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Key Information for

Applicants

Vice-Principal Inclusive Learning and Quality of Teaching

Leadership Scale L21 – L25

Weavers Academy

Start: January 2021

‘Striving for success,

focusing on learning’

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Dear Colleague Thank you for your interest in the role of

Vice-Principal: Inclusive Learning and Quality of

Teaching.

Working in partnership, Weavers Academy and the Trust

have made much progress in recent years. Our

relationship with the Trust and other CET schools is built

upon a foundation of individual endavour and a collective

mission.

At Weavers Academy we are ‘striving for success (by)

focusing on learning’ and it is this mission has has

enabled us to consolidate best practice and establish it in

the classroom.

Underpinning our mission we have pursued a rigorous and continuous programme of educational improvement. As a result, curriculum planning, teaching strategies and assessment techniques have advanced and have driven student progress. Looking to the future, we see huge potential in bringing the work of the school’s

‘Quality of Teaching‘ and ‘Accelerated Learning’ teams together. Our new Vice-

Principal will work to embed our all-inclusive culture and lead the staff effectively so

that students from all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions make good progress in

both their academic learning and their personal development.

Our unique ‘Knowledge Connected’ curriculum supports this approach, teaching

students to analyse and understand their curriculum of study through the application of

six key concepts, encouraging them to identify and solve problems in practical and

creative ways that give them a sense that they can have an impact on the world around

them.

We were delighted to have been awarded a ‘good’ judgement from Ofsted in May 2017. However, we are not complacent and want to achieve much more for our students – particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds - and to build on the school’s strengths moving forward. We seek to appoint an ambitious, creative, committed and energetic colleague to be a key contributor to the achievement of this goal. The successful candidate will need to be driven and solution focussed and will join a strong leadership team, a dynamic staff and a vibrant student cohort.

We are seeking an experienced and effective school leader who is an outstanding teacher and is able to provide pedagogical leadership to the staff.

There is a learning culture for our staff, with extensive CPD on offer for effective and tailored professional development.

To ensure that our staff remain at the cutting edge of educational thinking and practice we offer a wide range of professional development opportunities. In addition, in joining a growing group of schools, you will have the opportunity to have an impact on how the wider network develops through school-to-school support. You can watch a short video on what it means to be part of Creative Education Trust, illustrating our ‘Knowledge Connected’ approach to learning on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/creedacad. I look forward to receiving your expression of interest.

Yours sincerely

Vivien Swaida

Principal

“We seek to appoint an ambitious, creative, committed and energetic colleague”

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ABOUT CREATIVE EDUCATION TRUST

Creative Education Trust inspires and enables young people to build successful

lives on foundations of learning, resilience and employability. We believe that a

rewarding educational experience and the highest possible qualifications are

the best way to ensure social mobility for young people.

Creative Education Trust is a growing multi-academy trust educating over 13,000

children in England. It was established in 2010 to work in England’s post-industrial

cities and coastal towns: areas of economic disadvantage and with a history of

academic underachievement. We transform these schools by integrating a knowledge-

rich curriculum with skills and creativity.

Creative Education Trust defines creativity as the ability to find connections between

the things we know and turn these connections into new ideas and action. The

academic arts and the sciences, practical subjects and life skills all need this

creativity, and creativity is valued highly by employers. Our staff and expert advisers

use imaginative methods for linking knowledge across subject boundaries, fostering

personal development and resilience and developing practical skills that prepare

students for their transition to adult life and employment.

Raise their attainment in exams and tests through outstanding teaching

Make them intellectually curious with a sense of confidence

Increase their participation in HE, FE and apprenticeships

Ensure they have employability skills and attitudes

Create rounded individuals through a wide choice of co-curricular activities

Educational rigour

Organisational effectiveness

Financial efficiency

Partnership & recognition of local identity

Respect for autonomous leadership

Quality not quantity

Promoting practical creativity

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ABOUT WEAVERS ACADEMY

We are a mixed secondary school, catering for children between the ages of

11 and 18 years and located in Wellingborough.

Since September 2013 we have been part of the Creative Education Trust. This has

enabled the school to rigorously pursue rapid improvement for the children we

teach.

The school boasts many facilities and we strive to provide an inclusive and

expansive education for all of the young people in our care.

WORKING AT WEAVERS

We have a strong and dynamic leadership team who support each other and can offer an extensive level of coaching and expertise.

There is a learning culture for our staff, with extensive CPD on offer for effective and tailored professional development.

To ensure that our staff remain at the leading edge of educational thinking and practice we offer a wide range of professional development opportunities. In addition, in joining a growing group of schools you will have the opportunity to have an impact on how the wider network develops through school-to-school support.

