Assistant Headteacher, SENDCo & Safeguarding Lead

Job Title: Assistant Headteacher – SENDCo and Safeguarding   
Reports to: Deputy Headteacher
Responsible for: Providing outstanding leadership and management of SEND and Safeguarding
Line management responsibilities will be confirmed in due course
Start date: September, 2019
Salary: Ark Leadership Scale
Disclosure level: Enhanced
Experience required: Suitable for either a current SENDCo/DSL wanting to work in an innovative and high performing environment or an ambitious middle leader wishing to take the next step.

To find out more about Ark Greenwich, please visit our website: www.arkgreenwichfreeschool.org.  

To apply for this role please follow the link to our recruitment portal: https://arkcareers.engageats.co.uk/Vacancies/W/2581/0/221867/20263/assistant-headteacher 

Closing date: 09:00 Monday 25th March. You will be contacted only if you have been shortlisted for interview by Tuesday 26th March Interviews will take place on Thursday 28th March; some candidates may be released after the morning session.     

Potential candidates wishing to visit the school for a 30 minute tour should contact Victoria Hemmings: vhemmings@arkgreenwich.org by Friday 15th March.  

Ark schools value diversity and are committed to safeguarding and promoting child welfare. The successful candidate will be subject to DBS and any other relevant employment checks.

The Role

This is an extremely rare and exciting opportunity for the right candidate to take up a leading role at one of the highest performing schools in the country (Evening Standard, 2017). If you possess the necessary skills and drive and wish to work in a seriously ambitious, disciplined and high performing school, alongside a talented SLT, this could be the job for you.

Applicants must be fully aligned with the school’s values and ethos as set out in this document and on our website: www.arkgreenwichfreeschool.org. 

As Assistant Headteacher SENDCo/Safeguarding, you will be the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the school’s Child Protection Policy. You will also be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy and the Code of Practice. You will provide whole school leadership in the areas of SEND and Safeguarding. As a member of the senior leadership team, you will also be centrally involved in the overall leadership and management of the school, and will play a leading role in upholding the Ark Greenwich culture.

How is Ark Greenwich different to other schools?

• We are part of the Ark family of schools and benefit accordingly from outstanding networking and career opportunities and first class CPD.

• Our aim is to become the best school in London by:

1. Facilitating an exceptional culture where academic outcomes are amongst the highest in the country – but achieving this with integrity by refusing to ‘game the system’ 

2. Providing compulsory life-enriching opportunities beyond the curriculum for our pupils such that they become well rounded individuals 

3. Being a school that respects, values and develops its staff to be brilliant at what they do without burning them out 

4. Making an impactful contribution to the broader education community by sharing our innovative model and through our extended community scheme

• Staff wellbeing is one of our main priorities. We provide breakfast for staff each morning and have a 6pm weekday and all weekend work related communication curfew to ensure our staff are able to maintain an effective work-life balance. We do not do knee-jerk reactions, fads or last minute deadlines. Our systems and processes - including for communication, pupil marking and feedback and assessment - are efficient and highly organised and the approaches we take are led by research and what we know to work best within of our context. 

• We have been described as a ‘GROMP’ school – a school with a grammar school ethos but a comprehensive intake.  

• This is a strict no excuses, no mobile phone school. We sweat the small stuff every single day.     

• This is a small school model (600 pupils aged 11-16) because we believe that our close-knit community provides the optimum conditions for academic success and outstanding pastoral care because we know every child.   

• Pupil’s behaviour for learning is renowned for being exceptional so our teachers can focus their time on the things that matter – planning and delivering exceptional lessons for our pupils. Senior leaders are quick to support staff but also to hold them to the very highest standards. 

• Our curriculum is traditional and academic and we do not take shortcuts – we do not offer vocational courses or equivalencies such as Btecs, Vcerts or the ECDL. We only offer full GCSE courses. 

• Our literacy programme is central – we dedicate 30 minutes each morning to whole school reading and 10 minutes at the start of every lesson to academic reading. 

• We put high-quality teaching at the heart of what we do. We have 75 mins of high quality staff training every week. Live coaching and current best practice in the field of education is central to our approach – but we don’t do fads. 

• We don’t grade individual lessons or ask for lesson plans but we do focus on progress over time and typicality by ensuring long and medium term plans are carefully designed and embedded across the curriculum. 

• Our pupils enjoy a compulsory co-curricular program on a Wednesday afternoon much the same as in the private sector. This program includes a strong focus on community volunteering and the promotion of both inclusive and elite performance through a range of sporting, debating, public speaking, expressive and other activities. We facilitate 12 drop down days per academic year ensuring our pupils benefit from a range of life enriching experiences.