Cover Manager

Wheatley Park School; Packmoor; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Temporary Recruitment and Retention a‌

Pension scheme (TPS/LGPS)

Job summary

Wheatley Park School in the United Kingdom is seeking a Cover Manager to lead an energetic team and ensure calm, productive learning when teachers are unavailable. You will manage absence coverage, train staff, and liaise with teachers to provide appropriate work promptly.

In collaboration with senior staff, you will deploy resources strategically with financial efficiency, supported by comprehensive training and a supportive environment within the River Learning Trust network.

Qualifications

• Experience in school administration and absence management.
• Ability to lead a team of cover staff and ensure high-quality lessons.
• Strong liaison with teaching staff and budget/resource awareness.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the administration of cover systems for planned and unplanned absences.
• Step in to cover lessons when required and supervise the team.
• Train, monitor and hold the cover team to account for quality delivery.
• Collaborate with senior staff to deploy resources efficiently and effectively.

Skills

Team Leadership

Staff Training

Administration

Staff Liaison

Job description

COVER MANAGER

Required as soon as possible

37 hours per week

Term time only (38 weeks)

Salary: Grade 8 Pro rata £26734 - £29189 (Full time equivalent £31537 - £34434)

Plus Temporary Recruitment and Retention allowance of £2000 (pro rata for part time hours) to be reviewed August 2027

Are you an individual who believes that every young person can be successful; someone who is unwilling to put limits on what young people can achieve?

We are looking for an excellent Cover Manager to lead our energetic, enthusiastic and highly skilled team of cover teachers. Ensuring that our students have a calm, focused and productive learning experience on the occasions when their ordinary classroom teachers are unavailable is an important factor in their overall academic success.

As Cover Manager, you will not only be responsible for the efficient administration of our systems to ensure that supervision is in place for all planned and unplanned absences, stepping in to cover lessons yourself as and when necessary. You will also be responsible for training, monitoring and holding the cover team to account to ensure that students are always receiving a high quality experience, as well as liaising effectively with teaching staff so that appropriate work is provided in a timely manner.

In collaboration with senior staff, you will make decisions to deploy our resources strategically and with financial efficiency.

We will offer comprehensive training with regard to the administrative element of the role and the opportunity to work in a very supportive environment with high morale.

Situated just east of Oxford in a unique parkland site, Wheatley Park School is a flourishing 11- 18 academy with a vibrant comprehensive intake.

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR 'WHY?' is that children and young people 'only get one go' in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible 'go' for our pupils.

OUR 'HOW?' is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our "Working in RLT" guide.

This role includes regulated activity relevant to children.

If you would like to know more, or arrange a visit, please contact Mrs Skye Wigley (HR Manager) on 01865 872441 or by email to [e-mail]. Full details can be found on our website here. To find out more about the River Learning Trust, please visit www.riverlearningtrust.org.

The River Learning Trust and Wheatley Park School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants List of offences that are not filtered

Our staff are expected to maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour, within and outside school, by not undermining fundamental British values including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Wheatley Park School, Holton, Oxford, OX33 1QH

Tel: [phone]

www.wheatleypark.org

Closing date and time: Monday 28th September 2026 at 9am

The school reserves the right to consider and interview candidates ahead of the closing date if appropriate. An offer may be made to an exceptional candidate in this instance.

Provisional Interview date: To be confirmed