Deputy Headteacher (Behaviour, Attendance & Culture)

Deputy Headteacher (Behaviour, Attendance & Culture)

L16-20

Required for September 2024

Do you have the passion, drive and determination through your leadership, to make a difference to the life chances of our young people in order that they leave us as autonomous learners, confident to take their place in the rapidly changing world?

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who relishes a challenge, and has the ambition to progress to Headship. They will need to be able to demonstrate the impact of their leadership through raising standards for all students and playing a significant role in our journey towards becoming an outstanding school.

The successful candidate will need to be a reflective leader with professional integrity and a strong track record in leading others to secure impact. The focus for the role is to ensure high standards of behaviour, engagement and attendance, whilst embedding and championing our culture where we aspire to “be the best we can be”. We have three values, which are being responsible, respectful and resilient and these are the golden thread that runs through the school in everything that we do. The Deputy Headteacher will particularly be ambitious in securing strong outcomes for vulnerable children, including disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Following a successful Ofsted inspection just over a year ago, where the school was judged to be good, we learnt that we are on Phase 3 of the DFE Schools Rebuilding Programme which means that we will have a brand new, purpose built school on the existing site, which is due to open in January 2026. We are the first school in Oxfordshire to be on the programme.

Gosford Hill School is situated in Kidlington, on the north western edge of Oxford near to the new Oxford Parkway Station (a 50 minute journey from London). We are also fortunate to be at the gateway to the rural Cotswolds. Our school is part of the River Learning Trust; our collective vision is to be a Trust where pupils and staff thrive in schools which demonstrate:

• all-round education, academic success, lifelong learning and strength of character

• sustainable continuous improvement; no school standing still

• all schools being good and outstanding, or improving rapidly

• collaboration that is raising standards, and reducing workload

• where pupils, staff, parents and communities value all we do to support the best possible outcomes and experiences for our children and young people

If you are interested in the post, please follow the instructions on how to apply in the Deputy Headteacher brochure. 

Serious candidates are warmly encouraged to visit the school on either Wednesday 20th March (between 8:30am and 10:00am), Friday 22nd March 2024 (between 8:30am and 12:30pm), Monday 25th March 2024 (between 8:30am and 12:00pm) or Wednesday 27th March 2024 (between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm).  Please email Nicola Cooke, PA to the Headteacher on jobapplications@gosfordhillschool.org or telephone 01865 374971.

Closing date: 5 pm on Sunday 14th April 2024

Shortlisting: Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be notified by the close of play on Monday 15th April 2024

Interviews: Will be held Thursday 25th  and Friday 26th April 2024

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils.

OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive  continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our “Working in RLT” guide.

This role includes regulated activity relevant to children. 

The River Learning Trust and Gosford Hill School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism.   The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link RLT Safer Recruitment Documents for Candidates. Please see our website for up to date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour Policies. 

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants click on this link List of offences that are not filtered