Headteacher
Westhoughton High School
Bolton
- Expired
- Salary:
- L31-35 (Starting point dependant on experience, with additional remuneration available for an exceptional candidate)
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 25 January 2021
Job overview
Do you have what it takes to become Westhoughton High School’s Headteacher?
If so, you will not just be leading a school…you will be building a future for all, driven by our values based vision of LEARN.
We’re searching for an inspired and talented Headteacher who’ll lead our school community to be the best it can be. Building on the positive changes that Westhoughton High School has recently undergone, you’ll create an environment where every student and staff member is energised, engaged and empowered to thrive and succeed.
Westhoughton is an 11-16 mixed community comprehensive school (1349 NOR), located in the heart of the community, within the Metropolitan District of Bolton. As Headteacher, you’ll lead a dedicated team to build on recent achievements, modelling and ensuring high standards in every area of the school. By shaping a culture that embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and high expectations, you’ll enable every student to aim high and realise their potential.
Reporting to the Governing Board, you’ll provide the vision and direction to raise standards school-wide. Drawing on your proven expertise, you’ll lead improvement, motivate staff and students and ensure a high-quality education for all. Also responsible for administration, policy development and the management of finances and resources, you’ll be a positive role model who inspires trust and builds partnerships across the community with trust, integrity and transparency.
We have an exciting proposition for the right candidate!
We expect the right candidate to be an outstanding school leader, who will be either:
1. An experienced Headteacher with an outstanding track record of impactful school leadership, who is ready to hit the ground running.
a. Additional remuneration will be available for an exceptional Headteacher
b. A professional coach will be available for at least the first academic year to support a smooth transition
2. An experienced Deputy Headteacher, with an equally outstanding track record of impactful school leadership, who is ready to take the important next step into headship.
a. The successful candidate will be the substantive Headteacher; however, an Executive Headteacher (Patrick Ottley-O’Connor) will work closely alongside them as a mentor and coach throughout the first academic year
So, you may already be an experienced Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher with significant leading and teaching experience at secondary level. What is important is that you model our values based vision of LEARN and that is evident in all you do, in particular ensuring:
1. You look after yourself before looking after others, so that together we can make the biggest possible difference for our students
2. Our students and staff are able to enjoy life in all its fullness
3. Everyone aims high and is aspirational for themselves, each other and our community
4. We respect one another, ourselves and our environment
5. We never stop learning, particularly:
a. Excellent experiences, learning and progress in/out of the classroom for our students
b. Sustainable growth and development of our whole staff talent; where we encourage, engage and empower all support staff, teachers and leaders to develop their expertise in their role, and to own their own professional learning at every career stage.
So, please do your research, come and visit us and/or contact us for a confidential conversation and then if you still think that you have what it takes to become Westhoughton High School’s Headteacher, please apply.
Application forms and further details are available from the school website www.westhoughton-high.org or by contacting the school direct on 01942 814122.
Headteacher recruitment video https://youtu.be/JsVyCBEMnLQ
Completed applications should be returned to the school office by 12:00 noon on Monday 25th January 2021.
Interviews will be held Wednesday 10th February & Thursday 11th February 2021.
The school is committed to safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and it expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Attached documents
About Westhoughton High School
- Westhoughton High School
- Bolton Road, Westhoughton, Bolton
- Lancashire
- BL5 3DN
- United Kingdom
Westhoughton High School is an 11-16, mixed community comprehensive school situated close to the centre of the growing town of Westhoughton within Bolton Council’s boundaries.
Westhoughton High School is a caring and vibrant school that sits at the very heart of the local community. This is a school where high expectations and exceptional working relationships between students and staff create a learning environment where everyone is able to shine. It is our belief that a school is so much more than a series of lessons; we are an inclusive community where diversity, individuality and creativity are nurtured. Our ethos is built around our core LEARN values. These values underpin all that we strive to do in school, which is what makes WHS a happy place to work and learn.
Look after each other
Enjoy School
Aim High
Respect one another, yourself and the school environment
Never Stop Learning
Investing in Our Staff
Wellbeing is a central drive to many of our initiatives here at Westhoughton. You have an SLT that truly believe in developing and investing in our staff and the wellbeing of all who come through our doors. We have multiple activities that develop our staff wellbeing including a Wednesday wellbeing-focused briefing whereby we celebrate our staff, best practice and recognise staff who have supported other colleagues. We have staff activities such as a staff choir and a secret buddy system of supportive comments and gifts that our staff sign up to. We also offer subsidised gym membership. We believe in continually reviewing our systems and protocols to ensure that we reduce workload in as many aspects as we can.
Students leave our school site at 2:30pm every Wednesday. We deliver our personalised CPD programme from 2:40pm each week which ties together our whole school priorities, personalised CPD opportunities and talent development programmes alongside our pastoral CPD programmes to ensure we build this into our school day and value the time together.
Westhoughton’s Guide to Staff Wellbeing: LEARN
Look after each other
At the heart of Westhoughton’s community is a TEAM of individuals working to make our local and school community the best it can be. Our TEAM means Together Everyone Achieves More with all members of our school community valued for the part they play in making us the best in Bolton. Some ways that
we encourage staff to look after each other are:
-Weekly staff Shout Outs to appreciate the support colleagues offer
-Half-termly gifts for highest Shout Out nominees and nominators
- Secret Buddy Association: optional participation
-Staff Wellbeing Leads who meet half-termly to ensure wellbeing remains a priority for all
-Daily tea and coffee in the staff room and before parents’ evenings
-Free voucher for flu jabs in Autumn
-Extra commuted inset day
-On-site Occupational Health & Wellbeing self-referral appointments.
-Subsidised Gym Membership
Enjoy our school
We are always looking to expand on opportunities for staff to enjoy our school more. Our current initiatives are:
-Our weekly staff choir (all staff welcome and speak to Carol Holmes for more details)
-Opportunities to be coached through areas of practice that we lack confidence in (through our 2-2-2 and/or use of our classroom labs) *Post Covid
-Regular staff voice to ensure maximised opportunities to grow and respond to staff feedback
-Two weekly briefings for clear messages and to celebrate staff practice
-100% attendance half-termly attendance draw.
Aim high
We want to support all staff to strive for excellence and value the roles all staff play at Westhoughton. Notably we:
-Have a dedicated Wednesday CPD cycle built into the school day to ensure our staff’s learning journey is prioritised
-Personalised CPD opportunities within our talent management programme
-Three-year plan within our appraisal system to ensure personalised CPD and external opportunities to champion our staff and develop opportunities to learn
-External CPD requests encouraged when tied to growth and development within personalised appraisal
-Group attendance to conferences such as ResearchEd
-Leadership residential opportunities
-Support of cover requests when observing other members of staff or receiving support.
Respect ourselves, each other and our school community
-Staff Appreciation Days with student nominations each half-term alongside national celebration days
-Return to work meetings through line management within 24hours to ensure care and support is a priority
-We honour leave of absence requests *Where strong attendance is evident, see overleaf
-Five childcare days honoured within staff absence
Never stop learning
-CPD programmes every Wednesday with students off site from 2:30pm (3:10 finish every third week for staff) with celebration of staff learning, wellbeing and achievement in briefings
-An appraisal system that prioritises learning, research and growth for all staff
-WHS CPD diaries that can be used to evidence learning journeys in appraisal
-Department Hubs attending in our local authority for department/nominated leads
-NQT and RQT additional CPD support.
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