Education Director

  •   Permanent
  •   London
  •   £Competitive Per Annum

 The Role 

We are strengthening and expanding our support for our rapidly growing and flourishing schools. This brings an exciting opportunity for us to appoint a high calibre educationalist to our small executive team. We are looking for an exceptional candidate with a strong background of working at the senior most levels in schools, and educational field more widely, to deliver on the Avanti ethos and vision as enshrined in the strategic direction set by the Board of our highly ambitious Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).  As a member of the central team serving a family of schools, the person appointed will play a key role in achieving the highest of standards in achieving educational excellence, character formation and spiritual insights for all our children and young people irrespective of their background, religion and individual characteristics.

The person appointed will be an outstanding practitioner and a highly effective school leader with a broad experience within and beyond the school sector. The core purpose of the job is to provide strategic and operational educational leadership at Trust and school level to realise the vision and strategic objectives and KPIs set by the Board of Avanti Schools Trust.

Key Responsibilities 

• Work closely with the Executive team to influence and shape the operating model detailing the Trust’s education policy, strategic priorities, practices and school accountabilities.

• Provide direction and high-quality advice, support and guidance to school leaders to build and sustain highly effective schools with a strong culture of continuous improvement.

• Support Principals to achieve outstanding success for their schools by ensuring that school self-evaluation processes are robust, priorities identified are accurate and align with the Trust’s strategic vision, action plans are sharply timed, and appropriate checks and measures to evaluate the impact on learners are in place.

• Lead on robust and credible cycle of regular school reviews and effective implementation of follow-up improvement actions by the schools to achieve rapid and continuous improvement.

• Ensure that robust performance management at all levels leads to high quality teacher and learner performance and the achievement of all Avanti schools’ KPIs.

• Be responsible for line management and performance management of Principals to ensure that high quality provision and pupil outcomes are embedded at all levels of the school’s work contributing to highly effective provision that works for all children.

• Lead on Trust-wide strategy and delivery of school to school support and exchange of exemplary practice through high quality continuous professional development initiatives and establishment of professional networks across schools and beyond.

• Respond effectively to the specific operational needs of each school to support the smooth running of each school and the delivery of their key priorities, objectives and school accountabilities.

• Work with the Principals to establish and sustain highly effective engagement of School Stakeholder Committees for the greater good of the school and the communities it serves.

• Keep the Trust policies for schools under review to ensure these are up to date and reflect the changes in statute and the Trust’s policy direction on school structure, curriculum and resourcing.

• Keep the CEO informed of the status of each school’s successes, pertinent risks, and opportunities so these contribute to the dashboard that inform the central team’s short-term planning and deployment of resources, including special interventions that may become necessary from time to time.

• Make a strong contribution to the strategic planning and setting up of new schools, and the growth and development of existing schools through transition as they mature towards full enrolment to become exceptional schools of outstanding quality.

• To contribute to the full range of Trust initiatives and projects as and when so required.

• Represent the CEO at the DfE, national, international and local policy forums and networks, and community organisations to further the Trust’s strategic aims and build wider partnerships.

Person Specification 

Qualification Criteria:

• Qualified to at least graduate level with strong evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience:

• Successful professional experience and a strong, proven track record as a senior leader in schools and more widely in Education at system level.

• A strong grasp of current educational issues, including the most up to date research. • A thorough knowledge of the most effective ways to deliver consistently high results in response to the national accountability system for schools, including the inspection system. • Knowledge of strategies to turn vision into reality by creating a culture of high performance and excellence across all stakeholders in Avanti schools. • Experience of successful working with schools to improve standards and a proven capability to drive high academic outcomes for all within a MAT structure. • A sound track record of managing performance of senior leaders, sustaining high morale and promoting distinctive organisational ethos.

 Personal Qualities and Characteristics:

• Ability to think strategically to provide direction and influence ideas and opinions.

• Intellectual rigour and high-level skills to quickly grasp and respond effectively to complex information and data.

• A personal drive to secure all-round development of children through a broad, balanced, rich and varied educational experience by developing a high-quality curriculum and work force.

• An unequivocal commitment to advancing the distinctive Avanti ethos, purpose and mission to help children grow as happy young adults who are reflective, confident and skilled with a strong social and spiritual consciousness.

• Ability to motivate, facilitate and work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to build strong networks of professional teams across Avanti schools.

• An ability to inspire professionals and create high performing teams with a strong shared culture of high expectations and professional excellence in all aspects of the Avanti schools’ work.

• An ability to quickly establish a rapport with children and young people, and strong personal credibility with school staff, senior leaders and external partners and agencies including the DfE.

• Exceptional oral and written communication and presentation skills.

• Highly developed interpersonal skills to be able to provide robust challenge, timely hands-on support and guidance to achieve and sustain rapid improvement as evident in pupil outcomes and school effectiveness.

• A high level of personal resilience and tenacity to deliver on challenging work flows and professionally challenging contexts

• Being passionate and well-informed advocate of the importance of a values-led approach to life, and the importance of developing spirituality and personal character as important school objectives and purpose.

Applying 

Avanti Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and requires all staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates are required to have an Enhanced DBS check unless internally appointed and still within the cycle of DBS re-checks.

We welcome applications from both men and women of all ages from any background and from candidates with disabilities.

Visits to our existing schools are welcomed by prior notification to info@avanti.org.uk.  

 Application forms can be downloaded at www.avanti.org.uk/careers or requested by email from info@avanti.org.uk. 

Completed applications should be signed and posted to Avanti Schools Trust, Camrose Avenue, Edgware, Middlesex, HA8 6ES. Applications must reach the school by the closing date above and should be written for the attention of: Nitesh Gor.

 Alternatively, the application may be emailed to info@avanti.org.uk but it will be required to be signed by the shortlisted candidate on the day of interview. 

Any appointment subsequently made will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory references and other pre-employment checks.

NOTE: The aim of this job description is to indicate the general purpose and level of responsibility of the post. Please be aware that duties may vary from time to time without changing their character or general level of responsibility. Duties may be subject to periodic review by the line manager or nominated representative in consultation with the post-holder to reflect the changing needs of the school.

Attachments

Job & Establishment Details

Establishment Type

Academy

Establishment Size

1 - 9 Employees

Language

English

Job Position

Director

Subject

-

Applications Accepted Until