Inclusive practice is well developed and the school benefits from being involved in a number of collaborative networks, partnerships and Trust initiatives to help the school stay at the leading edge of practice.

Working for the Trust you will have opportunities to participate in practitioner research in education, school–to-school support and a range of leadership development programmes

‘Teachers are keen to develop their practice. They meet weekly to discuss innovative and creative ways to improve pupil engagement,

which leads to pupils making greater progress.’

Ofsted – May 2017

To see full details of the school performance data please visit: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/139068/Weavers-academy

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SUPPORT FOR OUR STAFF

We are committed to providing our staff with the

highest quality support and challenge to ensure that their schools

excel and give our students the education they deserve.

Our Principals and Headteachers have a good deal of autonomy as

school leaders within a framework developed collaboratively with our

Director of Education and our CET Education Team.

Creative Education Trust places a strong emphasis on CPD for teachers and for

senior and middle leaders. We run a regular programme of training events to improve

teaching performance and also provide focused management development and one-

to-one coaching opportunities. We have an active cross-trust group on the Teaching

Leaders programme and use Future Leaders and Teach First extensively.

We believe it is very important that each of our academies plans in such a way that

financial and human resources are deployed to support their educational strategies

fully. This is supported by our experienced Head Office team, who are available to

advise on financial planning, audit, HR, legal and property matters either directly or by

referral to our professional advisors.

Each of our Headteachers is a member of the Headteachers’ Forum that meets

regularly to help Creative Education Trust develop its ethos and strategy, and to share

their professional expertise. As the network of Creative Education Trust schools

grows, this forum has increasing value as a means of professional development and

problem solving.

There are also a number of cross-group, phase leader and year-specific forums.

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Vice-Principal JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

LOCATION

Weavers Academy, Wellingborough

THE ROLE

To lead and manage continuous improvements to the quality of teaching and inclusive learning with and through the staff in order to substantially improve student outcomes.

REPORTING LINES

The post will report to the Principal.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Work with the Principal and the staff to ensure synergy between the Trust vision and the Academy vision and strategy.

Formulate and establish the school’s ethos, policies and practices, taking part in school self-evaluation to monitor impact and ensuring that resources are well utilised to meet improvement priorities.

Lead on the development, implementation and monitoring of the Academy Improvement Plan in collaboration with the Principal and the SLT to make a sustained positive impact on student outcomes.

Lead and manage staff effectively, providing strong pedagogic leadership to drive the quality of learning, teaching and progress for all.

Lead and manage the development of and the implementation of policies and practices that ensure that learning and teaching enable all students, including those who are disadvantaged or have SEND to make the academic progress expected of them.

Bring together the work of both the ‘quality of teaching’ and the ‘accelerated learning’ teams to ensure an effective continuum of provision that meets the needs of all students and supports them to reach their maximum educational potential.

Develop teacher-led action research, collaborating across the Trust to share and garner lead practice in order to drive continuous improvement to the quality of learning and teaching and to drive progress.

Create a culture of continuous improvement and use collaborative techniques to involve all staff.

Work alongside the Principal and the school’s leadership at all levels to monitor, evaluate and review impact, using outcomes to plan and agree action moving forward.

Be accountable to the Principal for ensuring the educational success of the Academy within the framework of the Academy Improvement Plan and our Trust-wide school improvement strategy.

QUALITY FIRST TEACHING AND INCLUSIVE

LEARNING

Lead and manage the ‘quality of teaching’ team, providing strategic direction to their work to address uneven patterns of progress in outcomes for disadvantaged students and those with SEND.

Substantially improve quality first teaching in order to meet the needs of disadvantaged students and those with SEND, utilising the expertise of the SENDCO and the Pupil Premium leader to target additional specific provision to improve outcomes.

Lead and manage the SENDCO to develop systematic opportunities for joint-planning with heads of subject and teachers to drive the learning and progress of students with SEND.

Lead and manage the SENDCO to develop the use of other adults to maximise everyone’s efforts onto substantially improving outcomes for students with SEND.

Develop a continuum of provision with the SENDCO, the ‘quality of teaching’ team and the subject leaders that effectively meets the needs of students who are behind and which enables them to accelerate in their learning.

Further develop the school’s ethos, policies and practices to substantially improve outcomes for disadvantaged students, developing the ‘Pupil Premium Strategy’ based upon the EEF research and lead practice case studies.

Work collaboratively with the ‘quality of teaching’ team, the ‘safeguarding’ team, the ‘behaviour and attendance’ team and the SENDCO to ensure that students with poor levels of attendance are supported to attend school each day and are supported to accelerate in their learning.

