Headteacher (Primary Advisory and
Intervention)
SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL
Job
Description
TITLE OF POST:
HEADTEACHER
SALARY SCALE:
GROUP 5 L18 – L24 (£57,520 - £66,623)
JOB PURPOSE:
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To contribute to the strategic role of the Inclusion and Learning Service in its key task of
raising standards of achievement.
To play a key role in delivering the school improvement agenda within a single school
or across a group of schools.
To provide effective leadership for schools in Ofsted categories, or with hard to fill
vacancies, or facing significant challenges, securing their success and continuous
improvement, ensuring high quality education for all pupils and the highest standards of
learning and achievement in accordance with statutory requirements.
To act in the role of headteacher or work alongside a headteacher or group of
headteachers, dependent upon the requirements of a specific situation.
RESPONSIBLE TO:
The Executive Director of the Children, Young People and Families Portfolio, the Director
of the Inclusion and Learning Service and school governors, as appropriate.
RESPONSIBLE FOR:
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Specific leadership and support for a single school or group of schools to raise
achievement.
Teaching, support staff and children and young people of specific schools, as
appropriate.
ACCOUNTABILITIES:
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To monitor, challenge, support and lead schools that are identified as causing concern
in a range of contexts and be accountable to the Director of the Inclusion and Learning
Service in this work.
To provide advice to the Executive Director CYPF, or their nominee, and to contribute
to an overview of schools of concern, with appropriate support and intervention.
To implement agreed strategies and policies.
Secure the improvement of leadership and management in identified schools.
To act in accordance with the provisions of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions
Document and within the range of teachers’ duties set out in that document.
SHAPING THE FUTURE
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Be a member of a School Improvement team.
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Intervene, challenge, support and, where required, lead schools identified as
causing concern.
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Support schools to plan for improvement, both individually and in
partnership.
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Contribute to the Schools Causing Concern procedures.
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Contribute to meetings of Headteachers, particularly those with strategic
intentions regarding attainment.
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Further develop and support existing partnerships between schools and the
Local Authority.
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Contribute to the Sheffield Schools Challenge Programme where attainment
is below floor targets.
Within a school:
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Create and communicate a shared vision, ethos and strategic plan that
inspires and motivates all stakeholders and reflects the needs of schools
and their community, both as part of Sheffield and in the wider context.
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Translate the school vision into clear objectives that promote and sustain
school improvement.
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Ensure that the school moves forward for the benefit of its pupils and their
community.
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Motivate and inspire school stakeholders to create a strong, shared culture
of learning within an inclusive environment.
LEADING LEARNING AND TEACHING
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Promote, identify and disseminate good practice to improve standards of
teaching and learning in Sheffield Schools
Within a school or across a group of schools:
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Set high expectations and challenging targets, whilst monitoring
effectiveness and evaluating learning outcomes.
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Ensure a school-wide focus on pupils’ achievement, using data and
benchmarks to monitor the progress in every child’s learning.
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Establish creative and effective approaches to learning and teaching, which
are responsive to the needs of the school’s pupil community.
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Ensure a culture that supports and facilitates pupil engagement in, and
ownership of, their own learning.
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Implement strategies to secure high standards of behaviour and attendance.
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Monitor, evaluate and review classroom practice, promote improvement
strategies, challenging underperformance and ensure corrective action.
DEVELOPING SELF AND OTHERS
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Contribute to the Leadership Development Programmes at all levels in
schools and the Children, Young People and Families Portfolio.
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Regularly self evaluate, set personal targets and take responsibility for one’s
own professional development.
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To undertake training so as to be fully conversant with the roles that schools
play in child protection, safeguarding, CAF and Safety Net.
Within a school or across a group of schools:
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Build on the skills and initiatives of all staff, not only to improve professional
practice but to enhance potential through collaboration.
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Spread good practice in order to improve standards of attainment and
achievement.
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Build a collaborative learning culture within the school and actively engage
with other schools to build effective learning communities and partnerships.
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Ensure effective planning, co-ordination, support and evaluation, ensuring
clear delegation of tasks and devolution of responsibilities.
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Develop and maintain effective strategies and procedures for the induction,
professional development and performance review of all staff.
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Set high expectations for all and address underperformance.
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Ensure both self and others achieve an appropriate work/life balance.
MANAGING THE ORGANISATION
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Promote, identify and disseminate good practice in improved standards of
leadership and management in Sheffield Schools.
Within a school:
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Create an organizational structure that reflects the school’s values, and
enables the management systems, structures and processes to work
effectively in line with legal requirements.
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Ensure that the school and its resources are organized and managed to
provide an efficient, effective and safe learning environment.
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Ensure the school’s resources are deployed to achieve value for money.
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Produce and implement clear, evidence-based improvement plans and
policies for the development of the school and its facilities.
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Manage the school’s financial and human resources effectively and
efficiently to achieve the school’s educational goals and priorities.
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Recruit, retain and deploy staff appropriately.
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Ensure that the range, quality and use of all available resources is
monitored, evaluated and reviewed to improve the quality of education for all
pupils and provide value for money.
