Vice Principal - School Improvement in Ballyclare

Qualifications

• Hold an additional degree (2:1 or above) or a 3rd level qualification of an equivalent standard.
• Hold a teaching qualification which meets the requirements for recognition to teach in grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland.
• Preference may be given to those applicants who demonstrate evidence of continued and current professional development in school leadership.
• Have successfully completed an additional post-graduate (or equivalent or higher) qualification in education.

Experience

• Have a minimum of 7 years’ experience of teaching in a post-primary school with a sixth form, 5 years of which should have been within the last 10 years and have included experience of working on an aspect of school improvement.
• Currently hold or have held for a minimum of 3 years AND within the last 8 years - a post with experience of strategic leadership or co-ordination of a whole school area at a minimum level of SMT/SLT to include evidence of monitoring and evaluation resulting in measurable school improvement; or a post of Principal or Vice Principal.
• Demonstrate experience of leading staff team/s on an aspect of school improvement that includes self-evaluation leading to measurable outcomes.

Knowledge

• The NI Curriculum and current policies and procedures.
• Current educational developments and how to evaluate and respond to new educational challenges and manage change effectively.
• Effective classroom pedagogy and how to ensure high standards of teaching, learning and achievement throughout the school.
• Effective data management and using data effectively.
• Effective organisational management including the appropriate deployment of resources.

Skills

• Provide leadership to inspire high expectations, innovation and commitment.
• Create, maintain and develop positive constructive relationships within Ballyclare High School and throughout its community.
• Use verbal and IT communication and presentational skills to promote the brand and messaging of the school to a range of audiences.
• Contribute to the positive management and development of staff, pupils and resources in a whole school context.
• Think strategically; promote, achieve, monitor and evaluate high standards of teaching, learning and achievement throughout the school.
• Organise and prioritise workload effectively.
• Deal with staffing matters in accordance with EA policies and procedures.
• Make decisions individually as well as part of a team.
• Embrace the school mission statement and so actively improve own professional knowledge and development.
• Use sensitivity and tact when dealing with both staff and pupils.
• Have a vision and ability to carry out this role in school energetically.

Personal Qualities

• Assertiveness and confidence.
• A caring child-centred approach.
• Integrity.
• Advocacy and empathy.
• Discretion.
• An ability to cope under pressure.
• Tact and diplomacy.
• Decisiveness.
• Adaptability; willing to learn and self-reflect.

The Board of Governors reserves the right to enhance the essential criteria if necessary in order to facilitate a manageable shortlist. Applicants must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) upon taking up employment.

Please note the onus is on candidates to provide sufficient detailed information on their application forms in order to demonstrate how they meet each of the criteria. Failure to do so may result in a candidate not being shortlisted since selection panels cannot make assumptions in the absence of essential information.

Disclosure of Criminal Background

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’. In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate.

Professional Duties of a Vice-Principal

• Formulating the aims and objectives of the school.
• Establishing the policies through which they will be achieved.
• Managing staff and resources to that end.
• Monitoring progress towards their achievement.
• Undertaking any professional duties of the principal delegated to him/her by the principal.
• Undertaking to the extent required by the principal or the relevant body or employing authority the professional duties of the principal in the event of his/her absence from the school.
• Entitlement to a break of at least 30 minutes between the hours of 12 noon and 2pm.

Conditions of Service

The conditions of service for this post will be in accordance with the Regulations of the Department of Education for Northern Ireland. This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works.