st laurence school · 2020. 6. 15. · st laurence school care z inspire z succeed how to apply: we...

St Laurence SchoolCare l Inspire l Succeed

Post of Headteacher at St Laurence SchoolInformation for CandidatesJune 2020


ContentsJob Advert .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

How to apply ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Letter from the Chair of Governors ................................................................................................................................... 5

Introduction and Ethos ....................................................................................................................................................... 6

School population ............................................................................................................................................................... 7

Leadership and staff structure .......................................................................................................................................... 7

School Development Plan .................................................................................................................................................. 9

Curriculum ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Performance Data ............................................................................................................................................................ 12

Pastoral Care and Personal Development ...................................................................................................................... 13

Campus and facilities – current and future .................................................................................................................... 14

Bradford on Avon .............................................................................................................................................................. 15

Job Description ................................................................................................................................................................ 16

Person Specification ........................................................................................................................................................ 18

2 Information for Candidates

Job AdvertThe Governors wish to appoint an outstanding leader to the post of Headteacher at St Laurence School. The vacancy has arisen as the result of the planned retirement of the Headteacher. We are looking for an exceptional person to take over the headship of St Laurence after a sustained period of school improvement, during which standards have risen, facilities have been developed and the roll has increased. Our latest Ofsted inspection judged St Laurence as ‘good’ with outstanding features. The last SIAMS inspection was also graded as ‘good’.

Our previous recruitment process was interrupted by school closures as a result of Covid-19. Previous applicants need not re-apply.

St Laurence is a popular and successful 11-18 mixed academy, set in the beautiful and historic Wiltshire town of Bradford on Avon and just a few miles from Bath. There are currently 1419 students on our roll and a thriving Sixth Form of 287 students.

The successful candidate will:

y Provide inspirational, strategic and professional leadership

y Ensure high quality teaching and learning experiences for all our young people

y Not need to be of any faith but must be committed to preserving the School’s distinctive Christian vision in line with the SIAMS schedule

y Build upon the very positive relationships within the school and with the wider community, based upon the values of trust, fairness, mutual respect and inclusiveness

y Promote high standards of behaviour, mutual respect, attendance, and individual attainment

y Maintain the needs and aspirations of all students at the centre of our thinking

y For full details of this position together with the application process please visit our website www.st-laurence.com

Closing date: Midday, Friday 3rd July 2020.

Interviews: 14th-16th September 2020

Start Date: 1st January 2021

Salary range: Leadership Scale Range L29 – L39 (£81,723 - £104,368)

Please feel free to contact Fergus Stewart ([email protected]) for an informal conversation before applying.

If you would like to visit the school prior to submitting an application, please contact the Head’s PA, Sally Hackett: [email protected]. Visits can be arranged, subject to social distancing requirements.

Offers of employment are subject to Enhanced DBS checks and references.

Care l Inspire l Succeed 3


How to apply:We hope that, having read this information pack and looked at our website, you will want to submit an application.

To apply, please:

1. Complete the application form

2. Submit a letter of no more than two sides. In your letter you should explain your vision for education and how your skills and experience would enable you to fulfil the role of Headteacher at St Laurence School.

Please submit your application form and letter electronically to the following email address: [email protected]

If you experience any difficulty in submitting your application, please contact Sally Hackett, the Head’s PA,: [email protected]


