This is a fantastic opportunity to join an exceptional school
 
Ark Burlington Danes Academy is a Church of England non-selective, all-through comprehensive school that serves a local community with a high degree of social disadvantage. Our mission is to ensure that every child, regardless of background, has the right to access the highest qualifications, best universities and most competitive careers. Our teachers are firmly committed to our vision. We believe in a ‘no excuses’ culture and strive to ensure that our students have the best academic education possible, supported by an excellent enrichment and pastoral programme to ensure our children develop into rounded, successful individuals who will thrive in the outside world. We are a learning community that invests heavily in developing the teaching and leadership skills of all our staff through our in-house programmes and the outstanding training provision of the Ark network.

We are seeking to appoint a Vice Principal who can work as part of a strong senior leadership team. This role represents an excellent opportunity for a dedicated and ambitious individual to develop as a senior leader and take the next step towards headship.
 
We are committed to delivering an outstanding education within an outstanding environment where each child, individually, is able to achieve the highest possible academic outcomes. This sense of scholarship underpins all that we do.

The Vice Principal will be an outstanding teacher and a strategic leader with a resilient character and a strong personal drive. Along with other members of the senior leadership team, the Vice Principal will be centrally involved in the management of the academy and will be responsible for helping to establish a culture of high expectations. You will have a demonstrable track record of success as a department leader, pastoral leader or as a member of a senior team.
 
You will be able to work collaboratively with other members of academy staff, be open and eager to learn, and have proven experience of positively impacting on student progress and raising attainment. In addition, you will receive training provided by one of the country’s top academy networks that will challenge you to develop your leadership capacity and confidence still further.

Joining Ark Burlington Danes Academy means you’ll continue the great progress the school has made, while helping to make Ark one of the strongest academy networks in the UK.

If you share our vision and have experience of leading outstanding practice, then we want to hear from you. We’re looking for a leader who exemplifies our belief in the potential of every child, is confident in insisting on the highest standards of academic rigour and behaviour and is energised by the challenge of our work. For further information, a confidential discussion or for any technical queries please contact Peter Haylock, Executive Principal, email address: peter.haylock@arkonline.org.

To apply, please complete the online application by visiting: www.arkonline.org. Please complete your application by 11am on Thursday 17th January 2019.

Location: Ark Burlington Danes Academy
Closing date: 11am on 17th January 2019
Salary: Highly competitive, negotiable depending on experience
Start Date: April 2019

Ark is committed to safeguarding children; successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Job Description

Reports to: The Principal
Start date: April 2019
Salary: Highly competitive, negotiable depending on experience
 
The Role
The exact role and specific responsibilities of each Vice Principal will be agreed annually and will change regularly, to afford each member of the Leadership Team the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of school leadership in preparation for Headship. The Vice Principal leads on such areas as curriculum development, timetabling, tracking and analysis of results/data, behaviour management, external relations and community links, staff development, training and induction. As members of the senior leadership team, the Vice Principal will also be centrally involved in the overall leadership and management of the academy, helping to establish a school culture that is both nurturing and rigorous in order to achieve excellence.

Key Responsibilities
• To support colleagues, including all other members of the Leadership Team, in their work for the development and improvement of the academy
• To support and contribute to the process of writing, implementing, evaluating and reviewing the annual Academy Development Plan, with understanding of its position and relevance in the cycle of school resourcing, improvement and long term planning
• Alongside the principal, to ensure the safeguarding of all pupils, and that the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff is promoted and maintained at all times.

Outcomes and Activities

Leadership and Management
• To share responsibility for the management of the academy and to contribute to the consultative and decision-making processes including the formulation of aims and objectives
• To fully support whole school policy decisions, contribute to their establishment and initiation and sustain their implementation and review
• To actively promote the academy and liaise with outside agencies as necessary, representing the Principal, the academy or Ark as appropriate
• To contribute to discussions and decisions at Leadership Team meetings
• To offer information, advice and perspective to the governing body and to any legitimate external enquiry/evaluation
• To communicate and consult with staff, students, parents and members of the local community as necessary
• To manage staff and resources, ensuring that policies and procedures are adhered to
 • In the absence of the principal, to step-up and undertake the professional duties of the principal as reasonably delegated

School Ethos and Culture
• To maintain a presence around the school to ensure that the highest standards of behaviour and site-usage are upheld, to contribute to overview and review of student behaviour and to participate in the regular whole-school supervisory duties fulfilled on a scheduled basis by the Leadership Team
• To be active in issues of staff and student welfare and support
• To demonstrate a commitment to Equality of Opportunity for all members of the academy’s community.

Teaching and Learning
• To identify strategies for raising the attainment of students and to work towards these identified and agreed goals
• Support the training and development of teaching staff so as to improve the quality of teaching and raise the level of challenge in lessons
• Use regular assessments to monitor progress and set targets, and respond accordingly to the results of such monitoring
• Ensure that all pupils achieve at chronological age level or, if well below level, make significant and continuing progress towards achieving at level
• To maintain a teaching timetable, modelling outstanding practice in terms of classroom teaching, preparation, marking and assessment.

Other
 • Undertake, and when required, deliver or be part of the appraisal system and relevant training and professional development
• To undertake any other responsibilities as directed by the Principal.

Person Specification

Qualification criteria
 · Qualified to degree level and above
 · Qualified to teach and work in the UK.  

Experience
 · Experience at Assistant Head or Deputy Head level (or equivalent)
 · Experience of having worked successfully in at least one school in an urban, multi-cultural setting, teaching students from backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage
 · Experience of having led, or significantly contributed to, the success of a school through its leadership, ethos, teaching and learning and results
 · Experience of having improved and sustained an effective behaviour management policy.  

Behaviour
 
Leadership
· Able to work in close harmony with the Principal
· Effective management style that encourages participation, innovation and confidence
· Ability to lead, coach and motivate staff within a performance management framework, including professional development and effective management of under performance
· Ability to develop the leadership skills of others
· Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
· Takes personal responsibility for their own actions
· Resilience and motivation to lead the academy through day-to-day challenges while maintaining a clear strategic vision and direction
· Genuine passion and a belief in the potential of every student
· Commitment to the safeguarding and welfare of all students.  

Vision and strategy
 · Vision aligned with Ark’s high aspirations and high expectations of self and others
 · Understands how to set high aspirations and effective strategies for key stages and year groups within the overall Academy, including leadership of curriculum, learning, administration, finance and communication
· Clear understanding of the strategies to establish consistently high standards of behaviour in an inner city school and commitment to relentlessly instilling these strategies. Strong organisational skills and ability to delegate
· Use of data to inform and diagnose weaknesses that need addressing.
· Understands what outstanding teaching practice looks like, how to diagnose and implement effective strategies to raise learning standards.  

Leading External Relationships
· Can skilfully manage and maintain effective working relationships with parents and other stakeholders.  

Other
· Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all pupils
· Willingness to undertake training    

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.