Deputy Director of Primary Education

Westcountry Schools Trust, Ivybridge, PL21 0JA

26 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  By mutual agreement

• Closing date

  2 December 2026 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  6 November 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership role
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £106,637.00 - £117,624.00 Annually (FTE) This is a full time, permanent position

Deputy Director of Primary Education job summary

Westcountry Schools Trust is looking for an experienced primary leader to join our Education Team as Deputy Director of Education (Primary). Working with the Director of Education (Primary), you will help lead primary education across our 23 primary schools in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, and with other schools as our work develops, so that every child receives an excellent education and has the opportunity to thrive.

You will lead school improvement across our primary schools, providing support, challenge and accountability to headteachers, and line manage primary improvement colleagues. You will lead school reviews and quality assurance, coach and develop senior leaders, and support schools to put the WeST Primary Improvement Framework and the Trust’s improvement priorities into practice. You will also deputise for the Director when required.

A defining feature of this senior Primary Education role is the opportunity to apply significant SEND expertise across the whole Trust. Rooted in your substantial experience of primary education and school improvement, you will hold explicit whole-Trust responsibility for the strategic and professional leadership of SEND and inclusive education across primary and secondary schools. Working under the primary education direction of Katie Patrick and the secondary education direction of Naveed Khan, you will lead a coherent Trust-wide strategy, champion ambitious outcomes for pupils with SEND, strengthen professional practice and leadership capacity, assure the quality and impact of provision, and support strong transition between phases. Your substantive leadership remit will remain Primary Education.

We are looking for an accomplished Primary Education leader with substantial and successful leadership experience in the primary phase, including as a primary headteacher, an executive headteacher with significant primary responsibility, or in an equivalent senior Trust-level primary education role. You will bring a proven ability to improve outcomes and develop other leaders, experience of working across more than one school, and significant expertise in SEND and inclusive education. You will think strategically, balance support with challenge, and build trust and influence across diverse teams and both phases. Experience of executive or system leadership would be an advantage.

If you share our commitment to improving life chances for every child, and our values of collaboration, aspiration, integrity, compassion and respect, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Westcountry Schools Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/westcountry-schools-trust

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