Assistant Headteacher: Curriculum, Literacy and Academic Interventions

Rugby Free Secondary School, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 5PE

6 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  September 2024

• Closing date

  11 May 2024 at 12:59am

• Date listed

  25 April 2024

Job details

• Job role:
  • Assistant headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: L10 - L15

Assistant Headteacher: Curriculum, Literacy and Academic Interventions job summary

‘Pupils benefit from a school community that includes pupils from a wide range of different backgrounds and cultures. There is a culture in which pupils see these differences as a positive thing. Uniqueness is valued and celebrated. Pupils feel confident ‘to be themselves’ at Rugby Free Secondary School. (Ofsted ‘Good’: July 2021)’

At Rugby Free Secondary School, we aim to foster kindness and pride, whilst maximising our academic and personal potential. We believe that all of our students should be happy and safe, whilst demonstrating the limitless endeavour and resilience required to succeed by striving for excellence. To achieve these goals, our school ethos is underpinned by the foundations of mutual respect, positive relationships and genuine curiosity.

This is encompassed in our educational philosophy of creating more articulate, organised and progressive learners, and the desire to create both independent and collaborative learners who are proud to be educated at Rugby Free Secondary School.

Alongside this, we focus on broadening our students’ core subject knowledge and understanding of the wider world. As a consequence, quality-first Teaching and Learning is at the centre of our school’s ethos, and is the key priority for all staff. Our aim is for teachers to deliver high-quality lessons to all year groups, whilst also being supported to develop through pertinent and purposeful internal and external CPD that is bespoke.

Learning is integral to everything we do at RFSS. We ensure that all of our students, regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability, receive the best possible learning experiences, to enable them to achieve and maximise their potential. Here at RFSS, we continually support students to develop a love of learning to help them become learners for life, in order to equip them with the knowledge and skills that they will need in the real-world. This is also the case with our teaching staff, who continuously develop and update their own pedagogical practices, through Action Research projects and other bespoke professional development sessions.

Our students are encouraged to use their thinking skills to build on existing knowledge, generate their own ideas and opinion, and to solve problems effectively, both individually and in collaboration with their peers.

This philosophy also extends itself to the personal aspect of Teaching and Learning, as we strive to develop well rounded staff and students who are respectful, curious and resilient.

Please find below link toour websitewiththelatest Ofsted report whenwewere graded as‘Good’.

https://www.rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk/ofsted

Our Values are:

Endeavour - The belief that hard work is needed to achieve something we can be proud of

Respect - To appreciate the importance of understanding and admiration for others and self

Resilience - The ability to recover quickly and learn from the difficulties we face

Curiosity – A strong desire to know and to learn

Collaboration – The belief that working and learning with others will lead to greater success

Kindness – The quality of friendliness, generosity, consideration, honesty

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Specific Areas of Responsibility and Key Tasks:

Core Duties as AHT (Curriculum)

• To ensure the school’s curriculum intent statement is fit for purpose and understood by all colleagues.
• To collaborate with Directors of Learning/Subject Leads to ensure subject curriculum intent statements reflect the whole school statement whilst celebrating the enrichment their subject can bring to students.
• To continually evolve and refine an ambitious and inspiring curriculum for all, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with SEND, that provides the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
• To ensure the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced as a progressive model, to cumulatively gather sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment.
• To ensure the curriculum road maps have an appropriate delivery timeline that is adhered to.
• To promote the same high academic, technical or vocational ambitions for almost all learners. Where this is not practical, (for example, for some learners with high levels of SEND) the curriculum is still designed to be ambitious and to meet their needs.
• To ensure learners study the full curriculum by teaching a full range of subjects for as long as possible, ‘specialising’ only when necessary.
• To ensure there is no deceleration of learning after transition points, designing the curriculum to build on knowledge already imparted.
• To keep abreast of educational research and developments, especially relating to the curriculum, to introduce appropriate innovation and contribute to joint practice development.
• To further develop the ability of SLT, Directors of Learning/Subject Leads, Teachers and LSAs to articulate and justify the curriculum intent and sequencing.
• To improve student metacognition and understanding of their curriculum journey (e.g. knowledge organisers) and their progress by reflecting on assessment information received at data points (e.g. PLCs, QLA).
• To measure the impact of the curriculum by analysing student performance against the curriculum intent statements
• To measure the success of the KS3 Curriculum through a ‘Graduation Celebration’ of acquired knowledge and skills
• To refine communication of the curriculum to parents to empower them to support learning.
• To develop home learning provision, communication, assessment and completion to enrich the curriculum.
• To deliver a rigorous whole school approach to the teaching of reading to develops learners’ confidence and enjoyment in reading, and their ability to access the curriculum.
• To ensure that literacy provision is effective across the curriculum.
• To liaise with the QA lead to shape the content required for Whole Staff and Subject CPD.
• Attend SLT meetings.
• Attend external events such as Parents’ information Evenings.

