Job Description: Deputy Headteacher  

To find out more about Ark Greenwich, please visit our website: www.arkgreenwichfreeschool.org.

Closing date: 09:00 22^nd February, 2019. You will be contacted only if you have been shortlisted for interview by 5pm on Monday 25^th February. Interviews will take place on Wednesday 27^th February; some candidates may be released after the morning session.     

Potential candidates wishing to visit the school for a 30 minute tour should contact Victoria Hemmings: vhemmings@arkgreenwich.org by Wednesday 13^th February.  

Ark schools value diversity and are committed to safeguarding and promoting child welfare. The successful candidate will be subject to DBS and any other relevant employment checks.

The Role

This is an extremely rare and exciting opportunity for the right candidate to take up a leading role at one of the highest performing schools in the country (Evening Standard, 2017). If you possess the necessary skills and drive and wish to work in a seriously ambitious, disciplined and high performing school, alongside a talented SLT, this could be the job for you.

Applicants must be fully aligned with the schools values and ethos as set out in this document and on our website: www.arkgreenwichfreeschool.org.

As Deputy Head, your exact role and specific responsibilities will be agreed annually and will be subject to change, to allow you the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of school leadership in preparation for Headship. You will have the opportunity to lead on such areas as curriculum development, systems and procedures, timetabling, monitoring standards and teacher effectiveness, tracking and analysis of results/data, behaviour management, external relations and community links, staff development, training and induction.

It is anticipated that your core responsibilities will initially be associated with teaching and learning, curriculum, assessment and staff development.   

As a member of the senior leadership team, you will also be centrally involved in the overall leadership and management of the school, and will play a leading role in upholding the Ark Greenwich culture.

How is Ark Greenwich different to other schools?

• We are part of the Ark family of schools and benefit accordingly from outstanding networking and career opportunities and first class CPD.
• Our aim is to become the best school in London by:

1.       Facilitating an exceptional culture where academic outcomes are amongst the highest in the country – but achieving this with integrity by refusing to ‘game the system’

2.      Providing compulsory life-enriching opportunities beyond the curriculum for our pupils

3.      Being renowned for being a school that respects, values and develops its staff to be brilliant at what they do without burning them out

4.      Making an impactful contribution to the broader education community by sharing our innovative model and through our extended community scheme

• Staff wellbeing is one of our main priorities. We provide breakfast for staff each morning and have a 6pm weekday and all weekend work related communication curfew to ensure our staff are able to maintain an effective work-life balance. We do not do knee-jerk reactions, fads or last minute deadlines. Our systems and processes - including for communication, pupil marking and feedback and assessment - are efficient and highly organised and the approaches we take are led by research and what we know to work best within of our context.
• This is a small school model (600 pupils aged 11-16) because we believe that our close-knit community provides the optimum conditions for academic success and outstanding pastoral care because we know every child.  
• Pupil’s behaviour for learning is renowned for being exceptional so our teachers can focus their time on the things that matter – planning and delivering exceptional lessons for our pupils. Senior leaders are quick to support staff but also to hold them to the very highest standards.
• Our curriculum is traditional and academic and we do not take shortcuts – we do not offer vocational courses or equivalencies such as Btecs, Vcerts or the ECDL. We only offer full GCSE courses.
• We put high-quality teaching at the heart of what we do. We have 75 mins of high quality staff training every week. Live coaching and current best practice in the field of education is central to our approach – but we don’t do fads.
• We don’t grade individual lessons or ask for lesson plans but we do focus on progress over time and typicality by ensuring long and medium term plans are carefully designed and embedded across the curriculum.
• Our pupils enjoy a compulsory co-curricular program on a Wednesday afternoon much the same as in the private sector. This program includes a strong focus on community volunteering and the promotion of both inclusive and elite performance through a range of sporting, debating, public speaking, expressive and other activities. We facilitate 12 drop down days per academic year ensuring our pupils benefit from a range of life enriching experiences.
• This is a strict no excuses, no mobile phone school. We sweat the small stuff every single day.     

Key Responsibilities

• Support colleagues, including all other members of the leadership team, in their work for the development and improvement of the school, in order to achieve exceptional standards of behaviour and academic attainment and progress.
• Support and contribute to the development and implementation of the school’s vision and strategy.
• Take responsibility for day to day management of the school alongside the Headteacher and SLT, and in the Headteacher’s absence, take full responsibility for the school.
• In partnership with the Headteacher and rest of the leadership team, ensure the safeguarding of all pupils, and that the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff is promoted and maintained at all times.

