Deputy Head of Junior School

We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic and highly motivated Deputy Head to join our Junior School team who will support the Head in the leadership and management of the Junior School. We are looking for a person who puts children at the centre of the decision-making process and who can demonstrate that they are: 

• Able to support the Head in leading the school to maintain and develop high quality education for all pupils, ensuring improved standards of learning and achievement and promoting the values of the school. 
• An inspirational classroom practitioner with clear and proven understanding and experience of the learning process in Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum for England. 
• A highly skilled team player who can lead, manage and motivate a supportive team of educational professionals. 
• A forward thinking leader who is autonomous, caring, and thrives on challenge and hard work, whilst maintaining a good sense of humour and an understanding of the pressures on staff and pupils. 
• A creative and dynamic member of the senior team who can support and plan for the upcoming move from three to four form entry as we move to a new site in 2020

We are particularly interested in teachers who have experience of leading assessment at Junior level. 

More information about the Junior School can also be found our Primary School Profile.  

About The British School of Amsterdam

The British School of Amsterdam (BSA) is an independent co-educational non-profit day school providing world class teaching and learning for children from 3 to 18 years old. Currently based on three campuses in the south of the city of Amsterdam, the school is organised into four departments: Early Years (3-5 years), Infants (5-7 years), Juniors (7-11 years) and Seniors (11-18 years) each with its own Head and team of staff. We currently have more than 950 pupils across the school. The British School of Amsterdam is directed by a whole school leadership team comprising the Principal, Bursar and the Heads of the Early Years, Infant, Junior and Senior schools. The Support Department consists of admissions, data management, finance, IT, facilities, catering, marketing & PR and HR.

In September 2020, all four schools will come together in one single location on the Havenstraat in Amsterdam. The entire building project is worth €40 million and will be an exciting new chapter for the school. This move will enable further expansion of the Senior School across all Key Stages.

About the Junior School

The Junior School is for years 3 to 6 and is housed in a modern building attached to the Senior School. There are currently three classes per year group. The plan for the new school, in September 2020, is that we expand to four classes per year group. The current maximum class size is 24. For the new site this will decrease to 20. Each year group has a Year Group Leader. There is also a Learning Support Coordinator.

The Junior School consists of 20 teaching classrooms including a computer room, three modern foreign languages classrooms, a music room, a fiction and nonfiction library, access to the shared hall and a gymnasium and a secure playground. Children enjoy an extensive extracurricular activity programme, and there is a dedicated music practice room for private music tuition. There is a school kitchen, offering a hot midday meal.

Contract and benefits

The post is full time, and in the first instance temporary for one year. 

Benefits include

• Competitive salary.
• An additional 8% holiday allowance is paid per year.
• Relocation allowance (for expatriate staff).
• A pension plan where the entire contribution is paid by the school.
• Possibility of applying for a tax discount for overseas highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands (commonly referred to as the 30% Ruling) 
• Free school places for employees who quality for the 30% Ruling.
• Travel expenses of €0.19 per km if travelling by car (up to a monthly maximum of €180) or by public transport (if coming from outside of Amsterdam) of up to €300 per month (in standard class).

Person specification

The Deputy Head is an extremely important role in our school and, in addition to the above, candidates should be able to demonstrate through their experience that they are:

• Autonomous and highly dedicated professionals who will be clearly visible around school. 
• Able to make informed decisions and be independently proactive when solving problems and addressing issues that arise during the course of the school day.
• Excellent time managers, with the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines; as this post requires this role to be completed alongside a teaching timetable.
• Able to uphold the mission, vision and values of the school and support and implement decisions made by the school. 
• Experienced in working with a high level of independence, autonomy and judgement in their position and skilled in prioritising workloads.
• Experienced in people management - skilled in dealing with conflict and issues effectively by intervention, guidance and support, using judgement or seeking advice when handling difficult or contentious issues. 
• Respectful of the confidential nature of information discussed at senior leadership level when speaking with staff, parents, pupils and the wider community
• An excellent team player who will work closely with the team, and will meet regularly with the Head and the other school leaders and post holders as and when required.
• IT literate with strong presentation skills and able to present to a variety of different audiences effectively.
• Knowledgeable about best practice in teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 as well as the complete primary age range with up to date knowledge of current UK initiatives in primary education.

Application process

Click here  for a candidate information pack. Click here for an application form. The application form should include a covering letter, addressed to the Principal, Paul Morgan, and the contact details for two referees. Once completed it should be sent to recruitment@britams.nl by Monday 6 May at 12pm (CET). Further information can be obtained by sending an email to recruitment@britams.nl. 

Further information can be obtained by contacting the HR Manager, Feli Luzolo, f.luzolo@britams.nl. 

After the closing date we will contact successfully long-listed candidates with more details about the interview process. Initial Skype interviews for long-listed candidates will take place soon after the closing date with further interviews in Amsterdam for shortlisted candidates in the week beginning 13 May.