Vice Principal - Pastoral Care and Inclusion in Belfast

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

• Hold a teaching qualification which meets the requirements for recognition to teach in grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland.

Desirable

• Have successfully completed an additional postgraduate (or equivalent or higher) qualification in Education.

Experience

• Have a minimum of 9 years post-qualification teaching experience in post-primary education, and/or equivalent experience in an affiliated educational body working in an area that relates to the post-primary sector, within the last 14 years.
• Currently hold or have held for a minimum of 5 years AND within the last 10 years:
• A post with experience of strategic leadership or coordination of a whole-school area at a minimum level of SLT/SMT to include monitoring and evaluation resulting in measurable school improvement; and/or
• A post of Principal or Vice-Principal.
• Evidence of how your leadership has led to school improvement;
• Evidence of involvement in strategic planning.

Preference May Be Given To Those Applicants Who:

• Hold at least 5 years (within the last 10 years) in a role with responsibility for leading/co-ordinating Pastoral Care and/or Inclusion in a large post-primary school.
• Can demonstrate evidence of leading staff in relation to the effective use of both qualitative and quantitative data to inform whole school strategic development and improvement;
• Can demonstrate evidence of leading staff professional development within school/s;
• Can evidence commitment to restorative practice in schools.

Essential Knowledge

• The Northern Ireland Post Primary Curriculum and current policies and procedures;
• Current educational developments and the ability 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;
• Effective organisational management including the appropriate deployment of resources.

Skills

• Lead, motivate, manage, challenge and enthuse others;
• Create an ethos and articulate vision for the future of the school;
• Develop good relationships at all levels and promote a collaborative and team approach among staff, pupils, parents and governors;
• Lead strategically and develop self and others in order to achieve outcomes;
• Promote, achieve, monitor and evaluate high standards of teaching, learning and achievement throughout the school;
• Develop effective partnerships between the school and the local community;
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• Organise and prioritise workload effectively;
• Deal with staffing matters in accordance with EA policies and procedures;
• Manage time effectively.

Personal Qualities

• Vision;
• A sound value system;
• Enthusiasm and motivation;
• Assertiveness and confidence;
• A caring child-centred approach;
• Integrity;
• Advocacy and empathy;
• Discretion;
• An ability to cope under pressure;
• Tact and diplomacy;
• Decisiveness;
• Adaptability.

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 appointment 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. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage. Further information can be accessed at NI Direct or the Department of Justice.

Applicant Guidance Notes

To view the applicant guidance notes, please click here. To learn about the many great benefits of joining the Education Authority, click here. The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Professional Duties of a Vice-Principal

Teachers' Terms and Conditions of Employment Regulations (NI) 1987 Schedule 2 Regulation 4 Terms and Conditions of Employment of Vice-Principals. A Person Appointed Vice Principal In a School, In Addition To Carrying Out The Professional Duties Of a Teacher, Shall Play a Major Role Under The Overall Direction Of The Principal In:

• 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 them 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.

Other sections continue with job-related duties for Vice Principal:

• Leading learning through high standards;
• Assisting the Principal in school development planning;
• Pastoral care;
• Curriculum development;
• Safeguarding;
• Line management responsibilities.

The description includes duties for organising major school events, extracurricular activities, lunch-time cover, and other duties as required. The description also covers key areas for performance expectations: Shaping the Future, Leading and Managing Staff, Leading Learning and Teaching, Developing the School in the Community, Managing the Organisation, and Ensuring Accountability, followed by Conditions of Service and equality considerations.

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. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time. In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post-holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.