Leadership and Management

• Share responsibility for the management of the School and to contribute to the consultative and decision-making processes.
• Support whole school aims, objectives and policy decisions, contribute to their establishment and sustain their implementation and review.  
• Actively promote the school and liaise with outside agencies as necessary, representing the Headteacher, the school or Ark as appropriate.
• Provide information, advice and perspective to the governing body and to any legitimate external enquiry/evaluation.
• Support the Headteacher in the responsibility for the implementation of performance appraisal for all staff, including line-management of particular staff and departments.
• Lead HR meetings where appropriate.

School ethos and culture

• Support the Headteacher in fostering a strong sense of school community and ethos among both staff and students.
• Promote consistent implementation of the behaviour policy and system of rewards and sanctions, characterised by orderly behaviour, caring and respectful relationships, and no shouting.
• Act as a positive role model to staff and students.
• Be active in issues of staff and student welfare and support and demonstrate a commitment to Equality of Opportunity for all members of staff.

Teaching and learning

• Support the training and development of teaching staff so as to ensure the quality of teaching and pupil progress is extremely strong.
• Use regular assessments to monitor progress and set targets, and respond accordingly to the results of such monitoring.
• Support the Headteacher in leading whole school planning and assessment through accurate record keeping and sophisticated data analysis.
• Ensure that all pupils achieve at chronological reading age level or, if well below level, make significant and continuing progress towards achieving at level
• Maintain a teaching timetable and teach each outstanding lessons that motivate, inspire and improve student attainment.
• Maintain regular and productive communication with parents, to report on progress, sanctions and rewards and all other communications.

Other

• Actively promote the safety and welfare of our children and young people.
• Ensure compliance with Ark’s data protection rules and procedures.
• Liaise with colleagues and external contacts at all levels of seniority with confidence, tact and diplomacy.
• Work with Ark Central and others in the Ark network, to establish good practice, offering support where required.

This job description is not an exhaustive list and you will be expected to carry out any other reasonable tasks as directed by the Headteacher.

About Ark SCHOOLS

Ark is a network of high-achieving, non-selective schools and one of the country’s top-performing academy groups. We run 38 academies in London, Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth educating more than 26,000 pupils. 83% of Ark schools are now rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted.

Our aim is to create outstanding schools that give every pupil, regardless of their background, the opportunity to go to university or pursue the career of their choice.

Notes
All new staff will be subject to a probation period of six months (which may, in certain circumstances, be extended by up to 10 weeks). The probation period is a trial period, to enable the assessment of an employee’s suitability for the job for which he or she has been employed. It provides the school with the opportunity to monitor and review the performance of new staff in relation to various areas, and also in terms of their commitment to safeguarding and relationships with pupils.

No job description can be fully comprehensive, the successful candidate will be required to undertake other professional duties commensurate with the role as directed by the Headteacher.

Person Specification: Deputy Headteacher

Qualification Criteria

• Qualified Teacher Status
• Permitted to work in the UK
• Evidence of relevant and substantial CPD

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Substantial experience working at middle and senior leadership level
• Demonstrable commitment to raising attainment of all pupils
• Experience of having led, or significantly contributed to, the success of a school through its leadership, ethos, teaching and learning and results
• Experience and understanding how to improve and sustain an effective behaviour policy
• Experience at Assistant Head or Deputy Head level (or equivalent)
• Experience leading a team and/or working to support the significant success of others, including professional development and effective management of underperformance  
• Ability to use data to inform decision making and diagnose weaknesses that need addressing

Behaviours

• Genuine passion for and a belief in the potential of every student
• A robust awareness of keeping children safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and you understand how and when to take appropriate action
• Deep commitment to Ark’s mission of providing an excellent education to every student, regardless of background
• Excellent interpersonal, planning and organisational skills
• Resilient, motivated and committed to achieving excellence
• Reflective and proactive in seeking feedback to constantly improve practice
• Commitment to regular and on-going professional development and training to establish outstanding classroom practice.
• Commitment to and understanding of professionalism in line with the National Teaching Standards

Other

• Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all students
• Willingness to undertake training
• This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our academies.  In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process. This process is outlined here, but can be provided in more detail if requested. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.