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Key Tasks

• To prepare and deliver lessons according to school/departmental schemes of work
• To mark and assess students’ work according to the school/departmental policies
• To attend and contribute to relevant meetings
• To play an active part in the long-term development of the Department
• To play a full part in the allocated Head of Year Team – including carrying out duties as a form tutor, if appropriate
• To have a tutor group within school (if required)

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Additional Duties

Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge students

• Establish a safe and stimulating environment for students, rooted in mutual respect
• Set goals that stretch and challenge students of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions
• Demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of students

Ensure the safety of students during unstructured times

• Attend lunch duty when on the rota.

Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge:

• Have a secure knowledge of the relevant subject(s) and curriculum areas, foster and maintain students’ interest in the subject, and address misunderstandings
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of developments in the subject and curriculum areas, and promote the value of scholarship
• Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject

Plan and teach well structured lessons:

• Impart knowledge and develop understanding through effective use of lesson time
• Promote a love of learning and children’s intellectual curiosity
• Set homework and plan other out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding students have acquired
• Reflect systematically on the effectiveness of lessons and approaches to teaching
• Contribute to the design and provision of an engaging curriculum within the relevant subject area(s).

Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all students:

• Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable students to be taught effectively
• Have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit students’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these
• Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support students’ education at different stages of development
• Have a clear understanding of the needs of all students, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.

Make accurate and productive use of assessment:

• Know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessment requirements
• Make use of formative and summative assessment to secure students’ progress
• Use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons
• Give students regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage students to respond to the feedback.

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Safeguarding

Rugby Free Secondary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this and the below commitments.

• To ensure that all students have a safe environment in which they can learn, reporting any concern about the environment to a member of the site team or if appropriate to one of the Designated Safeguarding Leaders.
• To be aware of systems which support safeguarding and following the procedures as highlighted in the Safeguarding Policy
• To identify children who may benefit from early help as soon as possible and discuss this with one of the Designated Safeguarding Leaders
• To consider at all times what is in the best interests of the child
• To protect children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• To take action to enable all children to have the best outcomes
• Checking of visitor identification, especially at the point of school entry and the issuing of relevant safeguarding information.

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Generic Responsibilities of all Rugby Free Secondary School Staff

• To continue personal development as agreed
• To engage actively in the appraisal process
• To undertake any other duty as specified by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document not mentioned in the above
• Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities of the post, each individual task to be undertaken may not be identified.
• Employees will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from a manager to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in this job description
• Employees are expected to adhere to the School’s agreed Code of Conduct and set an example of personal integrity and professionalism
• Ensure all tasks are carried out with due regard to Health and Safety
• To remain confidential at all times
• To adhere to the ethos of the school
• To promote the agreed vision and aims of the school

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If you feel that you could bring further impetus to our drive to improve the provision for our students and have the necessary energy, enthusiasm and sense of humour to take us forward at this exciting time, then please get in touch.

To arrange an informal discussion or visit to the school, please contact Megan Jones on megan.jones@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk or call 01788 222060

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Closing Date: 10th May 2024

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This job description does not form part of the contract of employment. It describes the way the post holder is expected and required to perform and complete the particular duties as set out in the foregoing paragraphs.

The job description will be reviewed at least once a year and it may be subjected to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the holder of the post.

The school will endeavour to make any necessary reasonable adjustments to the job and the working environment to enable access to employment opportunities for disabled applicants or continued employment for any employee who develops a disabling condition. This job description is current at the date shown but in consultation with the post holder may be changed by the Headteacher to reflect or anticipate changes in the job commensurate with the grade and job title.

We reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy at any time.

Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow (LT2) is committed to safeguarding children; successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. LT2 is always happy to receive speculative applications from excellent teachers and support staff.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

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Visas cannot be sponsored.

About Rugby Free Secondary School

• School type: Free School, ages 11 to 19
• Education phase: Secondary
• School size: 976 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 19
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
• School website: Rugby Free Secondary School website (opens in new tab)
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/rugby-free-secondary-school (opens in new tab)

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