Senior Leader: Head of Standards - 4 to 18

A pivotal role in a pioneering school.

Come to our special recruitment event on Thursday, 25th January from 5.30pm to 7.30pm where you’ll be able to meet teachers and the headteacher, get an idea of what our school is like and find out more about the role. Please register for the event giving your name and the role you are interested in at school21recruitment.eventbrite.co.uk

This role is a key post in the development of School 21, one of the most exciting new schools in the country.

It would suit an experienced senior leader who seeks the challenge of leading in an innovative environment. We are looking for someone who can combine strategic thinking, with the ability to build strong teams and implement programmes with operational rigour.

You will be joining School 21 in the year the school completes its growth to capacity with all year groups between ages 4 and 18 being filled. You will play a key role in knitting our four small schools - primary (Reception to year 4) Middle school (years 5-8), secondary (9-11) and our Sixth Form, Six 21, into a coherent whole.

Your focus will be ensuring there are high standards both academically and personally for all students across the school. Using data in a sophisticated way to ensure the progress of all students and the impact of strategic interventions.

We are looking for a school leader, who is up for something challenging and ground-breaking, to help us on the next stage of our journey. We want a leader who is keen to change education in this country and who is ambitious to try new approaches to pedagogy, curriculum design and pupil well-being.  We have also been approved to open two new schools in the coming years and so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and develop.

School 21 has established a strong track record - an outstanding ofsted, excellent GCSE results and a growing reputation, for example being the first and only international case study chosen by US educators, Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/school/school-21.

At School 21  we believe that the purpose of education is to develop the whole child: head (academics), heart (character and well-being) and hand (generating ideas, problem solving, creating extraordinary authentic outcomes).

The ideal candidate for this role would be interested in first establishing themselves in School 21 as a capable senior leader and then working on new development projects as they arise. 

We are an organisation that is all about development, growth and reflection. Senior leaders will have many opportunities to grow, shape projects and develop their thinking, in a supportive and thoughtful environment. All staff are striving constantly to develop four sides to their practice:

Pioneers: to seek out not just “best practice” but to develop “next practice”
Craftspeople: to think deeply about the craft of teaching and the design of the curriculum
Multipliers: to grow others, build teams, and inspire fresh thinking
People with integrity and humanity: we are an organisation with a moral purpose and a strong sense of values. We want to give pupils from a deprived part of the country the best possible life chances.

Since we opened in 2012 we have put learning and teaching at the heart of everything we do. We have developed a unique approach to oracy including setting up a charity, Voice 21 (https://www.voice21.org/) which is already working with several hundred schools. We have also pioneered real world, interdisciplinary learning in collaboration with a network of extraordinary organisations: creative, artistic, high tech, professional.

This position would be well suited to someone who is deeply interested in engaging with these learning and teaching ideas and themselves be a superb practitioner.  They should be immersed in the approaches, techniques and strategies to improve practice. They should understand the importance of mastering the English Language and be passionate about its development across all subjects. Above all else, they should understand if you get the interactions right in the classroom for every student, then all children will grow and develop.

More broadly this role involves being part of the strategic team for the school. School 21 has a very strong culture, developed through a number of years of iteration. The structure is flatter with more opportunities for teachers to step-up and lead. As a senior leader in this context, you need to be agile, highly collaborative and comfortable with change. Perhaps most of all you need to be exceptional at building the capacity of others and working with a range of practitioners in a range of teams. The role is designed for someone who understands the value of open leadership, humility and transparency.

We offer successful candidates an extraordinary group of staff to work with who are all engaged in new practice and are open to new thinking. You will be supported and coached to develop your leadership strengths and you will be immersed in our ground breaking approach to professional development.
School 21 has established a strong track record - an outstanding ofsted, excellent GCSE results and a growing reputation, for example being the first and only international case study chosen by US educators, Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/school/school-21.

There was strong recognition in our Ofsted report for the ethos and approach of the school:

"Pupils across the school make exceptional progress."
"Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning, impeccable manners and show respect for everyone.”
“Staff morale is exceptionally high. Teachers at the early stages of their career value the ‘fantastic’ professional development and opportunities to learn from each other. Those with more experience said that they have become much better teachers since joining the school.”

Through project-based learning "pupils achieve remarkable standards of work and demonstrated knowledge and skills at levels beyond those expected for their age group."

“Pupils talk and discuss with a maturity and confidence that is remarkable for their years."

ABOUT SCHOOL 21:

• 4 to 18 mixed, inclusive school in the heart of Stratford, Newham
• Cutting edge pedagogy and curriculum
• Small - only 75 children in each year group

WE OFFER:

• The chance to network with outstanding practitioners and learn from the best
• Collaborative working across the 4 to 18 school
• Leadership training and development opportunities
• Outstanding career development and exceptional CPD

For more information see: www.school21.org or e-mail Anne Shaker at careers@school21.org.uk or call 020 8262 2121.
To apply fill out the form below or visit our staff vacancies page: http://school21.org/careers
School 21 is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding children.

Apply by: Monday, 29th January 2018 at 9am
Likely interview dates: Thursday, 1st, and Friday, 2nd February 2018