Virtual School Headteacher

28.8 hours per week

Location - The Grove, High Street Carshalton, SM5 3AL

Sutton wishes to appoint a new Headteacher for its Virtual School and its committed team of staff. We need someone with senior school leadership experience who understands the issues facing children in care and can build on the strengths we have in Sutton to deliver outstanding services to our most vulnerable pupils.

Ofsted have recently recognised our Children’s services as ‘Good’ and our Virtual School “a strength - working well with children, social workers, schools and other professionals to respond to changing needs and circumstances and helping children to achieve to the best of their abilities".

The post holder will build on the good work already underway in Sutton to ensure that the Council’s statutory responsibilities are fulfilled to a high level of quality. The post holder will be responsible for children and young people in care in educational settings both within the borough and outside the local area. They will also offer guidance and support to those in the care of other authorities who are placed in Sutton schools or other educational settings. They will work with foster carers and schools to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for young people and build positive relations with children, carers, social workers and schools. The post holder will be expected to represent the Local Authority and be the expert within the field of education to support children and young people, their carers and other key professionals. The Virtual School Headteacher is a statutory role and will be appointed by the Local Authority but the post is seconded into ‘Cognus Ltd’ - an innovative new Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) that delivers all the Council’s educational support services in the Borough - including all statutory and non-statutory services.

As part of the Cognus Management team the postholder will also have an excellent opportunity to lead and develop the Cognus Early Years and NQT services.

The successful candidate will have experience of working with vulnerable children and young people and an understanding of the complex issues facing children in care and care leavers and how these impact on their learning needs and academic attainment. They will have a proven track record of leading school improvement and raising standards in a mainstream or alternative educational provision and understand the need not just to run an excellent service, but to demonstrate improved outcomes for Looked After Children (LAC).

If a post like this enthuses you and you have the skills to deliver then we will be delighted to hear from you. If you would like to discuss the position further please call Rosemarie Zaubzer, Virtual School Head, on 020 8770 6740 or Kieran Holliday, Head of Pupil Based Commissioning/Senior Education Officer on 020 8770 6553.

If you are interested in applying for this vacancy, please complete the Sutton application form, setting out how you are able to meet the person specification in order to fulfil the requirements of the role, by 12 noon on Monday 5th March 2018. Please refer to the attached Role Profile.

Closing date: 5th March 2018 at 12 noon.

Interviews will be held on: 12th and/or 13th March 2018

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This post is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check.

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