Deputy Director of Primary Education

Westcountry Schools Trust; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Westcountry Schools Trust is seeking an experienced Deputy Director of Education (Primary) to drive school improvement across 23 primary schools in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall. You will coach leaders, lead reviews and QA, and deputise for the Director of Education (Primary) when needed.

Your role centers on substantial SEND expertise, strategy, and cross-school collaboration to raise outcomes and ensure inclusive practice across the Trust.

Qualifications

• Substantial SEND expertise across primary and trust-wide implementation.
• Extensive leadership experience in primary education and school improvement.
• Ability to improve outcomes and develop other leaders across multiple schools.
• Experience across more than one school; cross-site collaboration is valuable.
• Expertise in SEND and inclusive education; strategic, influencing leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead school improvement across 23 primary schools; accountability for headteachers.
• Line manage primary improvement colleagues and coach senior leaders.
• Lead school reviews and quality assurance; implement the Improvement Framework.
• Deputise for the Director of Education (Primary) when required.
• Drive Trust-wide SEND strategy and inclusive education across phases.

Skills

SEND expertise

Primary leadership

School improvement

Coaching and development

Strategic leadership

Education

Experience in primary education leadership

Executive/headteacher experience (advantage)

Job description

Westcountry Schools Trust is looking for an experienced primary leader to join our Education Team as Deputy Director of Education (Primary). Working with the Director of Education (Primary), you will help lead primary education across our 23 primary schools in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall, and with other schools as our work develops, so that every child receives an excellent education and has the opportunity to thrive.

You will lead school improvement across our primary schools, providing support, challenge and accountability to headteachers, and line manage primary improvement colleagues. You will lead school reviews and quality assurance, coach and develop senior leaders, and support schools to put the WeST Primary Improvement Framework and the Trust’s improvement priorities into practice. You will also deputise for the Director when required.

A defining feature of this senior Primary Education role is the opportunity to apply significant SEND expertise across the whole Trust. Rooted in your substantial experience of primary education and school improvement, you will hold explicit whole-Trust responsibility for the strategic and professional leadership of SEND and inclusive education across primary and secondary schools. Working under the primary education direction of Katie Patrick and the secondary education direction of Naveed Khan, you will lead a coherent Trust-wide strategy, champion ambitious outcomes for pupils with SEND, strengthen professional practice and leadership capacity, assure the quality and impact of provision, and support strong transition between phases. Your substantive leadership remit will remain Primary Education.

We are looking for an accomplished Primary Education leader with substantial and successful leadership experience in the primary phase, including as a primary headteacher, an executive headteacher with significant primary responsibility, or in an equivalent senior Trust-level primary education role. You will bring a proven ability to improve outcomes and develop other leaders, experience of working across more than one school, and significant expertise in SEND and inclusive education. You will think strategically, balance support with challenge, and build trust and influence across diverse teams and both phases. Experience of executive or system leadership would be an advantage.

If you share our commitment to improving life chances for every child, and our values of collaboration, aspiration, integrity, compassion and respect, we would be delighted to hear from you.