Special Edition - Summer term | 17 June 2020
If you are aware of any recently retired headteachers who would be interested in applying for one of these roles, please feel free to forward this email or alternatively contact the DAPH office with name and contact details.
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Devon Schools Leadership Services (DSLS) CIO is recruiting for its new aHead service!
To coincide with the launch of the new charitable organisation, we are in the process of relaunching the former DAPH School Leadership Support Service which will be branded as ‘aHead’.
This redesigned service will comprise of 4 strands:
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aHeadStart – an induction and support programme for recently appointed school leaders
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aHeadSpace – a proactive contact programme for more experienced school leaders
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aHeadStrong – a rolling programme of CPD and annual wellbeing conference
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aHelpline – a dedicated, confidential professional or personal helpline following self-referral
The aHead service will form part of the Core Membership Offer under Devon School Leadership Services (DSLS) CIO and is available to all Devon primary and secondary school leaders (L/A and Academy) under DSLS.
aHeadStart
As part of the aHead Induction programme, newly appointed school leaders will be automatically linked to a Professional Partner and introduced to a peer group of other school leaders at the same stage in their careers. This link will be fully funded centrally, and the Professional Partner will remain in contact with the school leader providing mentoring and support during their first two years of headship/school leader role.
aHeadSpace
For more established headteachers, we are looking to offer a regular programme of support where school leaders will be contacted by a Professional Partner during the academic year to see how the Service be may able help and to provide confidential professional and personal support and guidance where needed. This may lead to a further telephone meeting or visit if required at a mutually convenient time.
aHelpline
From time to time referrals may be received outside of the above programmes via the telephone Helpline into the DSLS Business Support Centre. Some of these enquiries may be dealt with by way of signposting but the more complex, seeking support in respect of professional or personal issues, will be passed on to a Professional Partner to respond to, ideally within a 24-hour period or as mutually agreed.
The first meetings (telephone or face to face) arising from aHeadSpace or the telephone Helpline will be provided free of charge under the aHead DSLS core offer. Any additional contact time being agreed in advance on a Pay as you Go basis, where the school will agree to fund any additional Professional Partner time as appropriate via DSLS. Circumstances will vary but this link could last from 1 to up to 6 visits depending on need and cost implications.
DSLS is looking initially to recruit 8 experienced headteachers (7 Professional Partners plus one Lead Professional Partner) who are willing to support school leadership in a flexible dynamic and reflective way. The Professional Partners will be working alongside newly appointed and less experienced school leaders who will need a strong role model. They will also support other headteacher colleagues by way of a regular contact programme and/or specific requests for support via the telephone aHelpline service.
In addition to the above roles, we are looking to recruit a Lead Professional Partner to drive forward and oversee this initiative. The Lead role is expected to require a commitment of two days per month on top of the work outlined above as one of the Professional Partners.
Working in conjunction with the DSLS Business Operations Manager (BOM), the Lead Professional Partner will plan and coordinate the four strands of the service, monitor engagement and output to help inform CPD initiatives, the annual wellbeing conference and reporting to the CIO Board/Schools Executive Committee on trending themes and issues impacting upon school leaders.
Alongside the DSLS BOM, the Lead Professional Partner will regularly liaise with the other Lead Professionals and will host team meetings on a termly basis. They will also contribute to the commissioning of services and support from other partners or providers e.g. Babcock LDP which is commissioned by DCC to deliver content within the aHeadStart Induction programme.
The Roles
A Person Specification for each role is attached. However, in summary the Professional Partner and Lead Professional Partner will need a high level of knowledge and understanding of the following:
- The role, duties and expectations of school leaders and governors.
- Organisational structures in LAs and schools. (school evaluation, improvement planning, data analysis, funding, performance management etc).
- Existing and emerging constitutional relationships of the LA and/or RSC with Governing Boards and Diocesan Boards.
- The concepts of local management of schools, governance in the maintained and academy education sectors in England and related sections of Education law.
- Have a clear understanding of the range of challenge and support services already available within DCC.
- The developing range of leadership models in schools.
The Professional Partner also needs to be reflective, to have a very high level of interpersonal skills including being able to build relationships, be a good listener and be able to remain calm, be resilient and resourceful.
They will need to have recent work experience of at least 5 years as a headteacher with a proven track record of effective school leadership and the written agreement by way of Service Level Agreement from their Governing Board to support another school for at least 10 days up to a pre-determined maximum in any school year.
The Lead Professional Partner role will also have a key role in ensuring consistency of approach and high-quality delivery of the aHead service and it is proposed initially that this will require an additional 2 days per month, but this will be reviewed after 12 months.
Remuneration
Both the Professional Partner and Lead roles will be subject to a Service Level Agreement signed by DSLS CIO, the Governing Board of the school (if a serving headteacher) and the school leader and will be reviewed annually at the end of the summer term. For non-serving headteachers a Consultancy Agreement will be signed by DSLS CIO and the Lead/Professional Partner.
Both roles will be remunerated at a rate of £50 per hour/£400 per day and reimbursed on a termly basis following the verification of claims with the DSLS Business Service Centre.
Following verification, payment will be made against an invoice submitted to the DSLS Business Service Centre by the headteacher’s own school for serving headteachers. For non-serving headteachers, payment will be made direct to the Lead/Professional Partner against invoice submitted and will be subject to HMRC regulations on employment status for tax and NIC purposes.
How to Apply
Applications for the role of Professional Partner are invited from primary and secondary headteachers in Devon local authority or academy schools and is also open to school leaders who may have recently retired.
Please submit a Letter of Application to include specific reference to the Person Specification(s). If you are interested in being considered for the Lead Professional Partner role, please refer to the Lead specification and indicate this within your application.
Letters of Application to be sent to:
Clare Coates, Business Operations Manager, Devon SLS CIO
Email: clare.coates@devon.gov.uk
Closing date for applications: 26 June 2020
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview via MS Teams in the week commencing 13 July 2020 with a view to the role commencing at the start of the new 2020/21 academic year.
If you would like an informal discussion about either role and/or the aHead service, please contact:
Melanie Smallwood,
Headteacher Bishops Tawton Primary School & DAPH Executive Committee Member
Telephone: 01271 343002
Devon Association of Primary Headteachers (DAPH) &
Devon Association of Secondary Headteachers (DASH)
Contact us: 01392 380518 | daph@devon.gov.uk | daph.org.uk
DAPH Office
Venture House, One Capital Court
Bittern Road, Sowton Industrial Estate
Exeter EX2 7FW
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