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SECURING ACCOUNTABILITY
Within a single school:
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Be legally and contractually accountable to the governing body for the
school, its environment and all its work and to work with it to ensure it meets
its responsibilities.
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Develop a school ethos that enables everyone to work collaboratively, share
knowledge and understanding, celebrate success and accept responsibility
for outcomes.
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Ensure individual staff accountabilities are clearly defined, understood and
agreed and are subject to rigorous review and evaluation through
performance management.
 Develop and present an accurate account of the school’s performance to a
range of audiences including governors, parents and carers, CYPF and
Ofsted.
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY
Within a school:
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Cooperate and work with relevant agencies and partners to ensure the
wellbeing of children.
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Ensure learning experiences for pupils are linked and integrated with the
local, national and global community.
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Build a school culture and curriculum that takes account of the richness and
diversity of the school’s communities.
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Create and promote positive strategies for challenging all forms of prejudice
and harassment.
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Promote the concept of lifelong learning and family engagement with
learning through partnership.
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Manage effective relationships with all stakeholders and partners.
SAFEGUARDING AND PROMOTING THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN
Within a school:
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Ensure a safe and supportive school culture.
Ensure all staff members and volunteers, including self, are appropriately
trained in relation to safeguarding.
Ensure the welfare of children is safeguarded and promoted in line with
current best practice and LA advice.
Identify key features of staff recruitment that help deter or prevent the
appointment of unsuitable people and ensure recruitment procedures
reflect this.
Develop and introduce policies and practices that minimise opportunities
for abuse or ensure its prompt reporting.
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Headteacher (Primary Advisory and
Intervention)
Person Specification
To carry out this role effectively, the postholder will need specific professional knowledge and
understanding and a range of leadership, management and personnel skills and attributes. These are
applied across the six key areas of responsibility, as set out in the Headteacher (Advisory and
Intervention) job description.
Qualification Requirements
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Application
form
Interview
QTS (Qualified Teacher Status)
Experience as a Headteacher (most recently within the last 12 months) in
at least two complex settings undergoing change
Evidence of regular and appropriate professional development
Evidence of recent leadership/management development
Leadership and management judged as good or outstanding (validated
self review or most recent Ofsted inspection)
Overall effectiveness of school judged as good or outstanding (validated
self review or most recent Ofsted inspection)
Evidence that the pupils in the school make/made satisfactory or better
progress in relation to prior achievement
The experience and ability to undertake both a headteacher and advisory
role
Successfully completed DfE accredited Safer Recruitment training
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Headteachers should be able to demonstrate their ability
experience, knowledge and understanding in/of:
Shaping the future
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A clear understanding of:
Current initiatives in education
Local, national and global trends in education
Ways to build, communicate and implement a shared vision
Strategic planning processes, including financial planning, budgetary
management and principles of best value
Communication strategies both within and beyond the school
New technologies, their use and impact
Leading change, creativity and innovation and its impact on
organisations and individuals
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Strategic vision and the ability to identify priorities
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Leading teaching and learning
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Experience of working beyond own school – in or with individual schools
or across a group of schools.
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Knowledge and experience of successful implementation of:
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Intervention strategies with particular emphasis on raising attainment
Strategies to raise achievement and achieve excellence
Strategies to develop a personalized learning culture
Strategies to ensure inclusion, diversity and access
Strategies to develop effective staff
Models of learning and teaching
Principles of effective teaching and assessment for learning
Models of behaviour and attendance management
Curriculum design and management
Data collection and analysis tools
Performance monitoring and evaluation techniques
Principles and models of self-evaluation, including school self-evaluation
Developing self and others
Knowledge, understanding and successful experience of:
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Strategies to promote self, team development and that of individuals
Models of continuing professional development
Building and sustaining a learning community
The ability to work flexibly to respond to and meet the demands of the service
Managing the organization
Knowledge, understanding and successful experience of:
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Models of and principles of organizational development
Principles and strategies of school improvement
Project management
Policy creation, through consultation and review
Knowledge and understanding of:
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Personnel, school governance, security and access issues relating to the
diverse use of school facilities
Legal issues relating to managing a school including equal opportunities,
race relations, disability, human rights and employment legislation
Securing accountability
Knowledge, understanding and successful application of:
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Principles and practice of quality assurance systems, including school
review, self-evaluation and performance management
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Statutory educational frameworks, including governance
Public service policy and accountability frameworks, including selfevaluation and multi-agency working
A range of tools (including performance data) to support, monitor,
evaluate and improve aspects of school life, including challenging poor
performance
Strengthening community
Awareness, understanding and successful experience of benefitting from:
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Current issues and future trends that impact on the school community
Strategies to encourage parents and carers to support their children’s
learning
Models of school, home, community and business partnerships
Wider curriculum beyond school and the opportunities it provides for
pupils and the school community
The work of other agencies and opportunities for collaboration
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
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Up-to-date and accurate knowledge and understanding of national and
local safeguarding guidance.
A commitment to ensure a safer culture for young people and staff
members in school, with regard also to the wider community.
Experience of developing and maintaining a safe and supportive school
culture.
Experience of developing and introducing policies and practices that
minimise opportunities for abuse or ensure its prompt reporting.
Experience of appropriately managing safeguarding issues.
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