Deputy Headteacher
Application Pack
Thank you for your interest in the post of Deputy Headteacher at Morpeth School. As you will have seen from the advert and from our website, we are privileged to work with talented, committed staff, enthusiastic, friendly pupils and a community of supportive families and external partners. We are really pleased that you are interested in working with us.
Due to the promotion of the current Deputy Head, we are now looking for a leader who will enjoy and thrive in our vibrant school. There is a recognition across our school community and beyond, that we are an innovative school in terms of both our rich and ambitious curriculum, and in our inclusive pastoral systems, and that our choices are made always in the best interests of our students’ learning, and personal development. We want someone who will work with the Headteacher and the Senior Leadership Team to build on our school culture and help us to grow and evolve.
All senior leaders at Morpeth have a broad job description which includes specific whole-school tasks, responsibilities and duties. They are expected to be fully engaged in the development of curriculum thinking and pedagogy through line management of departments, and in the proactive and reactive support for pupils’ wellbeingand behaviour in addition to other responsibilities.
We are seeking to appoint a Deputy Head who not only has excellent teaching and management skills, but also an understanding of how inspiring and enthusiastic leadership can enable young people, irrespective of their background, to achieve highly. We have deliberately kept the post open in terms of lead responsibilities because we are interested in meeting candidates with a range of strengths and experiences.
To book a visit to the school,please contact Stacy Whitham (PA to the Headteacher). 0208 981 0921/ swhitham@morpeth.towerhamlets.sch.uk Visits will take place on Monday 11th March 2024 at 3.30pm and Friday 15th March 2024 at 3.30pm.
The application form asks for two referees. One of these should be your current or most recent Headteacher. The deadline for applications is 3pm, Monday 18th March 2024. Candidates who have been selected for interview will be informed by telephone and email later on that week. On Monday 25th March 2024, there will be a full day in school for longlisted candidates, with an opportunity to meet staffand pupils. Shortlisted candidates will have a final interview on Tuesday26th March 2024
Thank you for your interest in this role. I wish you the best of luck in your application.
Yours faithfully,
Jemima Reilly Headteacher
Morpeth School is committed to Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Children policies.
Morpeth is an eight-form entry, mixed,11-19 comprehensive school situated in Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets and we are very much a community. Our valuesare longstanding; they encapsulate the way we work and the way the school feels.
We are a community:
• committed tolearning and achievement
• based on friendshipand respect
• where everyone is valued.
We are proudof our diversity – we represent the wider TowerHamlets community– and recognise thatinorder to makeeveryone feel includedand valued, this requires ongoing and explicit consideration.
We prioritise thedevelopmentof trust and understandingbetween pupils from different backgrounds; all membersof staff– teaching and non-teaching – work together regularly throughout the year to develop our relational practice. As a result, visitors frequently comment on how friendly the school feelsand the excellent relationships between staff and between pupils and staff. We are over-subscribedboth for Year 7 and thesixth form,andhave a very strong track record of recruitment and retention of teaching and support staff.
We have over 110 teaching staff,35 Teaching Assistants, and 70 other support staff who share a strong beliefinwhat ourpupils canachieve. Our teachers are subject specialists,passionateabout those subjects and keen to develop their knowledge and practice. We also place great importance onlearning beyond the classroom. There is an extensive programme of extra-curricular experiences and over 150 lunchtime and after schoolactivities offered weekly.
Wearefortunateinthattheentireschoolhasbeenrebuiltorrefurbishedtoaveryhighstandardover recent years, and we have been able to invest heavily in learning resources for pupils. Schools across Tower Hamlets have a long tradition of working closely togetherandin recent years this hasbeen facilitated and strengthened by the Tower Hamlets Education Partnership.
Our KS4 curriculum structure
When we reviewed our KS4 curriculum in 2010 we decided that the traditional model that we offered didn’t feel sufficiently flexible or tailored to our students both in terms of context and inclusion. It was ‘one size fits all’. We wanted to continue to provide a rich and broad curriculum where the arts are valued alongside core academic subjects but also one that could recognise students’ individual needs.
The model we have now is one that is innovative, ambitious, dynamic and responsive to students’ needs. We typically offer 25 optional examined courses. Alongside core subjects, students choose two options each year in Years 9, 10 and 11, courses being one year in length, and having the equivalent time of one-day a week per course. Students will take exams at the end of the year. The majority of students will study the EBacc subjects (approximately 80%) with significantly higher than national numbers taking GCSEs in creative and expressive arts, and design technology.
Our inclusive approach
We support students by:
• focussing on both systems and practice - we recognise that we need strong systems to provide structure however, in a school that views high quality relationships as the key driver in all that we do we place an emphasis on supporting colleagues’ practice;
• being trauma-informed – understanding that behaviour is a two-way language of communication;
• being compassionate - making decisions about behaviour based on the context of every child and situation;
• being data-led - using both qualitative and quantitative data helps us ask the right questions about behaviour and inclusion, in the same way as progress and attainment.
