Head of School at Southover Partnership School

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JOB PURPOSE

To work in partnership with the Executive Headteacher, as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, to provide strategic and operational leadership of a designated Southover Partnership site (Kingsbury Manor, Edgware, or Finchley), ensuring a safe, therapeutic and inclusive environment that meets the needs of students with SEND and SEMH. To lead on securing high‑quality, accessible education and consistently strong outcomes for all students, driving improvement in behaviour, engagement, learning and personal development. To ensure the school fulfils all statutory and regulatory responsibilities, with particular regard to safeguarding, SEND, and SEMH provision, in line with national and local expectations. To model and drive a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring high standards in the quality of education, care and support for students, and effective collaboration with families, colleagues and external agencies.

Vision

• We grow happy and successful young people ready for all the possibilities the world has to offer.

Community

• We put children and their families at the centre of everything we do.
• We prioritise the needs of our students and adapt our teaching to meet individual learning needs.
• We show understanding of students' emotional needs and take decisions in their best interests.
• We are ambitious for our students, championing their potential and celebrating progress.

Accountable

• We take responsibility for fulfilling the expectations of our role.
• We are punctual and reliable in our practice.
• We stick to plans, commitments and deadlines.
• We bring solutions to challenges and seek support where needed.

Excellence

• We strive to do our jobs to the highest standards.
• We are open to feedback and use it to improve our practice.
• We actively seek opportunities to develop ourselves.
• We are inquisitive, reflective and committed to continuous improvement.

Respect

• We treat others with dignity and professionalism at all times.
• We communicate respectfully and listen to understand.
• We value the ideas, experiences and contributions of others.
• We recognise and celebrate the achievements of colleagues and students.

Collaborative

• We work together as one organisation across all sites.
• We share information openly and keep colleagues informed.
• We offer support and work together to achieve the best outcomes.
• We are open to new ideas and actively seek input from others.

Specific Purpose

To lead the Finchley Site within The Southover Partnership.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Shaping the Future

• Work with the Executive Headteacher of The Southover Partnership to ensure the vision for the school is clearly articulated, shared, understood, and acted upon by all.
• Work within The Southover Partnership to translate the vision into agreed strategic outcomes and operational plans that will promote and sustain school improvement.
• Motivate and work with others to create a shared culture and positive work environment.
• Ensure creativity, innovation, and the use of appropriate new technologies to achieve excellence.
• Ensure that strategic planning leads to a cycle of continuous improvement and the raising of standards across the whole of The Southover Partnership.

Leading Learning and Teaching

• Work with the Executive Headteacher of The Southover Partnership and Senior Leadership Team to ensure a consistent and continuous school‑wide focus on pupils' achievement, using data and benchmarks to monitor progress in every child's learning.
• Ensure that curriculum, teaching and learning are at the centre of strategic planning and resource management.
• Ensure a culture and ethos of challenge and support where all pupils can achieve success and become engaged in their own learning.
• Demonstrate and articulate high expectations and set aspirational outcomes for the whole school community.
• Implement strategies that secure high standards of behaviour and attendance.
• Monitor, evaluate, and review classroom practice and implement improvement strategies.

Developing Self and Working with Others

• Treat people fairly, equitably, and with dignity and respect to create and maintain a positive school culture.
• Ensure strong, distributed models of leadership throughout the Southover Partnership so that teams and individuals can be effective in their work with students.
• Build a collaborative learning culture within the school and actively engage with other schools and partners to build effective learning communities.
• Develop and maintain effective strategies and procedures for staff induction, professional development, and performance review.
• Ensure effective planning, allocation, support, and evaluation of work undertaken by teams and individuals, ensuring clear delegation of tasks and devolution of responsibilities.
• Acknowledge the responsibilities and celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams.
• Use effective coaching and feedback skills to further develop staff.
• Develop and maintain a culture of high expectations for self and for others and take appropriate action when performance is unsatisfactory.
• Regularly review own practice, set personal targets, and take responsibility for own personal development.
• Manage own workload and that of others to allow an appropriate work/life balance.

Managing the Organisation

• Provide effective leadership within The Southover Partnership and ensure continuous improvement of the organisational structure and functions.
• Provide a clear and strategic vision and direction for the continued development of The Southover Partnership through the contribution to and the implementation of the School Improvement Plan.
• Ensure that, within an autonomous culture, policies and practices take account of national and local circumstances, policies, and initiatives.
• Manage financial and human resources effectively and efficiently to achieve The Southover Partnership's educational goals and priorities.
• Recruit, retain, and deploy staff appropriately and manage their workload to achieve the vision and goals of The Southover Partnership.
• Take responsibility for the implementation and improvement of the Performance Appraisal process to develop the effectiveness of staff.
• Manage and organise the environment efficiently and effectively to ensure that it meets the needs of the curriculum and safeguarding and health and safety compliance.
• Ensure that the range, quality, and use of all available resources are monitored, evaluated, and reviewed to improve the quality of education for all students, and provide value for money.
• Use and integrate a range of technologies effectively and efficiently.

Securing Accountability

• Develop an ethos that enables everyone to work collaboratively, share knowledge and understanding, celebrate success, and accept responsibility for outcomes.
• Ensure individual staff accountabilities are clearly defined, understood, and agreed, and are subject to rigorous review and evaluation.
• Harness and nurture the talents and support of members of the school community and external partners to create an exciting, fun, and vibrant learning environment.
• Work with the Trustee Board (providing information, objective advice, and support) to enable Trustees to meet their responsibilities.
• Develop and present a coherent, understandable, and accurate account of The Southover Partnership's performance to a range of audiences, including trustees, parents, and carers.
• Reflect on personal contribution to The Southover Partnership's achievements and take account of feedback from others.

Strengthening Community

• Build a collaborative learning culture within The Southover Partnership, which takes account of the richness and diversity of the school's communities.
• Create and promote positive strategies for challenging stereotypes and prejudice and dealing with harassment.
• Ensure learning experiences for pupils are linked into and integrated with the wider community.
• Create and maintain an effective partnership with parents and carers to support and improve pupils' achievement and personal development.
• Further develop the multi‑agency approach and partnership with health and social care to meet the holistic needs of students and their families.
• Seek opportunities to invite parents and carers, community figures, businesses, or other organisations into the school to enhance and enrich the school and its value to the wider community.
• Seek to build networks and create opportunities to participate in fundraising activities to support and enhance our offer to students.
• Cooperate and work with relevant agencies to protect children.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The post holder will be based within The Southover Partnership, a small specialist SEND provision, currently operating across three sites. Due to the changing context of the organisation, the post will involve a flexible response to change. The successful candidate will be required to work and travel across all three sites to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as part of the wider SLT Team. The post holder will be working directly with young people who have significant social, emotional, learning, and behavioural difficulties, and other co‑occurring conditions. They will need to be resilient and flexible to deploy effective and highly personalised, positive behaviour management skills in their interactions with the students. The post could also include occasional lone working. The Southover Partnership is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share the same commitment. The post is subject to an Enhanced Certificate of Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and a range of other recruitment checks. All adults employed by the school have a responsibility for data protection and have a duty to observe and follow the principles of the GDPR Regulations. The Southover Partnership welcomes applications from all, irrespective of gender, marital status, disability, race, age or sexual orientation. All applicants must be able to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK to be considered for this position.