The posting
The Coombes is a thriving, ambitious and inclusive Church of England Primary School where children enjoy a truly unique learning environment. We are seeking to appoint an exceptional Deputy Headteacher to join our leadership team and play a significant role in shaping the next stage of our school’s development.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and highly motivated senior leader who is ready to make a genuine difference. We are looking for someone who combines strong strategic leadership with excellent interpersonal skills, who understands that the very best schools are built on strong relationships, high expectations and a relentless commitment to improving outcomes for every child.
The successful candidate will work closely with an experienced Headteacher and will be given the trust, autonomy and ownership to lead significant aspects of school life. We are looking for a Deputy Headteacher who is confident to take responsibility, make decisions, lead change and see things through, while knowing the importance of being a positive influence on our great team and when to seek support.
Could this be you?
- Are you an experienced school leader looking for a role where you can have significant responsibility and genuine influence?
- Do you have a strong track record of safeguarding children and creating a culture in which pupils feel safe, valued and able to thrive?
- Are you passionate about improving the quality of teaching and learning and developing the practice of others?
- Do you build positive, trusting relationships with pupils, staff, parents and the wider community?
- Are you an ambitious and visible leader who can inspire others while holding high expectations?
- Would you value working within a strong primary specialist multi-academy trust, with access to a wide range of professional networks, expertise and development opportunities?
If so, we would be delighted to hear from you.
About the role
As Deputy Headteacher, you will be a central member of our senior leadership team, working alongside the Headteacher to provide strong strategic and operational leadership across the school. This is a non-class based role, with a small proportion of teaching weekly.
You will have responsibility for leading and developing key areas of school improvement, with particular emphasis on:
- Safeguarding and pupil welfare, ensuring that our culture, systems and practice consistently place children’s safety and wellbeing at the heart of school life.
- Teaching and learning, working alongside colleagues to secure consistently strong teaching, effective adaptive practice and excellent outcomes for all pupils.
- Leadership and professional development, developing the confidence and expertise of staff and creating a culture in which everyone is encouraged to improve.
- Relationships with parents and the wider community, ensuring that communication is open, positive and built on mutual trust.
- Standards, behaviour and attendance, using evidence and professional judgement to identify priorities and secure sustained improvement.
- School culture and ethos, modelling the values, behaviours and expectations that enable our pupils and staff to flourish.
The precise areas of responsibility will be shaped around the strengths and experience of the successful candidate. We want to appoint someone who can bring expertise to the role rather than simply fulfil a predetermined job description.
What we are looking for
We are seeking an experienced leader who:
- has a strong track record of leadership within a primary school;
- has substantial experience of safeguarding leadership and understands the importance of a strong safeguarding culture;
- has successfully led improvements in teaching and learning and can demonstrate impact on pupil outcomes;
- is able to develop, support and challenge colleagues effectively;
- builds authentic and positive relationships with parents and the wider school community;
- has high expectations of pupils and staff and the confidence to address issues when expectations are not met;
- is highly organised, adaptable and able to respond positively to the changing demands of school leadership;
- can work strategically while remaining visible and connected to the day-to-day life of the school;
- is able to work independently, take ownership and exercise sound professional judgement;
- is a collaborative team player who values the expertise of others;
- shares our commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to achieve, belong and thrive.
Most importantly, we are looking for someone who wants to make a difference and who will embrace the opportunity to become a significant leader within our school.
Why The Coombes?
The Coombes is already a very strong school, with pupil outcomes consistently above national measures and a clear ambition to continue improving. We have a strong sense of community, a committed staff team and an exciting vision for our future.
We have a truly unique school site, that includes woodland, ponds, swimming pool and a range of specialist learning rooms e.g. STEM and Music rooms.
Our new Deputy Headteacher will therefore be joining a school with a strong foundation and high aspirations, rather than being asked simply to maintain the status quo.
You will work alongside an experienced Headteacher who believes in giving leaders the space to lead. We want our Deputy Headteacher to have genuine ownership of significant areas of school life, to develop their own leadership and to make a lasting contribution to the direction of the school.
The Keys Academy Trust
The Coombes is part of The Keys Academy Trust (TKAT), a primary specialist Church of England multi-academy trust committed to providing excellent educational experiences for children and meaningful professional opportunities for staff.
Being part of TKAT means that you will be part of a wider professional community. You will have access to:
- colleagues and leaders across a family of primary schools;
- Trust-wide professional development and leadership networks;
- opportunities to share expertise and learn from effective practice across schools;
- wider leadership opportunities and Trust working groups;
- specialist support and expertise across education, safeguarding, SEND, curriculum and school improvement;
- opportunities to contribute to the development of the Trust as well as your own school.
For an ambitious Deputy Headteacher, this provides an opportunity to extend your influence beyond one school, develop your leadership further and contribute to a wider professional network.
We warmly welcome visits to the school so you can experience our unique setting and caring culture first-hand. To arrange a visit please email the Operations Manager, Joanna Hardy, email: [email protected].