We recognise that in order to prioritise the development of positive relationships across the school, we have to build it into our structures. In September 2023, we moved to a vertical tutoring system where pupils meet three times a week in coaching circles made up of 12 pupils from Years 7 – 11.
We have 100 circles, led by coaches from across our teaching and support staff and organised into five houses. The circles and houses are fundamental to ensuring every child feels that they belong to our community.
We know that to provide the bestsupportfor our pupils, we need to have staff who feel happy in their role, trusted and well-supported. Teaching staff are able to work from home for some of their PPA time, we take a positive approach to requests for flexible working, we create regular opportunities for all staff to mix socially through weekly staff circles, free staff breakfasts and our Staff Association who run events and trips throughout the year. Teachers have autonomy to plan lessons within departmental agreed curriculum plans and we have regular subjectteach meets within departments with a focus on developing subject pedagogy.
We have never believed in performance-related pay, but do believe in the importance of continual professional development and in regular scheduled opportunities for staff to discuss and reflect upon their professional development across the school year. We support and encourage the full breadth of professional development opportunities – formal and informal - from external CPD, to supporting Masters level qualifications including study days and a contribution to costs, providing coaches for NPQ courses and to ongoing high-quality internal training opportunities.
“A supportive community for students and staff”
“A school with a human face, diversity is appreciated”
“High professional trust and autonomy”
“I feel respected and appreciated”
“Supportive colleagues and an opportunity to grow”
“Excellent facilities and amazing SEN provision”
“Relational practice”
“Sense of community felt within the school”
“We teach each other something every day”
“A school that thinks about all communities and promotes equality and inclusivity”
“There is always a smile waiting for you”
Position: Deputy Headteacher
Salary: Inner London Leadership Range L25 – L33 (£94,066 - £112,500)
Contract Type / Working Arrangement: Permanent, Full-Time
Required for: September 2024
Closing date for all applications: 3:00pm, Monday 18th March 2024
Interview date: Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th March
An appointment as Deputy Headteacher is an opportunity to join a highly successful team: talented, committed staff, enthusiastic, friendly pupils and a community of supportive families and externalpartners withinandbeyond TowerHamlets.
We believe that our success derives from our inclusive, pupil-centred focus; our commitment to the continuous review of curriculum and pedagogy; our focus on professional development; and a strong belief in the need to work within a set of values which underpins all that we do.
The current vacancy has arisen due to the promotion of the current Deputy Headteacher to Headteacher of Morpeth from September 2024. Applicants should be excellent teachers with extensive experience of pupil and staff leadership and an advocate for inclusion. The successful candidate will take on a range of whole school responsibilities but specific areas will be decided upon on appointment.
Detailed information will be included in the documentation we will send, but some facts that may help you are as follows:
• we are oversubscribed for Year 7 and Year 12.
• we have outstanding buildings and facilities.
Closing date for receipt of completed application forms: 3pm, Monday 18th March 2024.
Interviews will take place on: Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th March 2024.
For further details and information pack; please see the ‘Join Us’ section of school website www.morpethschool.org.uk or ring us on 020 8981 0921.
To book a visit to the school, please contact Stacy Whitham (PA to the Headteacher). 0208 981 0921/ swhitham@morpeth.towerhamlets.sch.uk
How to apply:
Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@morpeth.towerhamlets.sch.uk For full details and application pack see the school website www.morpethschool.org.uk or our job page on TES: https://www.tes.com/jobs/employer/-1042684
We are committed to safeguarding our students. Successful candidates will be required to abide by the school’s Safeguarding Children policy and undergo an enhanced DBS check. The school may conduct an online search as part of due diligence checks in the recruitment process.
1. To undertake a range of leadership and management roles and responsibilities as agreed with the headteacher.
2. To deputise for the Headteacher, as required.
3. To work collaboratively within the SLT to create, implement and review whole school policies and procedures.
4. To adopt a high profile amongst staff and pupils, promoting high expectations and achievements.
5. To represent and promote Morpeth School both internally through assemblies and meeting with families and visitors, and externally within the local community including other schools, the local authority and other agencies, as relevant.
6. To participate in, and lead, professional activities for staff.
7. To carry out all professional duties commensurate with this post as directed by the Headteacher.
Selection
Please address these criteria in your application form and interview
1. Evidence of effective teaching in an inclusive school, and the ability to share good practice.
2. Evidence of a wide range of leadership skills.
3. Evidence of an understanding of how to create and sustain an environment, within a fully inclusive school, where all pupils can achieve academic and personal success.
4. Evidence of the ability to lead and manage successful whole school initiatives from inception, through implementation to completion.
5. Knowledge and understanding of how monitoring, evaluation and review can lead to improved pupil achievement.
6. Knowledge, and critical understanding, of key issues currently facing school leadership teams.
7. Evidence of the ability to think creatively and solve problems.
8. Evidence of a commitment to your own and others’ continuous professional development.
