Head of Secondary

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Secondary at our British School of Vila-real in Castellon, Spain.

As Head of Secondary, you play a crucial role in supporting the Head of School in establishing both a School of Choice and an Employer of Choice. You report directly to your Head of School and work in active, positive collaboration with your Senior Leadership Team. You are accountable for delivering on the desired outcomes in each of the components listed below, and the ongoing development of the school and learning improvement.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Leadership

• Provide leadership, mentoring and coaching to support staff professional learning, and create a vibrant learning environment for all.
• As a senior leader in the School, be a role model for all students and staff .
• Ensure all aspects of the operation of Secondary School are consistent with and supportive of the School's
• Vision for Learning and strategic priorities of your school section, and be personally supportive of the School's vision and philosophy.
• Apply all School policies as they relate to the section of the school
• Lead frequent school assemblies with the MLT and staff to build community and create a sense of belonging to the school
• Lead the section by setting the highest appropriate professional standards as befi tting an ISP
• school, as demanded by the school Principal, and as required by its accreditation authorities (NABSS and Best Practice Network)

Management

• Be responsible for the daily leadership and management of the section of the school.
• Be a contributing member of the School Management Team attending weekly AHs meetings and Administration Meetings as required. This includes providing timely agenda items and follow up on agreed actions from the weekly meetings
• Provide educational and administrative leadership for the members of the MLT and teaching staff and supervise their work.
• In conjunction with other heads of section, ensure that teaching staff maintain accurate student records and details of assessments for reporting purposes.
• Chair or facilitate appropriate meetings concerned with the ongoing smooth operation of Secondary School.
• Advise and assist the Principal on matters of staffi ng requirements, including recruitment and selection, and allocation to classes, teaching spaces and offi ces.
• Assist the Principal and Head of Finance to develop and set the School budget as it applies to your section of the school.
• Liaise with the Admissions & Marketing Team to guide and oversee arrangements for Secondary Presentation events.
• Liaise closely with the Principal and other Heads of Section on matters of staffi ng allocation & timetable structure.

Teaching and Learning

• Ensure the promotion of a positive and innovative learning environment, where students are able to reach their full potential, and learning is engaging and challenging.
• Ensure that research based pedagogies are at the forefront of decisions around curriculum, teaching practices and learning space design.
• Be responsible for curriculum priorities, review, development, implementation and documentation, identifying particular needs for age appropriate learning
• Oversee subject choice, assessment and reporting and feedback for learning, including
• parent teacher- student conferences and the design of an agreed system of reporting on
• student progress.
• Oversee and/or administer the external and internal examinations
• Analyse annual examination results and create action plans, if needed, together with Heads of Departments.
• Analyse student's results use this data to implement diff erent interventions with the HODs
• Liaise with the Leaders of Learning, MLT & Head of Student Support to develop programmes of education support and extension in Secondary School.

Pastoral Care

• Be responsible for the pastoral care, welfare and behaviour support of students in the school section in accordance with School policy.
• Be responsible for implementing and writing, in conjunction with MLT, the pastoral care curriculum
• Refer students at risk to the DSL, relevant staff and/or agencies, advise relevant staff and follow up outcomes.
• Work in partnership with parents on all matters relating to student welfare, and support and advise parents as appropriate.
• Manage all aspects of the induction and orientation of new students (and their families) to the section of the school
• Support and promote service learning opportunities for Secondary School students.

Staff Professional Learning

• Working with the Academic Heads
• Ensure a positive and supportive model exists for staff appraisal and development (currently through TLSE processes)
• Develop professional learning programmes and development opportunities for staff . Liaise with the Principal on matters of staff performance, staff evaluation and staff appraisal as it applies to your section
• Create conditions conducive to team building, staff welfare and pastoral care.
• Monitor, support and supervise staff in conjunction with the MLT
• Implement the Leading the Learning programme to build best practice sharing across the section of your school.

Communication and Marketing

• Working with the School's Marketing Team:
• Promote and develop a School community that encourages and welcomes new and existing families through accessible and timely communication.
• Liaise with the Admissions and Marketing Team in promoting and marketing the School, meeting some prospective families, and engage in the enrolments process for new students.
• Maintain close communication with parents and provide opportunities for them and other family members to engage in school activities.
• Foster good relationships with parents by providing a ready fl ow of information about your section and their children's development.
• Contribute regular information regarding the learning and the promotion of the school including weekly content is provided for the family notices and/or social media

General

The Head of Section will provide other assistance to the Principal as required from time to time, and the above duties may be varied as determined by the Principal

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years' employment history.