Dear Candidate

Thank you for enquiring about our Headteacher vacancy. This is an exciting opportunity to serve a distinctive school and a thriving local community. Bradford on Avon is an attractive town, set in some stunning Cotswold countryside, with excellent transport links to the nearby World Heritage City of Bath and beyond.Having suspended the recruitment process we embarked upon earlier in the year, we now believe it is the right time to resume. While we intend to invite shortlisted candidates to the school for interview, we fully appreciate that personal circumstances and Government guidance surrounding COVID-19 may dictate that this may not be possible for some candidates. We will therefore endeavour to make alternative arrangements for anyone who is unable to attend in person. Any activities at the school will be fully risk assessed and appropriate safe distancing will be assured.The vacancy has arisen as the result of the planned retirement of Fergus Stewart. The Governors are looking for an exceptional person to take over the headship of St Laurence after a sustained period of school improvement, during which standards have risen, facilities have been developed and student numbers have increased. The Ofsted inspections of 2013 and 2017 judged that St Laurence was Good with the capacity to improve. The most recent 2015 SIAMS inspection also graded St Laurence as ‘Good’. St Laurence Academy is also in a sound financial position.The school is ambitious for further improvement but will always put its core values first. Our vision is to develop young people with active and creative minds. Within the context of our Christian and civic foundations, we aim to foster a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on our beliefs. The postholder does not need to be of any faith but must be committed to preserving the school’s distinctive Christian vision.We are excited that there remains great potential for further development. St Laurence converted to academy status in August 2011 and is the only secondary school in Bradford on Avon, with students coming from a wide surrounding area. Our dual foundations of the Anglican Diocese of Salisbury and the Lord Fitzmaurice’s Educational Foundation provide clear values which underpin all aspects of our work. Alongside the two foundations, the University of Bath and Wessex Water are active members of the Academy Trust.St Laurence has retained its status as an independent academy, valuing the commitment of our Senior Leadership Team and staff to deliver the best education possible for the students who come to the school.Our strategic priorities motivate and inspire staff and governors alike. There is a significantly above national average trend in GCSE attainment and A level success in 2019 was the highest yet for the school. We also have a real passion at St Laurence to be inclusive and are committed to the education and spiritual care of the “whole person”.The successful candidate will lead the School steadily towards an Outstanding Ofsted designation, whilst remaining true to our core values. There is a supportive staff and a strong Governing Body.

The Governing Body is looking for someone with an outstanding record in the following:Strategic Leadership in order to inspire us with the:y ability to help shape our vision and deliver changey ability to be self-aware and work in collaboration with the governing body and othersEducational Excellence to demonstrate the:y ability to focus on continuous improvement in teaching and learningy ability to draw on internal and external partnerships for professional developmentOperational Management giving us confidence in the:y ability to be both efficient and effectivey ability to set challenges as well as provide support to all professional relationshipsI hope you find the information pack helpful and, of course, there is plenty of additional information online. Please complete the application form and send a supporting letter of no more than 2 sides of A4 demonstrating how you fulfil elements of the person specification. We look forward to receiving your application before midday 3rd July 2020.

Yours faithfully

Kieran KilgallenChair of Governors



IntroductionSt Laurence is a popular and successful 11-18 mixed academy, set in the beautiful and historic Wiltshire town of Bradford on Avon and just a few miles from Bath. We have a dual foundation, comprising the Diocese of Salisbury and the Lord Fitzmaurice Educational Trust. Bath University and Wessex Water are the other Corporate Members of our academy trust.

This booklet can only summarise some of the key aspects of our school, as a starting point for your research as a candidate for the Headteacher post. There is a wealth of information on our school website, which will give a real flavour of our history, what’s important to us and what’s going on across our busy school community. Look especially at Connect, our termly e-magazine produced by students. There are also links to external reports and articles about our school, including Ofsted, SIAMS, The Good Schools Guide and The Parliamentary Review.

School Ethos and VisionWe are a Church of England school with a distinctively Christian ethos, which underpins our commitment to inclusivity as a fully comprehensive school.

We express our vision like this, in words which we work hard to live out every day:

This vision is rooted in the story of the original Saint Laurence who, when ordered by the prefect of Rome to bring the treasures of the Church, responded by saying “people are the Church’s treasure”. So in practice we aim to show where our heart is: people are our treasure.

We judge that we remain a good school with many outstanding features. This was confirmed by Ofsted in our Section 8 inspection in June 2017 and in our SIAMS inspection in June 2015. We believe we have moved further since then. Our ambition, however, is to be “beyond outstanding”, a great school, one in which the elements leading to educational excellence have become embedded at every level. We are widely recognised for our student-centred ethos of care and opportunity. Our staff are skilled, experienced and thoroughly committed to the school and its success.

Our Christian vision is to develop young people with active and creative minds. Within the context of our Christian and civic foundations we aim to foster a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on our beliefs.

St. Laurence strives to be an outstanding school, offering a broad and challenging education to meet the needs of all students. We are committed to inspiring students to achieve the highest standards of intellectual and personal development through a stimulating and comprehensive curriculum.

Within a caring, respectful, inclusive community, we cultivate a desire to learn, take risks and accept challenges. We want our students to be resilient and adaptable, equipped with the knowledge, skills and curiosity to continue their education and become fulfilled, confident, socially responsible adults.

