Regional Director for School Improvement - North West

Youth Engagement Schools Trust; Macclesfield; On-site; GBP 68,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Youth Engagement Schools Trust (YES Trust) North West region is seeking an exceptional Regional Director for School Improvement to strengthen leadership, drive sustainable school improvement, and raise outcomes for children and young people across designated schools.

Reporting to the Director of Education, you will evaluate effectiveness, identify priorities, and provide constructive challenge to ensure meaningful, lasting improvements.

Qualifications

• Accomplished educational leader with a proven track record of securing school improvement and improving outcomes for children and young people.
• Experience as Headteacher, Executive Headteacher, senior Trust leader, serving Ofsted Inspector, or system leader influencing educational excellence at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of the Trust School Improvement Strategy across designated schools within the hub.
• Work with Executive Headteachers and Headteachers to drive sustained school improvement and educational excellence.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate robust School Development Plans aligned to Trust priorities and pupil outcomes.
• Ensure School Development Plans are matched to trust quality assurance findings and evaluation of progress.
• Lead self-evaluation with evidence-based processes and measurable impact across schools.
• Provide regular assurance reports to the Director of Education and Board of Trustees.
• Champion collaboration and system leadership across hub schools and professional networks.
• Support succession planning and leadership development within the region.

Job description

Transforming Lives Through Exceptional EducationalLeadership

As a growing specialist multi-academy trust, The YouthEngagement Schools (YES) Trust brings together a diverse family of alternativeprovision and specialist schools, united by a shared commitment to transformingthe lives of children and young people. Our schools are built on child-centrededucation, authentic relationships and an unwavering belief in every learner’spotential. Across the Trust, highly skilled professionals bring deep expertisein trauma-informed practice, relational approaches, SEND, inclusion andpersonalised learning.

As we continue to expand our national footprint, we arestrengthening our regional hub model, bringing together schools through sharedexpertise, strong local partnerships and collective leadership. Aligned to theDfE’s regional structure, our hubs combine local identity with the consistency,quality and collaboration that define the YES Trust.

To support this exciting next phase of our journey, we areseeking an exceptional educational leader to join us as Regional Director forSchool Improvement.

This is a rare opportunity to shape educational excellenceacross a region within an ambitious and growing national Trust. As one of ourRegional Directors, you will play a pivotal role in strengthening leadership,driving sustainable school improvement and ensuring every child benefits fromthe highest quality education.

This role is not about imposing change or applyingstandardised solutions. Our schools already benefit from strong leadership,committed staff and established cultures of improvement. Instead, it is anopportunity to deepen leadership capacity across the Trust, building onexisting strengths through strategic oversight, thoughtful challenge andevidence-informed support.

Reporting to the Director of Education, you will act as theTrust’s strategic school improvement partner across your region. Workingalongside Executive Headteachers and Headteachers, you will evaluateeffectiveness, identify priorities, facilitate the right support and provideconstructive challenge to secure meaningful and sustainable improvement.Through rigorous quality assurance, evidence-informed evaluation and arelentless focus on holistic outcomes, you will help every school continue togrow and thrive.

What makes the YES Trust distinctive is our recognition thatspecialist education is deeply contextual. While our schools are united byshared values and high expectations, we know that communities, cohorts andindividual learners are different. We trust our leaders to respond to thesedifferences while remaining aligned to the Trust’s vision. This role requiressomeone who can recognise excellence in different forms, exercise soundprofessional judgement and work collaboratively across a wide range of specialistsettings.

We are looking for an accomplished educational leader with aproven track record of securing school improvement and improving outcomes forchildren and young people. You may be an experienced Headteacher, ExecutiveHeadteacher, senior Trust leader, serving Ofsted Inspector, or an experiencedsystem leader seeking the opportunity to influence educational excellence atgreater scale. You will bring substantial expertise in school improvement,curriculum leadership and educational evaluation, together with the credibilityto work alongside senior leaders across Alternative Provision, SEMH andspecialist education. Above all, you will combine strategic thinking,professional curiosity and sound judgement with an unwavering commitment toimproving the life chances of vulnerable children and young people.

