Dean of Students (Head of Year)

Reports to: Assistant Principal

Start date: January 2021

Contract: Permanent  

Salary: L2 –L6                       

The Dean of Students is responsible to the Assistant Principal for ensuring appropriate expectations of student behaviour while at school.  This includes student supervision, guidance and discipline, as needed. The Dean of students is responsible, with the Assistant Principal, for the day-to-day behaviour management within the small school. 

The Dean of Students is expected to provide leadership on issues of routine and ritual implementation, behaviour and parental involvement as well as holding Learning Family Leads to account for their actions with students. The overarching goals of the position are to encourage and support positive student alignment and behaviour and to engage parents in the success of their children, when needed, through improving Globe Growth within the small school. 

Key responsibilities:

Behaviour management and implementation of rituals/routines: 

• Encourage, support, and motivate students within the small school to engage in positive behaviours

• to assist the small school staff in creating a strong, disciplined and achievement‐oriented small school culture 

• to work closely with the small school teams to ensure that students demonstrate positive behaviour and that the teams are aligned to Ark Globe Culture Pyramid 

• to be responsible for assisting with and chairing weekly small school and year group meetings, ensuring that Learning Family Leads are aligned to supporting their students through pastoral initiatives

• to support teachers with students who are being disruptive in class, removing students (as necessary) and assigning appropriate consequences where appropriate

• to problem‐solve with teachers around especially challenging students or behaviours, identifying the antecedents of poor behaviour and developing plans to support more positive behaviour including behavioural contracts

• to develop special relationships and behaviour plans with those students who need help by coaching, mentoring and supporting these students towards increasingly positive behaviour 

• to be a model for the staff for effective student discipline 

• To supervise break and lunch and the small school during lessons

Academy ethos and culture:

• Support the Principal and other strategic leaders in fostering a strong sense of Academy community and ethos, aligned to the Academy Culture Pyramid, among both staff and students 

• To support students in progressing their ‘Globe Growth’ scores, by organizing and facilitating Prep sessions for those students who require intervention in their behavior for learning

• To work alongside the Assistant Principal in developing an innovative pastoral curriculum, including assemblies, to encourage behaviours and attitudes that increase life chances through the development of social, emotional and cultural capital

Parental and community engagement

Proactively and positively engage parents in furthering their child’s education and the success of the small school, including;

• to develop a plan for parental involvement, including specific goals and strategies to organise and participate in parent orientation activities that inspire, inform them of their responsibilities and the incredible value of their full support and participation

• to proactively engage parents who are not involved, to inspire them to support their child and the school, and to hold them accountable for upholding the home-school agreement

• to address parent concerns as they arise and liaise with the Local Authority to support students where there are safeguarding concerns, utilising the support of the Assistant Principal and DSL/DDSL

Pastoral Team

Serve as a member of the Academy’s pastoral leadership team, including: 

• to work with the leadership team to problem‐solve all major areas of school concern and to plan, short‐term and long‐term, for school success 

• to listen and respond to problems/concerns identified by teachers and parents and to be thoughtful in designing solutions 

• to serve as a role model of the professional values of Ark Globe and the wider pastoral team

• to work alongside academy wide rewards strategies to engage students and promote positive behaviour for learning and work within the community

• working within the academy system, with weekly meetings with the Attendance Officer, to analyse attendance and punctuality data then decide on further actions with students and families

• working with the academy’s behaviour system to monitor and improve the progress of student behavioural alignment and support staff academy wide by On Call and Globe Pastoral Support (GPS)

• working with staff and students to support and initiate extra-curricular engagement through a tailored approach to help enhance student engagement and help behaviour for learning

Other 

• Undertake, and when required, deliver or be part of the appraisal system and relevant training and professional development 

• To undertake any other responsibilities as directed by the Principal

Person Specification: Dean of Students (Head of Year)

Necessary qualification criteria

• Qualified to work in the UK

• Evidence of further professional development

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Experience of understanding how to improve and sustain and effective behaviour policies in a challenging school

• Experience of having worked to support the significant success of others.

• Experience of engaging and motivating targeted students to improve their attendance, attainment and progress

• Experience of working with staff to improve their behaviour management in and out of the classroom

• Experience of Safeguarding /Child Protection of staff and students in and out of the classroom

• Experience in managing the SEN provision for students 

Skills, attributes and behaviours

• Alignment with Ark Globe Academy’s vision

• Relentless drive to do what it takes to ensure all students succeed

• Ability to instil and ensure high expectations

• The courage and conviction to make a difference

• Alignment to and communicate of a shared vision

• Model desired beliefs, behaviour and values

Leadership

• Understands their own contribution to the Academy as a whole 

• Management style that encourages participation, innovation and confidence

• Strong organisational skills

• Resilience and motivation to lead the Academy through day-to-day challenges

Vision and strategy

• Vision aligned with Ark Schools values and Ark Globe’s culture pyramid

• Clear understanding of the strategies to establish consistently high standards of behaviour in an inner city school and commitment to relentlessly instilling these strategies

• Ability to use data to inform and diagnose weaknesses that need addressing

Leading the learning

• Understands what outstanding teaching practice and intervention looks like, how to diagnose and implement effective strategies to raise learning standards. 

Leading external relationships

• Can skilfully manage and maintain effective working relationships with parents and other stakeholders

Other

• Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all pupils