Deputy Headteacher

St John Plessington Catholic College

Deputy Headteacher

Job Title: Deputy Headteacher

Location: St John Plessington Catholic College

Responsible To: Headteacher/ Head of School

Salary Grade: L25-L29

Contract: This is a full-time, permanent contract

Start Date: 1st January 2024, or sooner if possible

Closing Date for Applications: Friday 30th June 2023 at 12.00pm

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an existing senior leader, or highly successful middle leader, to join the leadership team as a Deputy Headteacher at St John Plessington Catholic College commencing 1st January 2024. 

The successful candidate will join the leadership team comprising the Headteacher, one Deputy Headteacher and six Assistant Headteachers.

We are seeking a confident, caring and creative individual who will maximise opportunities for our staff team and students. We endeavour to do this by creating a caring environment where staff and students feel welcomed and respected and where freedom of expression and regard for structure work together to build a happy and secure place for learning, belonging and achievement.

Respect is a deeply held value, which permeates all aspects of life at St John Plessington Catholic College and underpins the design of our curriculum and everything we offer our students. We believe in the transformative power of education and know that it is one of the most important weapons in the fight against inequality, inequity and poverty.

Access lies at the heart of our educational philosophy. In all that we do, we ensure that every student has the opportunity to engage with our curriculum offer, removing any potential barriers and creating opportunities for excellence. If our students leave us with a sense of agency - the capacity to act autonomously and make their own free choices - we will have fulfilled our aims.

At SJP, we believe schools should be safe, happy and forward thinking learning environments where all children are known, nurtured, encouraged and supported to achieve the highest standards and develop as responsible citizens. A place where all are welcome and recognised as unique individuals and where excellence is expected and nurtured. 

In our mission statement, we reflect on the words of Oscar Romero and we say that we plant seeds that one day will grow and water those seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. This permeates all we do at SJP. 

As members of a Catholic community, students are helped to see all of life as an expression of God’s love and a gift to be lived to the full so that each one will find his or her place in the world and know that he or she has something to give that will foster care, equity and equality for all.

Students are encouraged to take an active part in the life of the College and develop a sense of responsibility and pride in the efforts and achievements of each other. We have a thriving junior leadership team, led by the chair and vice chair which reflects the demands of the workplace and society that we live in and will prepare our students well for the next stage in their journey. The structure of the junior leadership goes from Year 13 to Year 7 as we encourage all of our students to be active members of our SJP community and have a real influence on what happens in and around the school. 

Through our work we aim to secure the highest academic achievement for all our students and to support and encourage them in their growth as people valued and loved by God.

To help you decide if the job would suit you, please find enclosed some details, which we hope will give you a flavour of what St John Plessington College is all about.

We can offer you: 

• A supportive, friendly working environment 
• A team committed to supporting professional development
• Enthusiastic children who love coming to school
• An experienced and motivated staff team
• A school with high aspirations for its pupils and staff

 We would like you to: 

• Be a positive role model for all members of the school community
• Be able to work well with young children and confident in establishing secure relationships
• Have high expectations of yourself and our children
• Be able to work flexibly as part of a team

In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, Holy Family Multi Academy Trust will undertake general online searches for all shortlisted candidates, this may include social media and video platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and You Tube. Online searches will only examine data that is publicly available, and the aim is to identify any incidents or issues. Any areas of concern will be discussed during the interview process.

Visits to our school are welcome and can be arranged by contacting my PA, Chris Lamb, on 0151 645 5049 or email schooloffice@stjohnplessington.com.

To apply for this position, please send a covering letter and completed application form for the attention of Mr P McLoughlin, Head of School, to recruitment@hfcmat.com For further information please visit the ‘Vacancies’ section on our website www.stjohnplessington.com.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and individually take responsibility for doing so.