Year Group Leader EYFS x3

We are seeking to recruit three permanent year group leaders from September 2026 to be based at Atwood Primary, Beulah Infants and Ecclesbourne Primary. Those appointed will join a reinvigorated middle leadership team, responsible for ensuring high quality provision across the Trust and developing the staff at their own school in nursery and reception. The successful applicants will be class based with release time (0.5 days YGL release and 0.5 days PPA release) to carry out their strategic leadership role. These are full time posts.

You will need to be able to demonstrate that you are an excellent teacher with strong curriculum knowledge and understanding of EYFS and you have the skills required to coach and lead the teams at the school in which you are based.

If you are interested, please contact Lynne Sampson for more information. You may apply for one or more of these posts but please make clear in which schools you are interested working.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children. This post is subject to a satisfactory enhanced CRB check and references.

Job Purpose

To provide strategic leadership for the nursery and reception classes at one school in the Trust with day to day responsibilities for the quality and consistency of provision across the classes in that year group especially with regard to planning and assessment within the EYFS Framework. To ensure that the teaching and learning priorities of the Trust are reflected in the work of the year group. To be the first point of contact for a year group carrying out associated duties that are reasonably assigned by the Senior Leadership Team.

Accountabilities

• Ensure all staff in a year group adhere to policy as required by the Executive Heads and Heads of School and translate the Trust vision into operational plans.
• Play a significant role in the delivery of the Academy Improvement Plan (AIP), suggesting targets, being responsible for year group elements of those targets and judging the impact of actions at the end of the cycle.
• Ensure that consistent, inclusive and differentiated long‑term, medium‑term, short‑term and where appropriate individual pupil planning is carried out across the year group, chairing planning meetings.
• Lead by example in ensuring that all aspects of planning are in place to deliver lessons appropriate to the needs and abilities of the pupils in each class/set in the year group, including those with additional needs e.g. pupils with special needs, PPG, EAL and the more able.
• Ensure that year group teachers share planning to maximise expertise and consistency of provision for children of all abilities in the specified classes and sets and to delegate tasks within planning meetings.
• Liaise with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that support staff in the year group are deployed effectively to help raise standards and that relevant information including curriculum plans are regularly provided to them.
• Ensure that staff covering for absence are provided with sufficient support to enable lessons to be taught to the highest possible standard in the absence of the regular teacher.
• Ensure that target setting, the analysis of targets and their review is carried out in the year group.
• Be responsible for undertaking monitoring activities at regular intervals i.e. talking to pupils, undertaking work scrutiny, lesson observations, learning walks etc. feeding back to staff/leadership team with written reviews/evaluations when required.
• Ensure, in accordance with Trust policy, that formative and summative assessments of pupils’ progress/performance take place as required and that outcomes are used to inform planning/target setting.
• Promote excellence and innovation in teaching and learning, including curriculum development, suggesting solutions rather than highlighting problems.
• Ensure that individual pupil progress is regularly assessed, recorded, reported to parents and utilised effectively to inform teaching and learning and to liaise with other year leaders to ensure deadlines are met.
• Ensure effective systems are in place to support the physical, mental and moral well‑being, safety and welfare of all pupils.
• Address any concerns with sensitivity and diplomacy, keeping the Executive Heads and Heads of School informed as appropriate.
• Build constructive relationships with parents/carers and other members of the community, to ensure the continuing excellent local reputation of the Trust.
• Attend and contribute to regular meetings of the middle leaders’ group of the Trust – tabling agenda items related to your year group as appropriate.
• Identify future resourcing needs and aspirations for the year group for consideration in the budget planning process.
• Ensure that there is appropriate risk management throughout the year group, including school visits, activities, clubs etc.
• As a lead professional, regularly review own practice, set personal targets and take responsibility for own continuous professional development.
• Identify staff training needs within the year group, and ensure that wherever possible these are appropriately met and that all staff of the year group are active in their own personal and continuous professional development.
• Support Early Career Teachers, teachers in training and other students and trainees working in the year group – coaching, mentoring and modelling as required.
• Ensure that appropriate cover arrangements are made, for teachers and support staff, in order that CPD activities take place as planned and that a review of the benefit of such activities is made as required and cascaded to staff in the year group/phase/school as appropriate.
• Develop strong, positive relationships with Trust colleagues; contribute to collaborative work with other year groups and sharing of best practice.
• Work towards and support the Trust’s vision and objectives.
• Support and contribute to the Trust’s responsibility for safeguarding students.
• Work within the Trust’s Health and Safety Policy to ensure a safe working environment for staff, pupils and visitors.
• Work within the Trust’s Equalities to promote equality of opportunity for all pupils and staff, both current and prospective.
• Maintain high professional standards of attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and positive, courteous relations with pupils, parents and colleagues.
• Engage actively in the performance review process.
• Adhere to Trust policies and procedures as notified to staff.
• Undertake other reasonable duties related to the job purpose required from time to time.

This job description should be seen as enabling rather than restrictive and will be subject to regular review.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), medical, online and social media prohibition from teaching, right to work, satisfactory references, suitability to work with children. You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.