We care. We inspire. We succeed. 2019 Holocaust memorial service with Year 9


School PopulationRecruitment of students is high, both into year 7 and our large and growing sixth form. On 1st September 2019 there were 1419 students in the school, placing us in the highest quintile nationally for secondary school size. All year groups are on / close to PAN, with key stage 3 reflecting the expanded PAN of 232. The sixth form has 287 students.

Students come from around 30 primary schools. The largest intakes are from Christ Church and Fitzmaurice schools in Bradford on Avon and The Mead in Trowbridge; 50% of new intake students are drawn from schools outside our “designated area”. St Laurence has been regularly oversubscribed in year 7 and is the school of choice for many families outside Bradford on Avon but faces competition from improving schools in Trowbridge and from private schools in Bath.

Attainment on entry is significantly above national average. Pupil prior attainment was well above the national comparator for Reading (year 9) – 2019 IDSR. St Laurence has a SEN profile of 16.0%; 2.0% hold EHCPs (slightly above the national level of 1.7% as per 2019 IDSR) and 14.0% are SEN Support (above the national level of 12.9%). In the spring census 2019 there were 180 pupil premium students (12.8%); we have 19 children from service families (1.4%).

LeadershipStrong, ambitious and values-based leadership has driven curriculum change, necessary restructure and the development of a robust and successful appraisal system. Building leadership capacity at all levels, including amongst students, is central to our planning. Leaders at all levels are strongly committed to school improvement through a culture of always seeking the best – knowing our strengths and weaknesses well and taking effective action to promote improvement. Accountability systems are increasingly thorough and precise. School leaders and governors recognise the need for wider system leadership, both within our local primary-secondary cluster of 6 schools and across Wiltshire and BANES secondaries, in order to secure excellent outcomes for all groups of young people. We are active members of the West Wilts Alliance of secondary schools and colleges, which provides leadership forums, joint professional development programmes and a very effective in-year fair access panel.

Senior leaders work closely with the Governors, supporting the 4 Governor committees. In addition, Governors have focussed strategy working groups, reporting into the annual Governors’ Strategy Day.

A far-reaching leadership re-structure was carried out in 2019, in order to achieve:

y a more strategic focus for the senior leadership team, so that we have the vision and planning in place to achieve our objective of being a great school.

y a leadership structure throughout the school which is fit for purpose and responsive in terms of our current and future needs, promoting academic and pastoral excellence for all our young people.



Our resulting leadership structure is summarised below:

Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

Post Key areas of responsibility (indicative, not exhaustive)

Headteacher Strategic school leadership; school networks; staffing; SEF; Teaching & Learning (T&L)

Deputy Headteacher Strategic lead pastoral; strategic leadership of T&L; QA; School Dev Plan; admissions

Assistant Headteacher: Curriculum & Assessment Strategic leadership of curriculum, assessment & reporting; timetable; progress interventions; T&L

Assistant Headteacher: Safeguarding & Wellbeing Strategic leadership of safeguarding; disadvantaged students; student wellbeing and mental health; T&L

Assistant Headteacher: Sixth form & Student Leadership Strategic leadership 16-19; examinations; student leadership; T&L

Director of Finance & Operations Strategic leadership of finance & operations; site; health & safety; HR and staff welfare.

The SLT meets every week and also has a fortnightly, “single item” meeting where we focus down on specific strategic development issues. Each member of SLT is linked to a number of departments and acts as a coach and mentor to the respective Heads of Department.

Core Leadership Group (CLG)The fundamental purpose of this group is to provide a strategic “engine room” to drive the development of our distinctive school ethos and vision and play a key role in the development of teaching and learning:

Directors of English, Maths and Science Head of SMSC and RE

SENCo Head of LOTC and PE

Directors of Learning & Progress for KS3 and KS4 Head of Behaviour & Inclusion

The CLG currently meets once a term and is developing its approaches as a newly formed leadership group.

Heads of HouseSee Pastoral section on page 13.

Heads of DepartmentWe have moved from faculties to departments to provide:

y Curriculum affinity between the subjects, enabling a coherent curriculum intent and implementation.

y Scale and therefore proximity of the leader to teachers and students’ learning, enabling the promotion of highly effective

- Teams - Decision making and innovation - Tracking and evaluation

Some departments have additional TLR posts, depending on size.


