BSA Head of Primary

Job Description

Purpose of Role

As a Senior Leader, you are critical in supporting the Head of School in establishing both a School of Choice and an Employer of Choice. You report directly to your Head of School and work in active, positive collaboration with your Senior Leadership Team. You are accountable for delivering on the desired outcomes in each of the components listed below, and the ongoing development of the school and learning improvement.

Role Specific Duties

Safeguarding and Wellbeing.  You are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the students and adults in your area of responsibility. This includes all activities, operations and policies to ensure students and adults are kept safe both physically and mentally, removing barriers and personalising learning. You model and foster an open culture and inclusive atmosphere where everyone cares for one another and focuses on learning and getting better. You work in collaboration with your teams to gather, learn from, and act on feedback to inform your decisions in creating an inclusive learning environment. You are crucial in supporting your Head of School to ensure a safe, open, caring, collaborative and inclusive space exists for everyone to grow and develop.

Culture Building. You model your shared ideas that are underpinned by ISP’s principles and learning approach. You nurture and drive a learning-focused atmosphere in your area of responsibility. You notice, support, and provide opportunities for staff to develop professionally and personally. You acknowledge and celebrate individual successes and achievements. In collaboration with other Senior Leaders in your school, you actively support, encourage and inspire your school community, contributing to a positive school atmosphere.

Leadership and Development. You understand your own strengths and areas for development, knowing when to take action and when to seek advice, support or mentor. You lead with vision, empathy and integrity. You actively connect, collaborate and engage with your teams and the wider school community to continually innovate and improve. You establish and monitor systems and procedures to support staff learning and motivation. You recruit, develop and retain talent. Your support for your middle leaders empowers them to effectively build and lead high-impact and collaborative teams. Your coaching and mentoring develop self-directed middle leaders and learners, who in turn are able to do the same for their own teams.

Learning and Embedding Quality. You support your Head of School, collaborate with your peers and empower your teams to focus on the quality of learning in your area of responsibility to ensure movement towards Mastering in the 9 criteria of ISP’s Learning Improvement Process. You model your own continual learning and plan and lead meaningful professional learning opportunities for your staff. You promote dialogue and reflection on learning and improvement. You facilitate and engage in professional and respectful dialogue with teachers, parents and the ISP community about learning and teaching, inspiring a shared commitment to getting better. Your teachers feel confident to have open and honest conversations about the learning of their students, their own learning and how they can get better. You and your leadership team regularly gather, document and analyse evidence of learning and use this to inform your teams’ decision-making process and work with your middle leaders to identify targets and action steps for improving learning for all.

Partnership with ISP. You are committed to working in partnership with ISP, specifically with the Regional Director of Learning and, when required, and other members of your Regional Team. You harness the potential of the ISP network through building and nurturing collaborative relationships with colleagues in other ISP schools. You understand and value ISP’s role as a trusted advisor and resource to support you in your role as a learning leader. You see the school as part of the group and articulate the added value of being an ISP school to your teams. You understand your collective responsibility to the school and ISP, successfully balancing the school’s interests with ISP’s purpose and principles.

Partnership with Parents, Carers and the wider community. You support and provide opportunities for your school community to build positive relationships. You foster a culture of partnership based on effective, regular direct communication and two-way feedback between teachers and parents. Together with your teaching teams, you help parents and carers understand the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning in ways that help them to engage confidently when talking about what their child is getting better at, what their next steps are, and how they will be supported at home. Accessible and available to parents and carers, you ensure their individual needs are understood and that they feel informed and involved as valued members of the school’s learning community. You represent your school to the wider community, third-party vendors, regulatory bodies and others, and you excel in forging and developing beneficial connections.

Communication and Admissions. You are a clear and compelling storyteller, articulating the vision and story of your division and ISP in a way that inspires parents, students and colleagues. You have a clear understanding of the learning in your area of responsibility and can effectively communicate the ways in which your school is improving the learning of the students and teachers. You contribute to both your schools and your region’s efforts to share stories of Amazing Learning to support Admissions. You contribute to your Senior Leadership Team’s effort in using parent feedback and NPS data to guide future plans and parent/carer engagement.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Senior Leaders Key Responsibilities

At ISP, everyone is a learner. As a senior leader, you model learning and a growth mindset, demonstrating a desire to learn and build on your knowledge, skills and understanding in leading learning and the learning of others. You foster the learning and growth of your leadership team, which will be fundamental to your success.

Learner (ISP definition)

The ISP learner recognises that their mindset, experiences and actions drive their learning outcomes. With this awareness, they exercise voice, choice, and ownership over their process of learning - leading their learning and the learning of others.

●      Adhere to global ISP Principles and follow the criteria set out in the ISP Senior Leadership for Learning Role Profile

●      Under the reasonable direction of the Headteacher, carry out the professional duties of a school teacher as set out in the current UK Teachers’ standards document: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_ data/file/1040274/Teachers Standards_Dec_2021.pdf

●       Joint responsibility, with the Headteacher for the academic progress and pastoral care of all pupils from FS1 to Year 6.

