Assistant Headteacher

Join our successful and popular selective Girls’ school as the lead for Thinking, Teaching and Learning with responsibility for ensuring that we meet the standard expected to become an accredited Thinking School.

Plymouth High School for Girls, part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, is looking to appoint a talented and ambitious senior leader who understands why thinking should be at the heart of all we do and who could successfully implement impactful strategies across the school.  This is a key post for the school as thinking underpins everything we do and it and will give the successful candidate the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of young people. The Assistant Headteacher will lead on all professional development including ECTs and trainee teachers.  They will lead on all partnership working and ensure that we continue to be a learning community. They will lead on the ‘Be your best self’ journal for students and manage our hugely successful curriculum enrichment week.  They will ensure we achieve Thinking accreditation.  In addition, the successful candidate will have line management responsibilities and will very much be expected to be an integral and effective member of the senior team.  Living the Plymouth High values every day is a key element of this role.

Plymouth High believes as much in preparing its students for life as it does their school years, shown by our motto “For life, not school, we learn”, drives all that we do.

Plymouth High School for Girls is a selective school in Plymouth founded in 1874.  Our students are delightful, attain very well, work hard and are a joy to teach. They throw themselves into the life of the school and get involved in the wide range of extracurricular opportunities available to them.  Identity is very important to us at Plymouth High and being a Plymouth High student or member of staff is a special privilege.  Staff are motivated, put students first and always go the extra mile to make student experience the best it can be.  

The new Assistant Headteacher will be able to evidence how they can take us further on our journey towards Thinking accreditation and beyond and will have a real passion for quality teaching and learning.

Plymouth High is part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust and this affords us the opportunity to work within a professionally supportive and collaborative environment. The Assistant Headteacher will work with colleagues across the Trust to ensure that Plymouth High makes a purposeful and significant contribution to Trust-wide training and other professional development opportunities. Our Trust operates across the South of England with four of its schools in the South West hub.  All Trust schools are working towards being an accredited Thinking School and the new Assistant Headteacher will lead on our continuous professional development programme to ensure that everyone places thinking at the heart of their practice.

We are looking for a senior leader who can demonstrate a secure understanding of how to use thinking strategies in the classroom, in meetings and in whole staff sessions and who can support others in improving still further their own practice.  The ideal candidate will have a passion for whole school improvement and be able to demonstrate how they have successfully implemented effective impactful teaching and learning strategies within their teams. They will understand the power and necessity for self-reflection and champion it as a key element of personal development for all. 

We are looking for a colleague who understands the importance of partnership working and providing a rewarding and rich experience for young people. The successful candidate will be highly visible around school who people will see and recognise as the lead for thinking, teaching and learning.  They will be thought of as a reflective practitioner. 

Sharing our learning journey with all of our stakeholders is a crucial element of this role and the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate strong communication skills and the ability to enthuse others.  We are looking for a colleague who shows empathy and kindness whilst remaining focused on the core function of ensuring that students get every chance to be their best selves.

Please do read the job description to see the full requirements of the post.

What you will need to succeed:

You are very likely to be a successful middle leader who has a good understanding of what high quality teaching and learning looks like and will be able to help others improve their classroom practice. You will understand the principles of thinking and be confident in your ability to communicate a clear vision for how thinking strategies can make a positive impact in school.  

You will be able to evidence successful implementation of thinking and/or reflective strategies within, and perhaps beyond, your team.  You will have a passion for self-reflection and collaboration and see high quality professional development as the cornerstone of whole school improvement.  

You embrace a coaching approach and see it as an essential part of our professional lives and be keen to develop your own coaching skills still further

The successful candidates will be able to evidence their ability to:

• Demonstrate a sound understanding of teaching and learning
• Understand how to improve academic outcomes
• Successfully implement Thinking into schemes of learning
• Help others develop their effectiveness through a robust and high quality professional development programme
• Use reflection as a tool for self-improvement and to help others improve
• Successfully collaborate with others

In addition, the successful candidate will be enthusiastic about developing their coaching skills and have a clear vision that will lead Plymouth High to Thinking Schools Accreditation.

Should you decide to apply, please include in your personal statement how your experience and understanding will enable you to make a positive impact at our school in the areas outlined above. Candidates are encouraged to use their personal statement to showcase how their knowledge and expertise will enable them to meet the requirements of the post.

We very much encourage potential applicants to visit the school and meet the Headteacher, Simon Underdown.  Visit appointments will be available on Monday 17^th April between 8.30am – 9.30am and Tuesday 18^th April between 2pm - 4pm. Please contact the Head’s PA, Miss Vicki Benwell (vicki.benwell@phsg.tsat.uk) to book a candidate visit.

Those candidates selected for interview will be invited to attend the school on Friday 21^st April 2023 for a formal interview with the Headteacher, members of the Academy Advisory Board and the Director of Education for the South West Hub of the Trust.

Candidates invited back for the second day and will be informed by telephone after school on Friday 21^st April 2023.  Candidates will be informed of the day 2 process during the phone call and by email after day 1 has concluded.  Day 2 will be Monday 24^th April 2023.

The Thinking Schools Academy Trust

The Thinking Schools Academy Trust is a family of schools consisting of both primary and secondary schools across Kent, Hampshire and Plymouth. 

We believe that every young person in our community deserves to have the best opportunities at life regardless of their individual circumstances.

Education is the key to transforming life chances and we support and develop every member of our community to:

• Think about their Thinking
• Be their Best self
• Shape their Success

In this way we transform life chances

Click Here To view our Trust video to gain an insight into The Thinking Schools Academy Trust

What you will get from our Trust

• Revised Leadership Payscale to retain and reward excellent teachers
• The opportunity to work with happy and well behaved children who are excited about learning and work with parents who are supportive of our school values and ethos 
• Vast support network from senior leaders and other teachers within the school and our Trust to help us all deliver outstanding teaching and learning through resources, mentoring and school visits
• Regular opportunities to meet and share best practice with peers in other secondary and primary schools within our trust
• Benefit from an internationally accredited pedagogy approach to thinking and learning, which has been proven to enhance classroom practice
• Excellent CPD opportunities including our Early career, Middle and Senior Leadership programmes and NPQH
• As an accredited Chartered Teacher organisation you can become a recognised Charted Teacher 
• A 24/7 employee assistance programme which provides counselling and support / advice on a wide array of areas

What you need to do now:

If you are interested in working in our school, benefiting from a supportive network of teachers across our large academy and our Trust and you are keen to progress your career, then please apply today!

We strongly encourage any teachers who may be interested in working at our school to direct any question they may have to the Head’s PA, Vicki Benwell  Vicki.Benwell@phsg.tsat.uk . We also encourage any early applications and we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we suitable candidate is found.

If this position is not quite right for you, but you would be interested for any other positions within our Trust please contact recruitment@tsatrust.org.uk to ensure that you are added to our talent pool and considered for any future positions.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. As per KCSIE we will also undertake online searches for all shortlisted candidates, if you have any questions regarding this process please email recruitment@tsatrust.org.uk