Assistant Principal

Academy:        Darwen Vale High School
Job Title:                Assistant Principal – Behaviour, Culture and Pastoral Care
Reporting to: Principal
Contract Basis: Full Time
Salary:                     SCP L 11 – 15 (£54091 - £59581)

Overall Purpose of the Role:
The assistant principal, under the direction of the Principal, will play a vital role as a member of the School’s SLT, line managing middle leaders and pastoral staff and specifically contributing to the development of culture through high quality leadership and communication. The successful candidate will also have the skills to contribute to the development of teaching, learning and assessment at the academy, demonstrating a thorough and current knowledge of theory and practice as well as an understanding of evidence-based research and coaching.

LEADERSHIP
Under the direction of the Principal the assistant principal will:
● Help to formulate the aims and objectives of the academy
● Establish policies for achieving these aims and objectives
● Manage staff and resources to that end
● Monitor progress towards the achievement of the academy’s aims and objectives
● Support the Principal and Vice Principals in the day-to-day management of the academy
● Communicate the Academy’s vision compellingly and support the Principal’s strategic leadership
● Develop an ethos of self-review and improvement, where all members of the academy community have opportunities to contribute and are able to do so without fear of failure in a culture that promotes equality, diversity and respect
● Lead by example, focusing on providing excellent education for all students.
● Be an excellent role model for staff and students by reflecting on own skills and demonstrating a desire to improve and learn
● Lead on particular whole-academy strategies and policy areas
● Build positive relationships with members of the academy community
● Keep up to date with developments in education
● Seek training and continuing professional development to meet own needs

MANAGING STAFF
Under the direction of the Principal or Vice Principal:
● Assist with the selection and recruitment of new teaching staff
● Performance manage middle leaders, including carrying out appraisals, providing professional development opportunities, and holding staff to account to their performance
● Create an ethos within which their direct reports are motivated and supported to develop their skills and knowledge
● Commit to their own professional development, proactively identifying development opportunities
● Modelling best practice for teachers
● Demonstrate excellent performance against parts one and two of the teacher’s standards: teaching and personal and professional conduct
● Implement strategies and initiatives to share best practice with others in the Academy, developing confidence and skills in others

SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES
Under the direction of the Principal or Vice Principal:
● Ensure that the Academy’s systems, organisation and processes are well considered, efficient and fit for purpose
● Provide a safe, calm and well-ordered environment for all pupils and staff, focused on safeguarding pupils and developing exemplary behaviour
● Implement systems for managing the performance of all staff, addressing any underperformance, supporting staff to improve and valuing excellent practice
● Work with the governing board as appropriate
● Support strategic, curriculum-led financial planning to ensure effective use of budgets and resources
● Support distribution of leadership throughout the academy

Specific Responsibilities for Behaviour, Culture and Pastoral Care
• Leading the work of the school to improve student behaviour, including attitudes to learning, attendance and punctuality and uniform.
• Developing and embedding new practice e.g. new policy with everyone responsible.
• Being the school’s Lead Behaviour Professional
• Leading and managing a team of Heads of Year (Yrs 7-11) and related staff to ensure regular tracking of overall pupil progress, high standards of behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.
• Ensuring that Heads of Year, Subject Leads and individual staff are clear about their accountabilities for the student behaviour and welfare.
• Disseminating leading practice relating to the management of behaviour for learning into the school within an agreed framework.
• Taking responsibility for the impact of school policies on behaviour and attitudes to learning.
• Monitoring and evaluating progress in improvements in overall behaviour for learning and attendance with all key stakeholders.
• Advising the Senior Leadership Team on all matters associated with behaviour, attendance and attitudes to learning including reporting on individual students, year groups and raise on line groups.
• Working closely with Vice Principals and Directors of Key Stage to ensure that Heads of Year use data effectively to maximize achievement and wellbeing.
• Working closely with the SENDCo, SwS Manager and Vice Principal to ensure any student in need of additional support is referred appropriately.
• Developing the behaviour for learning policy and its implementation including the continued development of appropriate rewards and consequences.
• Liaising with parents and external agencies on the wellbeing and achievement of learners.
• Leading on ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment is provided for all learners before, during and after the timetabled day including lunchtimes.
• Providing regular progress updates to SLT about the successes, issues and concerns of all year teams.
• Liaising with parents, outside agencies and other education providers as appropriate
• Supporting and assisting subject leaders to ensure they understand, and are actively implementing the key aspects of the school’s Behaviour policy.
• Leading agreed aspects of CPD.
• Line Manager the safe guarding team

Contribute to strong attendance within school/reducing persistent absenteeism 

To undertake as required other duties and responsibilities relevant to the job or the seniority of the post as directed by the Principal.

Relationships
● You are responsible to the Principal as delegated.

Other Responsibilities
Operating at all times within the stated policies and practices of Darwen Vale High School and the wider Trust.
● Share and be fully aligned with the vision and operating norms of Darwen Vale High School, and of Aldridge Education
● Value, support and champion all school improvement levers: the practices and strategies, which drive our continued progress and school culture such as; Get Better Faster, coaching, in the moment feedback, Data Driven Instruction and clear curriculum design
● Support colleagues and be generous with sharing knowledge and skills, which will develop others

Abiding by and practicing the Aldridge Education Operating norms:
● We are Aldridge Education
● The standard is excellence
● Our people matter
● We’re in the work together
● Character is key
● We lead by example
● Every moment matters