●      Ensure the primary school is fully prepared at all times for a successful external inspection or Best Practice Review

●      Substitute effectively in the absence of the Headteacher in conjunction with the Head of Secondary.

ISP Key Responsibilities

1.       Atmosphere: You enable students to learn in a safe, open, caring, collaborative and inclusive atmosphere.  Your students feel confident in having open and honest conversations about their learning and how they can  get better. You create a positive atmosphere by building relationships, behaviours, and inclusive learning experiences that support a good struggle for all your learners. You engage in professional and respectful dialogue with colleagues and the wider school and ISP communities about learning and teaching, with a  shared commitment to getting better. 

2.      Shared Ideas: You know and model your school’s values and contribute to its mission and vision through your daily actions. Through all aspects of learning and teaching, you create a strong sense of shared behaviours and purpose for learners and their learning. 

3.       A Focus on Learners and Learning. You put learners and their learning first. Your understanding of the  difference between learning and the factors that affect learning enables you to plan and support a good  struggle for all your students to get better. You are committed to your personal and professional learning and  development, engaging in a series of learning visits and inquiries with colleagues and leaders to support your  ongoing self-evaluation. You are an active and valued member of dynamic learning communities, 

4.       Learning and Teaching. You put learners and their learning first in your design and facilitation of learning outcomes, content and experiences, which are underpinned by positive and supportive relationships. You understand the types and phases of learning and apply your knowledge, skills and understanding of these to effectively facilitate learning, teaching, and assessing to meet the personalised needs of each student. You empower students to lead their own learning, supporting them to monitor, assess and adjust their learning in  response to feedback. You continuously inquire into the process of learning, making evidence-informed decisions and taking action to further improve learning and teaching. 

5.      Evidence of Learning. You gather, document and analyse evidence of learning from various sources and use this to identify targets and action steps for improving learning. You support students in knowing the different ways their learning can be evidenced and how to use feedback and learning advice to get better.  Evidence enables you to make secure judgments about your students’ learning in line with their personal learning goals, age and stage appropriate expectations, and local, national and international benchmarking.  You document and share evidence of learning to answer the questions: “What are my students learning?” and “How do I know?”.

6.      Leadership for Learning. You see yourself as a leader for learning and demonstrate the same vision, values and commitment as school leaders to support students to continuously learn and get better. You take responsibility for where students are now with their learning and the targets and action steps needed to improve. You support students to become leaders of their own learning by helping them develop their voice, choice and ownership of their learning process. 

7.       Learning Spaces. You create and use spaces to support and demonstrate the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning and the ways in which students are getting better. You ensure learning spaces (physical and digital) are safe, collaborative, accessible and inclusive, and enable students to play an active role in their development. 

8.      In Partnership with Parents and Carers. You work in partnership with parents and carers, communicating with them regularly about their child’s learning, inviting their feedback and using this feedback to improve learning. You help parents and carers understand the school’s shared ideas about learners and learning in ways that help them to engage confidently when talking about what their child is getting better at, what their next steps are, and how they will be supported at home. You ensure that the individual needs of parents and carers are understood and that they feel informed and involved as valued members of the school’s learning community. 

9.      Learning Improvement Planning. You are committed to learning and getting better and ensure this improvement happens strategically and effectively. You are active and accountable for your contribution in setting your own professional goals, targets and action steps that focus on improving learning and gathering evidence to demonstrate these. You contribute to department and school improvement planning where possible and view the school’s learning improvement plan as the central focus for getting better together.

Strategic Responsibilities

●      Support the vision, ethos and policies of the school, and of ISP, and promote the highest levels of achievement and attainment.

●      Support the evaluation of the effectiveness of the school’s policies and developments.

●      Be a key member of the SLT, attending meetings and school events as and when necessary.

●      In conjunction with the other members of the SLT, translate the vision into agreed objectives which are reflected in an on-going School Improvement Plan and help to monitor, and evidence progress via the Self Evaluation Rubric.

●      Plan, in line with school planning cycles, and develop appropriate mechanisms for regular monitoring and review.

●      With the Headteacher, regularly review the appropriateness of staffing in the primary department and the curriculum offer at BSA

Marketing and External Links

●    Maintain effective relationships with parents and other members of the community, both to ensure an excellent local reputation for the school and to develop a partnership with them.

●   Develop creative initiatives which complement the activities of the school with the result that a culture of extra-curricular and other opportunities thrive.

●    Work with the Head of Admissions and Marketing, KS Leaders, SLT and the Headteacher to achieve excellent internal and external communications, including relevant parts of the School Newsflash, year books and other parental links.

●      Support the work of the Admissions and Marketing Departments in recruiting pupils

Leadership

Support the Headteacher in the following:

●      Develop and maintain a culture of high expectations for self and others.

●      Develop and maintain positive working relationships with, and between, Primary staff and provide and sustain motivation.

●      Develop and maintain effective strategies and procedures for staff recruitment, induction, professional development and performance review, which deliver intended and agreed outcomes.

