Principal Teacher - Pupil Support

Closing Date: Monday 6 December 2021

Purpose and Values of Education & Children’s Services Directorate

The Education & Children’s Services Directorate is committed to Improving Life Chances for All through a wide range of direct services which support our children, young people, families and the wider Fife community.  Our approach to improvement is rooted in our core values:  Compassion, Ambition, Respect and Equity which reflect the ethos, culture and practice principles of all staff across the directorate.  We strive to ensure that our attitudes and behaviour reflect these core values in all our dealings with children, young people, their families, and the wider community in partnership with those who support them.  

Supporting Statement

As part of your application, you must provide us with a Supporting Statement which outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. For more information, check out the How to Apply section of our Career Site. Without a Supporting Statement, your application will not be progressed. Please upload your Supporting Statement at the section marked ‘upload resumé’. Your Supporting Statement must not be a CV. More information is available on our Career site at www.fife.gov.uk/jobs/supportingstatement.

Please consider and demonstrate the following when completing your Supporting Statement: 

• Ways you have modelled and promoted the GTCS Professional Values (social justice, trust, respect and integrity) and Professional Commitment in your current and previous roles.  

(Consider the following:  how you have ensured equity of opportunity for all; how you have developed relationships built on trust and respect that enable others to take responsibility; how your moral and ethical principles inform your practice and how your own professional learning underpins your development as a leader and the development of others.)   

• How have you demonstrated your knowledge, skills and understanding when contributing to the leadership of change?

(Consider the following:  how have you developed and promoted an informed and critical stance which focusses on improvements in curriculum and pedagogy; how have you promoted and enhanced collaboration and leadership at all levels; how have you promoted and modelled the school’s vision, values and aims.)   

• How you have supported and sustained colleagues in creating a positive environment for all learners?

(Consider the following:  how have you inspired and motivated others to have high expectations within a safe, caring and purposeful learning environment which is welcoming and inclusive, well managed and well organised; how have you encouraged and facilitated learner participation in planning and deciding about their own learning and the wider decision making within the learning community.)   

• Ways in which you have you built and developed approaches to increase and promote positive partnerships.

(Consider the following:  how you have contributed to change at classroom, department and school level)   

• Ways in which you have used self-evaluation to make changes at classrooms, department or school level.

 (Consider the following:  how have you used self-evaluation to improve approaches to learning, teaching and assessment; how have you supported the professional learning of others, how have you ensured a wide variety of stakeholders are involved in decision-making processes and how have you made best use of resources to support the development of the curriculum, pedagogy, people and teams.)

Job Details

We are looking for a highly-skilled Principal Teacher who is passionate about improving life chances for all through a professional commitment to leading change and improvement that ensures positives outcomes for our children and young people.  As a principal teacher in Fife you will be responsible for supporting the senior leadership team by contributing to the strategic vision for the school, working with a wide range of stakeholders to implement and pursue the objectives set in policies, and for contributing to the development of a self-improving system across the education community.   

• A link to the role profile is included below, where you will find more information about the role, with specific reference to essential and desirable criteria for applicants. 

Qualification, Registration and Skill Requirements

Include overview and link to relevant paragraphs, if applicable:   

• You are required to have high levels of interpersonal skills and abilities which will enable you to work as a member of the senior leadership team to lead and manage school improvement, both at strategic and operational levels, to ensure continuous improvement.   
• You are required to demonstrate a commitment to your own professional learning as a practitioner through career-long professional learning activity and to be able to show how this has impacted on your practice.   
• You are required to be fully registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and to model all behaviour expected of a teacher in Scotland in line with the relevant Professional Standards. 

Further Information / Additional Paragraphs

Links to:    

• Role profiles - when preparing your supporting statement, review the role profile and think about how you meet the essential criteria   
• How We Work Matters - Our employees are expected to display and promote certain behaviours in the workplace.  See our ‘How We Work Matters’ behaviour framework for more information.   
• Employee Benefits - Employees have access to a benefits package that offers discounts on a wide range of products and services