Deputy Head Teacher - Bishops Stortford

The Deputy Headteacher will lead and promote an educational vision which is consistent with the White Trees Group strategic direction in line with the Building Brighter Futures Framework. The Deputy Headteacher will support and promote an educational vision which is consistent with the White Trees Group strategic direction. They will maintain and support the development of the conditions which enable pupils and teachers to achieve effective learning, so that the school's aims and objectives are implemented in accordance with the policies of the governing body organisational vision.

The Deputy Headteacher is required to provide effective leadership and management and it is their responsibility to secure, sustain and promote the reputation and daily operation of the school site. They must ensure the delivery of high quality holistic education and to create a nurturing learning environment. The Deputy Headteacher is accountable to the Headteacher and the Executive Headteacher. The Deputy Headteacher, working with the Senior Leadership Team, is responsible at their school site for evaluating the school's performance to support driving continuous improvement & development and raising standards; ensuring equality of opportunity for all; monitoring policies and practices; ensuring that resources are efficiently and effectively used to achieve the school's & organisations aims and objectives and for the day-to-day management of the school site.

The Deputy Headteacher leads their staff team in providing a 'needs led' service for children & young people, by adopting a person-centred approach fostering self-awareness and reflection, personal growth and giving each pupil the strongest voice with regards to decision making about their education.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leadership and Management: Provide leadership & management to all staff, and ensure you deliver the highest possible quality of care within a safe working and living environment.
• Be a positive and effective role model for all employees, being approachable and providing a regular presence at the school site, as well as being consistent in all actions and decisions.
• Take an active role as the Deputy Head and ensure the Schools Appraisal and supervision schedules are undertaken.
• Support the creation and implementation of the SEF and School Improvement Plan (SIP), and to take sole responsibility for appropriately delegated aspects of it.
• Ensure your team are making good progress towards the areas of the SIP which they have identified as working towards in their appraisal meetings.
• Effectively support and challenge all staff in achieving the priorities and targets which the school sets for itself.
• Ensure that parents/carers/professionals are well informed about the school curriculum, its targets, pupils' attainment/progress, and their part in the process of improvement.
• Ensure you are developing staff to make most effective use of their skills, expertise and experience and to ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
• Manage the school site effectively.
• Have a highly visible presence in the school to support the maintenance of a positive school ethos and positive behaviour.
• Having high expectations of behaviour, using our behaviour wave system accordingly to help support our pupils, embracing the culture of 'catching our pupils being good'.
• Lead by example - show our pupils what we expect from them, positive behaviour and good manners.
• Maintain good relationships with pupils, exercise appropriate authority, and act decisively when necessary.
• Be responsible for leading teams of adults, and their morale management.
• Support the vision, ethos and policies of the school and promote high levels of achievement.
• Ensure all staff read key information on pupils and that information is updated dynamically, pupils RA, one-page profiles, Destination Learning Journeys, Contacts sheets and other relevant documentation.
• Ensure all new pupils' information is set up before they start their White Trees journey.
• Ensure logistics/timetable is created before the staff/pupils return after a school holiday and are communicated with relevant parent/carers before returning to school.
• Dynamically and efficiently make changes to the timetable to cover sickness and absence in a timely manner, making few changes as possible to try to maintain consistency - communicating these changes.
• Conduct daily handovers and debrief with team each day.
• Attend required meetings.

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Designated safeguarding lead.
• Ensure all the pupils are safe and that their risk assessments are regularly updated in line with the company policies and procedures.
• Identify and rectify any short falls with risk operation systems and or policies and procedures to ensure that they are as robust as possible.
• Ensure that the safeguarding of both pupils and staff are paramount in your thinking and when reviewing any documentation pertaining to activities at the school.
• Oversee the safeguarding of all the pupils in the school and follow reporting systems to the highest level.
• Ensure all of the systems and policies are in line with the standards set out by the regulatory bodies who regulate our school.
• Ensure that every aspect of the day to day is in line with current standards of education set by our regulatory bodies.
• Ensure that the health and safety of the school and everybody within it is held to the highest possible standards and that the systems we have for doing this are both robust and easy to follow.

Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils by:

• Establishing a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, engrained in mutual respect.
• Ensuring goals are set that stretch and challenge ALL pupils.
• Demonstrating consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of pupils - leading by example.
• Ensure the school environment is to the standard which promotes conducive learning, creating a calm and secure learning environment - promoting the schools Health & Safety Policy.

Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils by:

• Support driving the expectation that all planning is undertaken and that the attainment, progress and outcomes is monitored and reviewed.
• Being aware of all pupils' capabilities and their prior knowledge, supporting your staff to plan teaching to build on these, wrapping the curriculum around the individual pupils.
• To ensure your team provide required reporting and recording of pupil's attainment, progress and results of assessments within the school's recording and reporting structure deadlines.
• Ensure your team meet deadlines for all assessment requirements - both academic and social/emotional.
• Ensure impact risk assessments are adapted and updated dynamically when looking at mixing pupils.
• Leading your team in understanding and demonstrating taking responsibility for promoting good standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever your specialist subject, applying cross curricular links wherever possible in planning and teaching.
• Adapt teaching environment to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils by having effective relationships with pupils, so you can assess what their needs are on a dynamic basis.

Professional development and performance appraisal:

• Attend all CPD days and training as required.
• Review own professional development and identify training needs.
• Take part in the school's performance appraisal programme and be committed to improving own practice.
• Act upon advice and feedback and be open to coaching and mentoring.

Fulfil wider professional responsibilities by:

• Make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school developing effective professional relationships with colleagues.
• Taking responsibility for driving the improvement of teaching through appropriate professional development, responding to advice and feedback from colleagues.
• Communicating effectively with parents with regard to pupils' achievements and well-being.
• Sharing in the celebration of success of pupils.
• Contributing to, and supporting pupils to contribute to the school's news communications.
• Using and monitoring of the school systems that are in place efficiently and effectively, class-dojo, Cpoms, E4L.
• Ensure updates are given to the Designated Teacher and SENCO about identified pupils for up-and-coming PEP and annual review meetings.
• Ensure your team are following all school policies and systems which are in place.

Other responsibilities:

• Complete Designated Safeguarding Lead Level 3 training and be a DSL for the site responsible for.
• Foster good relationships with parents/carers and the wider community.
• Demonstrate a firm commitment to personal professional development.
• Ensure school cars are well looked after, organised and managed per week/day.
• Carry out such other duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Headteacher/ Executive Head/ Directors.
• Recognise that duties of a post may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or level of responsibility entailed.
• Ensure 'Keeping In Touch' days are conducted by your team each half term, which are pre-arranged before each school holiday.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: QTS.
• Experience: Minimum 10 Years teaching experience with demonstrated excellence. Demonstrated experience in a leadership role. Extensive experience in working with pupils who have SEMH/SEND. Experience of being a DSL.
• Skills and Abilities: Ability to create a safe and secure learning environment. Ability to break down barriers to learning. Be creative in approach to teaching, utilising pupils' interests to hook them in and engage them. Flexible and adaptable. Ability to create a fun, challenging learning environment. Be highly organised. Caring, sensitive and responsive to the needs of our pupils. Approachable. Supportive.
• Other requirements: Commitment to safeguarding children. Be passionate about teaching and providing the best possible opportunities for all pupils. A commitment to the school's ethos and vision. Resilient and positive.