Joining the YES Trust means becoming part of a values-ledorganisation with a clear moral purpose and bold ambitions for the future. Aswe continue to grow nationally, this role offers a unique opportunity to shapeleadership across the Trust, influence educational excellence beyond a singleschool and help build a legacy that will benefit children, families andcommunities for years to come.

Job Description

Salary: Leadership scale L26 - L32 (September pay awardpending)

Holiday: 35 days + bank holidays

Location: Working across The YES Trust North West Region

Contract: Full or Part time working considered

School Improvement

• Implement the Trust School Improvement Strategy acrossdesignated schools within the hub.
• Work alongside Executive Headteachers and Headteachers todrive sustained school improvement and educational excellence.
• Support schools in developing, implementing, and evaluatingrobust School Development Plans (SDPs).
• Ensure School Development Plans are aligned to Trustpriorities, quality assurance findings, and pupil outcomes.
• Quality assure the accuracy, rigour, and impact of eachschool Self Evaluation Framework (SEF).
• Ensure self-evaluation is evidence-based and accuratelyreflects school performance.
• Monitor progress against improvement priorities and agreedmilestones.
• Lead targeted support and intervention where acceleratedimprovement is required.

Quality Assurance and Standards

• Lead a programme of review visits, learning walks, deepdives, safeguarding reviews, and thematic evaluations.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of leadership, quality ofeducation, behaviour for learning, attendance, safeguarding, and preparationfor adulthood.
• Ensure schools operate in line with Trust expectations andstatutory responsibilities.
• Produce evaluation reports identifying strengths, risks, andpriorities for improvement.
• Provide regular assurance reports to the Director ofEducation and Board of Trustees, as required.

Evidence, Data and Evaluation

• Promote a culture where improvement activity is informed byrobust evidence and measurable impact.
• Analyse outcomes, progress, attendance, behaviour forlearning, safeguarding, and destination data.
• Use data to identify trends, priorities, and areas of risk.
• Ensure data is considered alongside professional judgementand qualitative evidence.
• Champion triangulation through performance data, directobservation, stakeholder voice, and school documentation.
• Support leaders in developing accurate evaluation processesand evidence-informed improvement planning.

Leadership Challenge and Support

• Act as the primary school improvement partner for ExecutiveHeadteachers and designated Headteachers within the hub.
• Provide professional challenge, support, and accountability.
• Facilitate regular review meetings focused on performanceand outcomes.
• Support succession planning and leadership development.
• Review effectiveness of leadership development andcapability, identifying strengths, areas for development, and facilitatingaccess to appropriate support.

Ofsted Readiness and Inspection Excellence

• Maintain expert and current knowledge of the OfstedEducation Inspection Framework.
• Lead inspection readiness activity across the region.
• Conduct inspection preparation reviews and support schoolsin evaluating readiness.
• Support leaders in evidencing impact through robust SEFs andSDPs.
• Monitor progress against recommendations arising frominspections and reviews.
• Promote continuous improvement rather than event-basedinspection preparation.

Educational Excellence

• Champion ambitious and appropriately personalised curricula.
• Support strong outcomes, personal development, andpreparation for adulthood.
• Promote evidence-informed teaching, learning, andassessment.
• Maintain high expectations and inclusive practice across allschools.

Collaboration and System Leadership

• Foster collaboration between hub schools, services, andprofessional networks.
• Facilitate sharing of effective practice and innovation.
• Work closely with other Regional Directors to ensureconsistency of standards, expectations, and practice across hubs.
• Contribute to cross-regional reviews, moderation, andquality assurance activities.
• Support Trust-wide improvement priorities and strategicinitiatives.

Reporting and Accountability

• Report regularly to the Director of Education on standards,risks, and impact.
• Maintain oversight of school performance across the regionalportfolio.
• Escalate concerns relating to safeguarding, educationalstandards, leadership capacity, or compliance.
• Contribute to reporting for executive leaders, committees,and trustees.
• Demonstrate measurable impact through robust evaluation andevidence.