Our departments are:

English (including Film Studies)

Maths (including Computing)

Biology, Chemistry, Physics

PE

Drama Music Dance History

Geography RE Modern Foreign Languages

Business and Law

Psychology and Sociology Art (including Graphics and Photography)

Design Technology (Food and Product Design)

PSHE

The Heads of Department group meets every fortnight, with an emphasis on training and development and the sharing of good practice.

School Development PlanOur School Development Plan (SDP) for 2019-20, based on our self-evaluation, comprises 3 strategic priorities:

1. Develop our collective ethos and vision

2. Develop a curriculum that meets the needs of all students

3. Develop well-being across the school

Each of these priorities has 3 more detailed strands and incorporates our ongoing work to address the two development priorities identified in our last Ofsted inspection (2017) – namely raising the progress of lower prior attaining students and addressing variations in teaching and outcomes the curriculum – provide key drivers, amongst others, in this pursuit of excellence.

Each team across the school has its own Team Development Plan, which is based around the same 3 strategic priorities as the school plan. This enables joined-up thinking and forms the basis of staff appraisal objectives and our Continuing Professional Learning and Development (CPLD) programme.

Tomorrow’s Engineer Event



CurriculumWe have developed our curriculum with the needs and aspirations of our students firmly at the forefront of our thinking. Running through our planning is our belief that “people are our treasure”, from the Saint Laurence story, and, as such, are far more important than narrow definitions of educational excellence. We accept the tension that exists between securing excellent Progress 8 scores in all elements, while ensuring that the right provision enables each student to achieve well and make a successful transition to the next stage of their learning.

The school aims to provide the highest quality education through a curriculum which:

y Is broad, balanced and challenging

y Provides quality and continuity of learning within each subject area in order to promote student progress beyond the average expectation relative to prior attainment

y Reflects the crucial importance of strong foundations by emphasising and enabling the development of learning, effective assessment and rapid progress through key stage 3: we value the traditional three year key stage 3 and see it as a vitally important period for developing knowledge, speaking and writing.

y Through our careers education and guidance programme, provides coherent learning pathways from age 11-18 for students of all abilities, across the whole spectrum of needs, placing the emphasis on quality of experience and achievement rather than quantity of qualifications amassed. This quality of experience includes ensuring that students’ emotional and mental health and wellbeing are promoted.

y Promotes the development of reflection, resilience and interdependence in learning (this includes affirming the importance of Homework and Revision)

y Places appropriate emphasis on English and Mathematics, recognising these as fundamental to academic achievement and career progression

y Emphasises the development of spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness and places a high value on religious education, in keeping with our academy object. Environmental education is a crucial part of SMSC and an area for further development across the curriculum.

Careers Fair


We are continually reviewing the quality and appropriateness of our curriculum for different groups of learners. So while we are largely an academic school, we are developing the breadth of our key stage 4 and 5 offer to ensure that we are providing accessible and coherent pathways for all. This involved alternatives to GCSE and A Level courses in terms of courses leading to equivalent qualifications (e.g. Cambridge Technicals). However it also involves a number of provisions for students who thrive on a programme which combines GCSEs with vocational packages, including Land-Based studies at Wiltshire College and ASDAN modules.

Our departments are well advanced in being able to articulate their curriculum intent, as shown in the detail and sequencing of student learning. We are committed to excellence in implementation of the curriculum; for example, we have developed our approach to monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, based on detailed analysis of our evaluations, consultation and exploration of best practice. We have moved from a model of formal lesson visits by SLT and TLR holders to a paired ‘peer’ model, which shifts the focus to one that supports the development of teaching and learning and encourages greater personal ownership by teachers. Running alongside this is a more robust, thorough and transparent use of “drop-ins” by SLT, CLG, HoDs and TLR holders, with immediate feedback which is also recorded on a database. This enables SLT links to work with Heads of Department to maintain an ongoing awareness of the quality of teaching and learning in their regular meetings and enables a responsive approach if support or development is required.

We have also developed our approach to Continuing Professional Learning and Development (CPLD) by introducing a ‘personally owned’ strand of CPLD where all staff commit to, carry out and review the impact of a series of personally chosen professional development activities. Time has been provided for this by disaggregating one of our training days and accountability is built in through the appraisal process. Activities agreed this year include visits to other school to carry out specific research, literature surveys about different approaches to student feedback, attendance at developmental conferences, working alongside other colleagues in this school or other schools and participating in joint training programmes with our partner schools (e.g. Aspiring Senior Leaders). This sits alongside a compulsory programme run through the year during Monday meetings and training days.

