Deputy Headteacher (Pastoral)

• Do you want to work at an inclusive, secular school determined to be the beating heart of its community?

• Do you strongly believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are important to achieving a world- class education?

• Do you want to be part of a learning community with huge aspirations for itself and its students?

• Would you like the opportunity to develop in a key senior leadership role?

Villiers High School is a vibrant, multicultural school located in the heart of the community of Southall in the London Borough of Ealing. We are committed to high standards of teaching and believe strongly in inclusion in every sense of the word. We place a high value on staff professional learning and it is at the centre of our work. The successful applicant would join a well-informed and ambitious staff and would benefit from extensive training and development opportunities.

Perks of working at Villiers

We have a huge suite of professional learning opportunities in school and use our PMR system combined with staff aspirations to construct this. Staff are encouraged and supported financially to become examination markers and to carry out extra qualifications such as the NPQ* suite, Master’s Degrees and Doctorates. All teams belong to their professional subject association in order to continue developing their subject knowledge and pedagogy. Middle and Senior Leaders regularly meet with their counterparts from other schools in the local authority to collaborate and share best practice as part of the Ealing Learning Partnership. *National Professional Qualifications including NPQML, NPQSL and NPQH.

On Thursdays staff finish teaching early so they can meet and plan collaboratively with their departments and pastoral teams. Staff professional learning also takes place on this day as do any other after school meetings and events such as parents’ evenings so that staff only ever have to plan child-care or a late finish one night of the week. Where meetings or events run later in the evening, we provide a meal for all staff.

At Villiers we have marking and planning week every half-term where no meetings are scheduled, and staff can make sure they are up to date with their planning and marking or use the time as they wish with their departments.

We do not grade lessons and all visits to lessons are formative. We recognise that walking into a lesson a few times a year only gives a small snapshot of the work our teachers are doing. Staff work with their performance manager to set targets which will see them develop over the course of the year but none of them rely on arbitrary unreliable data or one-off snapshot lesson visits.

Free tea and coffee making facilities are available throughout the day in the staff room. Staff can take on extra duties and are paid to do this as well as receiving a free meal.

A range of opportunities to support staff’s mental and physical health is on offer throughout the year by speaking to our H.R. manager. Staff are able to access counselling free if and when the need arises and there is a complete staff and pupil mental health plan in action which is reviewed regularly.

We recognise that staff will join us having had very different experiences and with different areas to work on in their practice, so we make sure our programme reflects this. One fear new teachers often have is that they will get given all the ‘horrible’ groups that no one else wants. First, we have no horrible groups (!) and second, our Heads of Department work hard to create a timetable which develops all staff’s skills so you will often see ECTs team teaching with more experienced practitioners to develop their understanding of GCSE and A level before they become fully accountable for the results.

We are located about 7 minutes’ walk from Southall train station (on the Elizabeth Line) or a short bus journey from Ealing Broadway (Central line). There is free bicycle storage, some staff parking permits available on site and staff showers are available should you wish to jog in as several of our staff do.

How to apply

Application and further details can be obtained by visiting our school website> our staff vacancies. Personal statements should be no more than one side of A4. Please note that the school does not accept CVs. Once completed, please submit your application by email.

We would welcome pre-arranged visits. Please contact HR as above to arrange a mutually convenient date and time.

Closing date: Friday 20th May 2024 (by 9am)

Interviews will be held Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd May

The school is committed to the promotion of equal opportunities and diversity. We have a clear commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. You will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure for the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as Criminals Records Bureau). Shortlisted candidates will also be subject to further checks including those on social media.