moral purpose and practical know how to translate vision into sustained impact for pupils and staff every day.
The difference you will make:
- Raise standards across schools: Lead improvement across a group of academies, securing rapid and sustained movement through the Trust Improvement Model.
- Champion evidence-informed practice: Ensure that school improvement is research-driven and rooted in strong evidence, supporting leaders to translate best practice into consistent, high-quality classroom experiences for every pupil.
- Develop confident and capable leaders: Provide high support and high challenge to Headteachers, enabling accurate self-evaluation, strategic clarity and the capacity to lead lasting improvement within and beyond their settings.
- Lead and shape professional learning: Design, deliver and champion high-quality Collaborative Professional Learning (CPL), building expertise, nurturing talent and strengthening leadership at all levels.
- Secure rigorous accountability and insight: Use sharp monitoring, evaluation and intelligent use of data to identify priorities, intervene early and ensure all schools are on a clear trajectory of improvement.
- Strengthen collaboration across the Trust: Work as part of the Academy Improvement Team to share best practice, build collective efficacy and facilitate Hub and Trust collaboration.
- Champion flourishing through our Christian ethos: Model and uphold the Trust’s distinctive Christian vision, ensuring that every school’s culture enables children and adults to learn, grow and flourish.
About you
You are a highly effective school improvement leader with successful headship or significant senior leadership experience and a strong track record of securing sustained improvement, ideally across more than one school. You are skilled at providing both challenge and support—holding leaders to account while coaching them to succeed. You understand Ofsted and SIAMS frameworks (inspection experience welcome but not essential) and bring resilience, strong professional judgement and integrity. Above all, you lead with moral purpose and optimism, empowering others and modelling our values. A strong personal alignment with the Christian ethos of our Trust is essential. You do need to be prepared to travel between schools and our office, across Wiltshire and sometimes further afield.
In return, we offer:
- Opportunities for ongoing professional growth and learning
- Staff wellbeing and benefits package
- A dedicated, caring and enthusiastic team
- A varied working environment
- A competitive salary
Find out more and apply
To find out more and apply, follow this link https://mynewterm.com/jobs/2922/EDV-2026-DSAT-41575. You are encouraged to seek an informal discussion about the role with either our new Deputy CEO, or our CEO – please contact Nicki Summerill on nsummerill@dsat.org.uk or 01722 548519 who will make arrangements for this. Please bear in mind this may not be until after the Summer holiday period – we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Closing date (and time): Monday 14th September 9:00am
Interview date: 21st September 2026
Commencement date: 1st January 2027
This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All applicants will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Applicants must disclose all spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings that are not ‘protected’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 & 2020). An enhanced DBS check will be required for the successful applicant.
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Regional Director of Education in Salisbury employer: Dsat
Whitesheet C of E Primary Academy offers a nurturing and supportive work environment where you can make a real difference in the lives of young learners. With a focus on employee development and a collaborative team culture, this role provides an excellent opportunity for growth while working in a picturesque Wiltshire setting. Join us to be part of a community that values compassion, inclusivity, and the joy of teaching.