Implement and establish lead practices through the work of the teacher-to-teacher peer coaching model established at the school and through the work of the ‘quality of teaching’ team to make sure that all teachers become experts in planning for progression and meeting students’ needs.

Work closely with the KS3, KS4 and Post-16 Achievement Leaders to develop additional opportunities within and beyond lessons to consolidate and extend the learning of HAPs, disadvantaged students and those with SEND.

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Work effectively with the Vice-Principals leading ‘behaviour and attendance’ and ‘curriculum’ to ensure that the needs of all students are met so that all can achieve ambitious goals and subject targets.

Provide line management to the school’s DSL and support the work of the ‘safeguarding’ team, effectively ensuring compliance with all statutory provisions and guidance and upholding a safeguarding culture.

Working with the ‘quality of teaching’ team and the subject leaders, ensure that assessment strategies are effective and lead to teachers fully understanding the capabilities of their students and developing plans, teaching strategies and resources that meet their needs effectively.

Develop the skills, expertise and knowledge of the ‘quality of teaching’ team so that they are fully equipped to meet the professional development and training needs of the staff effectively.

To undertake a designated programme of teaching, modelling quality first teaching to ensure excellent outcomes for students, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged.

To maintain discipline in accordance with the school’s procedures, and to encourage good practice with regard to punctuality, behaviour, standards of work and homework.

To undertake assessment of students as requested by external examination bodies, departmental and school procedures.

To mark, grade and give written/verbal and diagnostic feedback as required.

TRAINING AND ONGOING PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

To ensure that lead teaching practice is shared systematically shared across the academy and is strongly rooted in every classroom.

To support teachers in their career progression and contribute to Trust initiatives for school-to-school support and research.

Provide support, training and guidance to teachers on programmes leading to QTS.

To develop the school’s ‘Joint-Practice Development’ model of ongoing professional learning through the ‘quality of teaching’ team.

Working with members of the Trust’s Education Team, develop multiple opportunities for staff to improve their practice in order to drive learning and progress across the academy.

MARKETING AND LIAISON

Participating in marketing and liaison activities such as Open Evenings, Parent Evenings, Review Days and liaison events with partner schools.

Contributing to the development of effective subject links with external agencies.

Championing best practice and securing excellent achievements for all students.

SCHOOL ETHOS AND COMMUNITY

Work with parents and students to ensure that they have an understanding of the aims of the school, its policies and procedures and future direction.

Foster a culture where students respect others and their physical surroundings through implementing a range of strategies developed with key members of the CET network.

SUPPORTING THE WORK OF CREATIVE

EDUCATION TRUST

Develop strong, positive relationships with Creative Education Trust colleagues; participating in trust-wide work and projects as appropriate.

Participate with internal and external partners and specialists to share best practice, contribute to the development of Trust strategies and policies and promote the school and Creative Education Trust in a national context.

Undertake any other reasonable duties deemed appropriate to the role.

Creative Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and

promoting the welfare of our children and young people and

expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The

successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant

safeguarding checks in line with Government safer recruitment

guidelines.

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VICE-PRINCIPAL INCLUSIVE LEARNING AND QUALITY OF

TEACHING

SELECTION CRITERIA

ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

Degree and teaching qualification.

Qualified Teacher Status. Sustained record of professional development.

Post graduate study.

NPQH.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Proven track record of significant successful senior leadership.

Proven track record of raising standards.

Proven successful leadership of learning and teaching.

In-depth knowledge of inclusive learning and how to map provision in order to target support to students with additional needs.

Analytical skills and the ability to make complex information clear to all staff.

Skills and experience of school improvement processes and how these drive outcomes.

Skills in developing and implementing teaching strategies to substantially impact the outcomes for vulnerable students.

In-depth knowledge of the 11-19 curriculum.

Successful experience in leading effective change in challenging urban environments.

Must be an outstanding teacher with the ability to provide pedagogic leadership to staff and students.

Strong communication skills both verbal and written.

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

Proven ability in securing a positive ethos that engages all.

Extensive experience of developing staff, of team building and developing student involvement in academic learning.

Successful leadership of school improvement strategies with a proven track record of significantly improving student outcomes.

Must be able to work constructively under pressure.

Ability to persuade and influence others towards the schools’ vision.

Resilience and a “can do”, “will do” work ethic.

SAFEGUARDING Ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and

personal boundaries with young people.

Ability to raise the self-esteem of young people and to support

their emotional well-being.

Strong skills and relevant experiences in how to secure and uphold a safeguarding culture including how to implement key policies around keeping young people safe in education.