Deputy Headteacher

Medina Primary School; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Medina Primary School is seeking a deputy headteacher to lead on inclusion and drive school improvement under the direction of the headteacher. The role involves formulating aims, establishing policies, and managing staff and resources to achieve school objectives.

The deputy will deputise for the headteacher when required and fulfil professional responsibilities outlined in applicable service documents, ensuring high standards across the school community.

Responsibilities

• Overview of inclusion
• Relational practice
• Curriculum
• Safeguarding as Deputy DSL
• Assessment
• Lead on school culture and behaviour
• Establish and sustain high-quality teaching across subjects
• Curriculum leadership and professional networks
• Reading instruction and assessment of knowledge

Job description

Job description: deputy headteacher

Medina Primary School is committed to creating a diverse workforce. We’ll consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, age, disability, marriage or civil partnership.

Job details

Closing Date : 6th October 2026

Interview Date 13th October 2026

Salary: Pay range leadership scale 5 - 12

Contract type: Full time permanent

Reporting to: Headteacher

Responsible for: Deputy Headship with inclusion

Main purpose

The deputy headteacher, under the direction of the headteacher, will take a major role in:

• Formulating the aims and objectives of the school

• Establishing policies for achieving these aims and objectives

• Managing staff and resources to that end

• Monitoring progress towards the achievement of the school’s aims and objectives

If the headteacher is absent, the deputy headteacher will deputise, as directed by the governing board.

The deputy headteacher will also be expected to fulfil the professional responsibilities of a headteacher, as set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).

Qualities

The deputy headteacher will:

• Uphold public trust in school leadership and maintain high standards of ethics, behaviour and professional conduct

• Build positive and respectful relationships across the school community

• Serve in the best interests of the school’s pupils

Duties and responsibilities

Key areas of responsibility will include:

• Overview of inclusion

• Relational practice

• Curriculum

• Safeguarding as Deputy DSL

• Assessment

School culture and behaviour

Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:

• Work alongside the senior leadership team (SLT) and other staff members to create a culture where pupils experience a positive and enriching school life

• Uphold educational standards in order to prepare pupils from all backgrounds for their next phase of education and life

• Ensure a culture of staff professionalism

• Encourage high standards of behaviour from pupils, built on relational practice, rules and routines that are understood by staff and pupils, and clearly demonstrated by all adults in school

• Use consistent and fair approaches to managing behaviour, in line with the school’s behaviour policy

Teaching, curriculum and assessment

Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:

• Establish and sustain high-quality teaching across all subjects and phases, based on evidence

• Ensure teaching is underpinned by subject expertise

• Effectively use formative assessment to inform strategy and decisions

• Ensure the teaching of a broad, structured and coherent curriculum

• Establish curriculum leadership, including subject leaders with relevant expertise and access to professional networks and communities

• Use valid, reliable and proportionate approaches to assessing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum

• Ensure the use of evidence-informed approaches to reading so that all pupils are taught to read

Additional and special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities

Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:

• Promote a culture and practices that enables all pupils to access the curriculum

• Have ambitious expectations for all pupils with SEN and disabilities

• Make sure the school works effectively with parents, carers and professionals to identify additional needs and provide support and adaptation where appropriate

Organisational management and school improvement

Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:

• Establish and sustain the school’s ethos and strategic direction together with the governing board and through consultation with the school community

• Establish and oversee systems, processes and policies so the school can operate effectively

• Ensure staff and pupils’ safety and welfare through effective approaches to safeguarding, as part of duty of care

• Manage staff with due attention to workload

• Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk

• Allocate financial resources appropriately, efficiently and effectively

• Identify problems and barriers to school effectiveness, and develop strategies for school improvement that are realistic, timely and suited to the school’s context

• Make sure these school improvement strategies are effectively implemented

Professional development

Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:

• Ensure staff have access to appropriate, high standard professional development opportunities

• Keep up to date with developments in education

• Seek training and continuing professional development to meet needs

Governance, accountability and working in partnership

Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:

• Understand and welcome the role of effective governance, including accepting responsibility

• Ensure that staff understand their professional responsibilities and are held to account

• Ensure the school effectively and efficiently operates within the required regulatory frameworks and meets all statutory duties

• Work successfully with other schools and organisations

• Maintain working relationships with fellow professionals and colleagues to improve educational outcomes for all pupils

Other areas of responsibility

• To lead on the relational practice journey of the school

• To support and line manage teaching assistants across the school

Please note that this is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the deputy headteacher will carry out. The postholder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role.