We are well known for having an inclusive and welcoming approach to students with SEND. Our approach is that students with SEND should participate as fully as possible in everyday lessons and activities, which benefits them and other students. This is supported by a well developed range of additional, bespoke programmes, which enable SEND students to achieve remarkable results at both GCSE and A level and make successful transitions as confident and delightful young people. Their achievements are celebrated particularly in our annual SEND Celebration Evening, a joyful event where parents, students and staff together recognise their huge range of accomplishments.

St Laurence alumni help students with options choices.



Sixth FormOur Sixth form is a vibrant, strong, growing and welcoming community, made up of students who have come from other schools as well as St Laurence.

Here too there is a strong tradition of inclusion. We are proud of our “above average” progress data, which supports our approach of trying to provide opportunities to as many students as possible, while maintaining what is a largely academic and A level - based programme. This success is based on a very clear set of expectations in terms of attendance, completion of work and participation in community service.

We recognise that the pastoral needs of students don’t disappear post-16 and have developed extensive support mechanisms through our sixth form and House teams, addressing mental health needs, careers and progression, work pressures, medical needs, bereavement and relationships. As is often the case, these strengths become especially evident at times of stress and pressure.

Key Stage 4

Measure 2017 2018 2019

Progress 8 +0.32 +0.47 +0.25

PP Progress 8 -0.28 -0.24 +0.23

Attainment 8 52.49 55.39 53.39

PP Attainment 8 37.31 47.85 45.73

Grade 4+ Eng & Maths 74.8% 81.0% 79.5%

Grade 5+ Eng & Maths 55.6% 60.9% 56.7%

Key Stage 5

Measure 2017 2018 2019

A*-A 34% 27.6% 34.7%

A*-B 61% 53.8% 66.1%

Average grade B- B- B

ALPS 3 4 3


Learning Outside the Classroom (LOTC) is a very important part of life at St Laurence. We have a wide range of after school clubs and activities (“St Laurence Extra”). In addition, our Challenge programme is designed to enable students to develop personal and team skills, which both enable them to move on to more adventurous activities in higher years and also, and more importantly, to develop the resilience to face the challenges and demands of teenage life, in school and beyond. The programme is designed to be inclusive and starts with a team challenge day in the woods in year 7, moves through a 4 day residential visit to Black Rock outdoor centre in Somerset in year 8 and then encourages all year 9 students to complete the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. Many then go on to Silver and Gold DofE awards in subsequent years. In addition, there are numerous trips and visits in the UK and abroad, including to the WW1 battlefields, Berlin, Paris, Italy, New York and Auschwitz.

Pastoral Care and Personal DevelopmentDespite the austerity which has been necessary in recent years, we have invested in our pastoral system so that we can live out our vision and values, truly caring for and treasuring all our young people. If they are happy and secure they will make good progress in their learning and develop into fulfilled and well-rounded individuals. This area is one where we are confident that our practice is exemplary.

The backbone of our pastoral structure is our vertical tutor group system, which has been in place for over ten years and which has been a key factor in developing and maintaining the close and supportive community feel of St Laurence. Each tutor group is made up of students from years 7 to 13, providing many routine opportunities for student leadership and informal peer mentoring.

Tutor groups sit within our five Houses – Ashley, Budbury, Conigre, Huntingdon and Westfield. Each House is led by a Head of House and an Assistant Head of House. These posts are held by both teachers and associate (non-teaching) staff, with each Head / Assistant Head team comprising one of each, thus providing all day availability coupled with classroom experience. This structure meshes with our sixth form leadership team, which comprises the Director of Sixth form (Assistant Headteacher), Deputy Director of Sixth Form and the Student Support Officer.

Our daily tutorial programme centres on Collective Worship, alongside a weekly “St Laurence Reads” session, a House Briefing and a strong mentoring element. This programme is under continuous development in order to meet emerging needs. Indeed, this ethos of evaluation and evolution has led to thorough and cutting edge provision in areas such as Rewards, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Anti-Bullying and Safeguarding.

