Executive Assistant for the East London Teaching School Hub

Do you want to join a school that is at the forefront of system-wide leadership and excellence? Do you relish the challenge of working in a start-up? Are you prepared to accept nothing less than outstanding performance from yourself and others?

We might have the role for you.

Our School

Mulberry School for Girls (part of Mulberry Schools Trust) is an all-girls school in the heart of Tower Hamlets, steeped in achievement and accolades, providing inspiration and opportunity to provide a platform for student achievement. 

• 1497 students on roll 

• OFSTED rated Outstanding since 2010

The East London Teaching School Hub 

Mulberry School for Girls is delighted to be recently designated by the Department of Education as the lead school for Hackney and Tower Hamlets Teaching School Hub (TSH). We will join a total of 87 TSHs across the country each responsible for its own geographical area. We are currently in the exciting start-up phase and from September 2021 will be fully operational.

The East London Teaching School Hub will deliver world-class development programmes for teachers at every stage of their career from across all 173 schools in our geographical area. Drawing on the passion, expertise and capacity from across Tower Hamlets and Hackney, we will equip teachers with the techniques, motivation and confidence they need to make a difference for every pupil in our region.

All Teaching School Hubs have five core responsibilities:

1. Delivery of the Early Career Framework (ECF) 

2. Delivery of new and revised National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) 

3. Delivery of Initial teacher training (ITT) 

4. Providing Appropriate Body (AB) services for Early Career Teachers 

5. Other Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

What we stand for

The East London Teaching School Hub will create an inclusive community which fosters collegiality and lifelong learning in the teaching workforce across Tower Hamlets and Hackney. 

Our core moral purpose is to help every child thrive, regardless of background. Using a place-based approach, we will bring together experts from across East London who understand first-hand what the teachers and pupils throughout our community really need, ensuring our young people receive the best education possible.

We are dedicated to being better together through this collective approach, harnessing the best ideas, expertise and talent from across the area to continue improving outcomes for every pupil through exceptional teaching.  

Our programmes will enable every teacher to access excellent training and development opportunities to further build their skills, practice and understanding of teaching.

Our approach

The East London Teaching School Hub, through an ethos of collegiality, inclusion and transparency, will ensure every teacher has equal access to a clear and all-compassing pathway of professional development.

Our partners

We want our students to have access to the same professional connections which young people from more privileged backgrounds can utilise. To make this a reality we have a wide range of external partners in higher education, business, industry, the arts and the sciences who contribute extensively and fundamentally to our extra-curricular activities.

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch

• Barts Health NHS Trust

• British Film Institute

• London Stock Exchange Group

• Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

• National Theatre

• The Prince’s Trust

• Southbank Centre

• WOW Foundation

• University of Cambridge 

• Teach First

• UCL Institute of Education 

The role

This is an exciting time to join the small TSH central team: we are currently building the strong foundations required to deliver on our TSH vision at speed and at scale ready to launch in September 2021.  As Executive Assistant for the East London Teaching School Hub (serving Hackney and Tower Hamlets schools) you will be responsible for establishing robust, efficient and adaptive systems and structures to ensure all aspects of the TSH run smoothly and professionally. The role requires a “can do” solutions-focused, people-centred approach. As Executive Assistant you will relish the challenge of starting something new and have the strategic and operational vision of how the TSH can grow quickly over time. 

Working alongside the Director of TSH you will lead on external communications and events, manage relationships with key stakeholders, oversee the quality assurance of teacher development processes and set-up high-quality systems and structures to manage the work of the TSH.

Although the central TSH is small at present, you will be based at Mulberry School for Girls and will be part of the wider school community. 

This is a fixed term appointment, for 6 months initially, due to the way we are funded for this work. There is a possibility of this role being made permanent depending on the funding.

What we’re looking for

We want someone who is positive, dynamic and enjoys working in a small, but busy team.

You will be comfortable setting up new processes and operating models from scratch. You will be a confident person who can build relationships with credibility and forge new partnerships internally and externally. 

We want someone who is prepared to roll their sleeves up and can work at speed. You will be able to digest new information quickly and respond with a focus on solutions.

The ethos at Mulberry is a key strength of the school and we are seeking to recruit a passionate and creative person who will be instrumental in making our ambitious vision a reality.

Bringing Down Barriers to Success

We are proud to inspire our students through a diverse and representative leadership team and welcome applications from all of the communities we serve. 

If you have the experience and passion to energise Tower Hamlet’s and Hackney’s next generation of leaders, creators and innovators, then we want to see how we can support you in that pursuit. We want the best staff and we know that means a diverse staff.

Encouraging a happy and healthy work environment

We take staff wellbeing seriously at Mulberry Schools Trust, here are just some of the great benefits for all staff.

• Local Government Pension scheme

• Employee assistance programme and support

• Free breakfast 

• Free gym onsite 

• Paid sabbatical opportunities

• Free onsite parking

• Subsidised staff restaurant with outdoor roof terrace

• Annual programme of conferences and Trust wide events with high profile speakers

• Cycle to work scheme

• Annual service award

• Long service awards 

How to Apply

You will need to complete the application form attached or the online TES application form which includes your letter of application explaining why you are the perfect person for this rare and exciting opportunity. Please be aware that we can’t accept any CV’s for this post. 

Please complete your application directly online via TES. If you have any questions about the role or the process, please get in touch with us at hr@mulberryschoolforgirls.org. 

Closing Date: Monday 19th April 2021

Interview Date: Friday 23rd April 2021 (remote process)

Start Date: As soon as possible