Deputy Head Academic

Deputy Head Academic – to commence September 2025

The strategic decisions of the school currently focus on delivering excellence in four key areas: Technology, Sustainability, Internationalism, Character. West Buckland’s vision of a personalised, innovative and excellent learning experience is realised through its flexible and dynamic curriculum. We offer a range of subjects including GCSE, iGCSE, CNAT, BTEC, CTEC, A-levels and IB.

Embracing technology, the curriculum is delivered through innovative teaching and learning with all staff and pupils using Microsoft Surface Devices. The school’s character values of kindness, honesty, respect, resilience, and curiosity are being embedded into the curriculum along with the school’s leading approach to sustainability. The rich diversity of our pupil body and focus on personalised learning as well as value-added is an important feature of a West Buckland education and our pupils achieve well.  

The role is suited to someone with a strong background in excellent teaching and a vision for what an effective and exciting curriculum should look like. The Deputy Head Academic is a senior member of the School Leadership Team (SLT) and is responsible to the Head for all matters relating to the academic vision of the Senior School. 

Values held by the School Leadership Team: 

• Supporting others’ success
• Creative problem solving
• Trust and accountability
• Enabling excellent teaching

Responsibilities shared with other members of the SLT include: 

• Upholding and promoting the school’s aims and ethos
• Creating and updating policy documents
• Professional development of staff through the appraisal system
• Responding to problems, requests and visitors
• To advise the Headmaster on the selection and interview of applicants for all academic posts
• Teaching approximately a 30% timetable
• Providing SLT holiday cover on a rota
• Full awareness of Safeguarding, Equality, and GDPR matters in a School 

Direct Reports: 

• Head of Sixth Form
• Head of Middle School
• Heads of Departments
• Timetabler
• Examinations Officer
• Head of Careers
• Head of Academic Extension Group

Academic Vision 

• Responsible for the vision and delivery of the academic curriculum at West Buckland School
• Keep up-to-date with national developments in education
• Responsible for the quality of teaching and pupil academic outcomes
• Keep abreast of developments in technology in education, and work closely with the Head of Digital
• To report to the Governors Education sub-committee with reference to academic strategy and results
• Regularly review the academic provision at West Buckland and apprise the Head of possible improvements.

Academic Leadership 

• To take overall responsibility for the performance of the Heads of Departments (HoDs) and by working closely with them, take an overview of the performance of all academic subject teachers. This necessitates a close working relationship with the HoDs to advise, help and guide them in the better performance of their duties and through them, the performance of their department teams
• To lead in the appraisal of the HoDs, including an assessment of them as leaders of their teams and helping them to develop in that role
• To guide HoDs on target setting for their departments including a review of their development plans
• To induct new Heads of Department on academic matters
• To work with the Head of Sixth Form and Head of Middle School to have effective oversight of academic tracking, performance, reporting and grading
• To work closely with the Deputy Head (Academic) in the Prep School
• To ensure the efficient allocation of staff and pupils within the school timetable and oversee implementation by the timetable
• Oversight of academic outreach and involvement in pupil recruitment.

Academic Matters 

• Working with the Bursar, responsible for the academic department budget allocation & management
• Chair HoD's meetings
• To ensure that the academic concerns of the school satisfy requirements for ISI inspections
• Take overall responsibility for the progress of students in different groups, i.e. SEN, EAL and academic scholars, and liaise regularly with the staff with specific responsibilities for those groups
• Inspecting the departmental documentation, including handbooks and schemes of work
• Reporting and analysing public examination results and value-added data
• Ensure that HoDs work with the Examinations Officer to keep a precise schedule of coursework key dates
• Work alongside the Head of Sixth Form and Head of Middle School with regard to academic intervention, internal examinations and subject choices.

Salary, working hours and benefits

Commensurate with skills and experience, a competitive salary will be offered based on the School’s own leadership salary scale and a choice of pension schemes. The post holder will be entitled to receive 50% fee remission in respect of their children that attend the School. Other benefits include: access to the fitness suite and swimming pool, free meals when on duty, Cycle to Work scheme and free car parking. 

This is a full-time post with working hours as required across Teaching & Learning and management duties. The role is a senior leadership position and, as such, the post holder is expected to work the hours required to fulfil the duties of the post, over and above the normal working week. The appointee will be expected to work such hours as are required to fully perform his or her duties, which for the avoidance of doubt, may include evenings and weekends and on-call Leadership Team cover during school holiday periods. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the wider life of the school and its community; this will be discussed at interview.

Interested candidates are invited to contact the Head to arrange a confidential discussion ahead of application, if required via hm@westbuckland.com.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 10.00am, 28 December 2024.

Candidates should complete their application form electronically and email it together with a covering letter, which should be addressed to the Head explaining their reasons for applying. Please email your completed application form and letter, both as PDF files to: recruitment@westbuckland.com. Requests for any additional information may be addressed to this email address. All applications will be acknowledged by email. 

Interviews will take place week commencing 20 January 2025.

The appointment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks in accordance with DfE guidance, to satisfactory references, enhanced level clearance from the DBS, proof of identity and qualifications, right to work in the UK and confirmation of fitness to undertake the role via a medical declaration.