Black Rock 2019 Berlin Visit 2019



Campus and facilities - current and futureA thorough programme of maintenance and development, led by our Director of Finance & Operations, ensures that our eclectic mixture of new and older buildings and spaces is kept in good order. We always bid in the annual round for DfE CIF (Condition Improvement Fund) grants and have usually been successful, enabling us to make necessary and timely repairs and replacements. In recent years we have added the Moulton Building for Mathematics, our Sixth Form Centre and a Restaurant extension. This Easter, classes will move from old mobile units into a new Science extension, funded partly by generous donations.

One of our recent priorities has been to create a strategic, environmentally sensitive Campus Development Plan with architects Kendall Kingscott. The ideas which have emerged from this exercise are inspirational, providing a clear “roadmap” for future developments and which would result in a school campus with a much improved set of social and circulation areas as well as vastly improved accommodation in key areas. The first phase of this is to replace our accommodation for Additional Educational Needs.

We are very fortunate to have strong links with the renowned Wiltshire Music Centre, adjacent to our school. We use the wonderful auditorium for House Collective Worship every day and for concerts and Dance shows. The two classrooms in their curriculum wing, as well as numerous studios, are used by our students and staff and also enable our students to have individual music tuition during the school day.

Last year we made the decision to outsource our cleaning and catering services in order to maintain high standards within a manageable cost structure. We look forward to further developments arising from this, such as a flexible food “pod” providing an additional outlet for students and staff.

Wiltshire Music Centre


Bradford on AvonSt Laurence is the only secondary school in Bradford on Avon, which describes itself as a “working historic town”. Bradford on Avon has a rich history of weaving, an industry which travelled to Yorkshire and gave the name to the much more widely known city of Bradford. The strong, independently-minded community is warm and welcoming.

Bradford on Avon is a jewel of a town, straddling the River Avon via the iconic town bridge. The views of the traditional streets of original weavers’ cottages make the town a key tourist destination. Nowadays Bradford is the home to a number of “high tech” companies, including the famous Moulton Bicycle Company, Anthony Best Dynamics, and Steve Vick Engineering, as well as a variety of creative and media based firms. Local employers are supportive and accommodating to our students, enabling us to maintain full year group work experience programmes in years 10 and 13.

The town is served by many small independent shops, a large supermarket and many lovely pubs and restaurants. The Wiltshire Music Centre has an exciting year-round programme which attracts many leading artists. The town has a number of churches, including the recently re-furbished and magnificent Holy Trinity Church, where we hold our school carol service and a number of concerts through the year.

The town is surrounded by picturesque villages and is in easy travelling distance of the nearby county town of Trowbridge, as well as Melksham and Bath. This is an attractive part of the world to live in and work. Visitors are well advised, however, to take full account of the traffic congestion which clogs up the town centre at key points in the day!

Staff social ant Winsley Cricket Club



Job Description:

Head Teacher

Core Purpose The core purpose of this role is to provide professional leadership and management of the school that will promote a secure foundation from which to achieve high standards in all areas of the school’s work.

To achieve success the Headteacher will:

y Provide inspirational, strategic and professional leadership both externally and internally focused to ensure the growth and success of St Laurence School as a place of outstanding achievement for all.

y Ensure high quality teaching and learning experiences to assist all our young people to achieve educational and personal success.

y Preserve the School’s distinctive Christian vision which shapes practice in line with the SIAMS schedule

y Offer a safe, well maintained and stimulating environment that will challenge and motivate members of the school community.

y Build upon the very positive relationships within the school and with the wider community, based upon the values of trust, fairness, mutual respect and inclusiveness

y Promote high standards of behaviour, mutual respect, attendance, and individual attainment;

y Maintain the needs and aspirations of all students at the centre of our thinking

y Celebrate success and share pride in achievement;

y Cultivate exceptional leadership and support at all levels of the organisation.

Reporting to The Governing Body

Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership y Lead the continuing development of our vision, ensuring the School continues its upward trend from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ in the context of the School’s core vision and values;

y Nurture an inclusive ethos, in conjunction with the School’s vision and values, that is committed to fulfilling potential and preparing for adult life;

y Model emotional intelligence in dialogue with students, parents and staff to retain a motivational ethos and to bring about change;

y Work with the Governing Body and all other stakeholders (including the foundations and other professional advisors) in the best interests of the School;

y Engage in system leadership and ensure the School plays its part in school-to-school support and a collective approach to meeting the needs of young people.