●      Provide training opportunities for staff in terms of their leadership and management skills.

●      Develop an ethos which ensures regular involvement of staff in school developments and encourages collaboration, innovation and individual and team creativity.

 Management

●      Ensure all primary school resources are managed strictly within allocated budgets; actively seek opportunities for cost-improvements and ensure that ‘value for money’ is at the core of all financial activities.

●      Help to elaborate an effective programme of staff training in September and June, and at other points in the academic year, in consultation with the Headteacher and the Head of Secondary.

●      Develop the primary timetable working in conjunction with the Head of Secondary

●      Monitor staff absence and organise suitable cover arrangements when required

●      Full involvement in the recruitment of staff

●      Ensure the TLSE appraisal system is completed and reviewed by all staff

●      Oversee the organisation and running of Primary Parents’ Evenings

●      Supervise the planning of curriculum trips and ensure that there is a balanced offer of off-site learning opportunities across subjects and phases in the secondary department

●       Assist and advise the Admissions team, particularly during visits by potential new pupils

●      Ensure adequate child protection measures and training are in force, in consultation with the DSL and DDSL.

●      Promote Health and Safety and ensure compliance with statutory requirements, liaising directly with the Health and Safety Representative for the Group and BSA’s Health and Safety Officer.

Leading Teaching and Learning

●        Promote excellence in teaching and learning, ensuring a continuous and consistent primary school-wide focus on pupil achievement and development in order that each child fulfils his or her full potential.

●        Oversee and support in the development of the Primary PSHE programme.

●        Ensure that progress is effectively monitored through the use of performance data, benchmark data (GL assessment) and regular self-evaluation.

●        Monitor, evaluate and review classroom practice via regular learning visits to measure the impact of learning across secondary subjects; celebrate and promote excellence; challenge underperformance at all levels, both in pupils and staff, and ensure appropriate action is taken at an early stage.

●        Support the Head of Learning in ensuring that the Leading the Learning programme is embedded throughout all areas of the primary department

●        Promote pertinent, relevant and regular professional development for all staff.

●        Ensure that individual pupil progress is regularly assessed, recorded, reported and used to inform future teaching.

●        Ensure that pupil support systems are in place and promote and monitor high standards of pupils’ conduct (including dress, manners and general behaviour).

●        Cover a part-time teaching timetable in your own specialist area.

Pastoral Care

●      Be responsible for maintaining good discipline and a high standard of uniform throughout the primary school.

●      Ensure there is a regular programme of assemblies and tutorial activities and assist with these when required

●       Ensure effective systems of supervision during pupil breaks and lunchtime are in place.

●      Provide leadership (as required) in the supervision of pupil activities, both extra-curricular and social.

●      Work with your team to oversee and manage the school house system and related events and activities.

●      Maintain an overview of the transition from Primary to Secondary.

●      Help to develop a proactive attitude towards dealing with parents and support staff in parent meetings when required

Qualifications and Professional Development

Essential

●        Qualified Teacher Status (PGCE or BEd or equivalent)

●        Degree level education or an equivalent professional qualification in specialist subject

●        Previous middle management or senior leadership experience within a school setting

Knowledge, skills and competencies

             Essential

●        Thorough knowledge of the UK Primary curriculum in EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2

●        A real passion for teaching and a desire to constantly improve their pupils´ learning

●        Strong organisational skills

●        Experience in the development and implementation of new initiatives and programmes

●        Excellent interpersonal skills

●        Enthusiasm and commitment to the successful development of the Primary department

ISP Leadership Competencies

1. Cognitive:

o   Strategic, Commercial, and Financial Acumen: Understands the education sector and what drives success, outcome driven with a strong focus on results, shares our ambition and goals and champions desired change, delivers strategic outcomes by inspiring and motivating their team to work towards shared goals, demonstrates financial understanding when making decisions and taking action and keeps self and team organised and on track.

o   Creative Problem-Solver: Tackles challenges in an organised and systematic way and finds solutions, sees problems as opportunities to improve and better deliver against organisational priorities, creates a safe environment within the team to encourage innovation and problem solving, empowers team to apply creativity and flexibility to overcome challenges and identifies risks and creates and implements mitigation plans.

2. Interpersonal:

o   Intentionally Connects: Supports, enables and inspires others to give their best, takes time to understand their team and personalise individual experience, a skilled identifier of talent who recognised the value of soft skills(emotional intelligence, drive learnability etc as predictors of potential, focuses on people development through coaching and mentoring, sharing their experience and insight, recognises and celebrates successes.

o   Collaborative & Communicative: Develops and shares our collective vision, encourages collaboration and teamwork, making people feel like they are working and succeeding together, open-minded, actively listening and seeking and welcoming feedback, communicates honestly, transparently and with genuine care and empathy, articulates thoughts and ideas clearly and adjusts how they communicate to the person or situation..

3. Self-Leadership:

o   Amazing Learner: Self-aware, humble and a good listener, manages their own personal development, focusing on continuous learning and getting better, is open about t