Deputy Head (Strategic and Operational)

Deputy Head (Strategic and Operational) 

The Deputy Head (Strategic and Operational) will serve a key function in the Senior Leadership of the school and is directly accountable to the Headmaster. 

The successful applicant will be a highly effective and efficient communicator, with exceptional organisational skills and a clear vision of how best to achieve the stated aims of the school, whilst remaining open to new ideas and developments. The Deputy Head (Strategic and Operational) will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the school, but will also take a central role in working with the Headmaster and Governing Body to lead the strategic decision making for whole-school direction and development.

Reports to: Headmaster

Duties and Responsibilities 

Strategic Planning

1. Take a leading part in all whole-school planning and decision-making and help set the tone for all strategic and operational planning at every level within the school.

2. Manage the school improvement plans and support and mentor colleagues in their use of focussed improvement plans 

3. Determine, or make recommendations regarding, criteria for assessing the general progress of the school towards the achievement of its stated goals.

Leadership and Management

4. To be responsible for the administration of the school on a day-to-day basis and – in particular – to communicate effectively with other members of staff and, where necessary, be responsible for the dissemination of relevant information.

5. To think creatively and critically regarding suitable long-term planning and offer advice to the Governing Body.

6. Work with the SLT to devise and manage an annual calendar of ‘structural’ events.

7. To manage teachers’ expectations, requests and disagreements supportively, avoiding unnecessary escalation.

8. Liaise with the HoDs committee and support the implementation of the school’s academic improvement plan. 

9. Meet frequently with every Form Tutor and HoD to inspire and assist them in ensuring the effective monitoring and tracking of students. 

10. Take a lead in the recruitment and monitoring of new staff, as well as the development of the induction programme. 

11. Take an active role in the Annual Staff Reviews.

12. Supervision of research, compilation of evidence, etc. concerning academic aspects of the school.

Administrative Responsibilities

13. Oversight of all the timetabling, curriculum, reporting, teaching, and assessment.

14. Planning the timetable, including planning ahead to ensure the required staff are recruited in good time.

15. To oversee the preparation of the staff supervision and duty rotas and to ensure that members of staff are kept informed of any changes to the normal routine.

16. To organise teaching and duty cover for absent staff.

17. To be responsible for ensuring that all teaching groups and staff are where the timetable indicates, promptly and in good order. 

18. Induction of new staff (including provision of a handbook for this purpose).
 To devise an induction process, and ensure that there is an informal meeting with a new staff member following his or her first few days, and first two weeks.

19. To determine and promote, with the Deputy Head (Teaching and Learning) and Heads of Department, a distinctive academic and intellectual curriculum.

20. Serve as a model of inspirational teaching within the school and be able to show teachers what is meant by exceptional teaching. 

21. Promote excellence and innovation in teaching and learning across the school. 

22. Work with the Deputy Head (Teaching and Learning) and the Heads of Department to develop and enhance our an exciting and innovative curriculum at all levels of the school, promoting independence of thought and the development of academic curiosity for a life-long love of learning. 

23. Working with the Deputy Head (Teaching and Learning) and the Form Tutors, lead the student tracking process and ensure appropriate and timely communication with parents and students to develop rapid rates of student progression.

24. Identify whole-school professional development and training needs and to plan for INSET as appropriate. 

Tracking and Assessment

25. Supervision of the regular assessment of the progress of pupils and the development and
 co-ordination of an overall policy and system of tracking, assessment, recording and reporting, including periodic checks on the validity of the system adopted.

26. To implement methods of monitoring levels of literacy and numeracy at various levels in the school, and – in particular – for assessing progress over time.

27. To keep a record of all examination results, and to create appropriate systems for interpreting data over time.

28. Preparation of analyses of examination results.