Key Responsibilities continued

Educational Excellence y Focus on continuous improvement in teaching and learning, setting high expectations and aspirational targets;

y Assure the positive impact of intervention strategies;

y Work in partnership with parents, carers and students to maximise achievement and well-being;

y Maintain a climate of professional support and challenge, in which all staff can thrive;

y Convey curricular and pedagogical understanding for the management of educational change;

y Comply fully with human resource policies and safeguarding procedures to optimise educational outcomes;

y Draw on internal and external partnerships for professional development.

Developing Staff y Maintain and enhance staff moral and wellbeing;

y Ensure staff are well managed, supported and developed through effective appraisal procedures and self-improving process of professional development;

y Provide opportunities for all staff to develop their professional skills as an aid to improving performance and student achievement

Operational Management y Make full use of data/information and take action based on connections between issues;

y Lead self-evaluation systems to inform school and professional development priorities;

y Create and implement ways of actively involving parents and carers in the learning process;

y Ensure that parents, carers and young people are kept well informed about all appropriate school matters;

y Maintain and further develop plans to work closely with organisations within the community, whether faith-based, commercial, public, voluntary, or secular in supporting and participating with the School.



Key Responsibilities continued

Resource Management y Acting as the Accounting Officer for the Academy;

y Steer the financial management of the School including compliance with the Academy Financial Handbook;

y Sustain a staffing structure fit for purpose and maintain accountability systems;

y Advise on the adaptation/extension of school buildings and facilities to ensure the best possible learning environment; ensuring that the interior and exterior of the building are maintained to a high standard;

y Manage the security and Health & Safety aspects, including legal obligations.

Salary/Grade Leadership Scale Range L27-L39

Additional information As with all job descriptions these are subject to change to meet changing circumstances. The Conditions of Employment of Headteachers (Part 7 School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, 2019) outlines the statutory responsibilities for Headteachers.

Personal specification:

Head Teacher

Description Method of assessment

Qualifications, Knowledge and Understanding

Essential:

y A good degree and Qualified Teacher Status

y Holding or working towards the NPQH qualification

y Evidence of previous and ongoing commitment to further professional training/development

y Up to date knowledge of recent and future curriculum developments

y Knowledge of current educational thinking regarding raising achievement through teaching and learning

y Proven track record of success in a senior leadership capacity in the Secondary Sector

y Ensuring that the school continues to uphold its distinctive Christian vision and values

Desirable:

y Level 2 or above safeguarding trained

y Safer recruitment trained

Application form/interview


Description Method of assessment

Skills and ExperienceEssential: y Experience of leading and motivating teams of people and building effective relationships at all levels to achieve positive outcomes for students

y Demonstrate an excellent track record of leading change. y Proven ability to manage site, financial and human resources y Able to sustain a positive culture and ethos y Experience of working successfully with Governors, parents/carers, stakeholders and community to secure positive outcomes for students

y Understand and interpret data to improve outcomes y Successful experience in raising achievement y Demonstration of a good understanding of school improvement planning and implementation

y Understanding of the latest curriculum and assessment issues y Experience of implementing Performance Management and appraisal y Experience of partnership working with parents/carers and the wider community including external agencies

y Successful and varied teaching experience in appropriate phase(s), including working with students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties

y Understanding of how the needs of all students including those who are disadvantaged, have special educational needs or a disability will be met

y Clear understanding of the importance of teaching, learning, and assessment in achieving positive outcomes for all students

y Commitment to providing a curriculum that meets the needs of all students within financial restraints

Desirable: y Experience of working in a School with a Sixth Form and knowledge and understanding of key issues pertaining to Sixth Form Education


Personal qualitiesEssential: y Energy, strong interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence and communication skills y Is visible, approachable, empathetic and enjoys engaging with students, staff, parents and the wider community

y Strong negotiating and influencing skills y Ability to make and communicate decisions effectively y Ability to work effectively and calmly under pressure y Ability to inspire others to be the best they can be



St Laurence School, Ashley Road, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1DZT: 01225 309500 W: st-laurence.com E: [email protected]

st laurence school · 2020. 6. 15. · st laurence school care z inspire z succeed how to apply: we...

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