Appointment of the Head of School (Quality of Education)

Northampton International Academy (NIA)

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Welcome to Northampton International Academy

We’re a large all-through school based in Northampton, proudly rated GOOD overall by Ofsted.

We’re part of East Midlands Academy Trust (EMAT) and are dedicated to its vision that “every child deserves to be the best they can be”. This commitment drives us to provide the best education for each and every young person.

This is lived out daily through our DNA of NIA philosophy and our values of collaboration, excellence and respect. We are a fully inclusive school, as shown by our rising intake of disadvantaged pupils, increasing representation of pupils from ethnic minorities, and our thriving pupil led Culture Committees.

This is an exciting time to be part of our NIA family, as we seek to energise our staff and embed the expectations that are already in place across the primary and secondary schools. Since my appointment as Executive Headteacher in February 2023, our school has improved rapidly and sustainably. We now have an improving reputation in our local community, and our recent Ofsted inspection resulted in the school being judged ‘Good’ overall.

Staff wellbeing is important to us, and when you become part of the #EMATters community you’ll have access to a range of employee benefits from confidential support to cycle to work vouchers. You will also be supported in your career, which means that you can expect high quality training, the time to attend training and continuous professional development plus there are many opportunities to connect with fellow professionals across our EMAT network.

If you would like to visit the school prior to applying, or would like an informal chat please contact us via the school office and we would be happy to show you around and answer any questions that you have.

Thank you for your interest in Northampton International Academy.

Martin Serrao
Executive Headteacher

Welcome to East Midlands Academy Trust

Our community of seven schools collectively became EMAT in 2018 and currently includes an all-through school in Northampton, a secondary school in Oundle and five primary schools in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes serving over 5,000 pupils through the tenacity and professionalism of 600 colleagues. I like to call the members of our immediate and extended family #EMATters.

Every child deserves to be the best they can be, and therefore inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We pride ourselves on supporting our pupils to learn and develop through the highest quality teaching across our community of schools. Since joining our Trust, our schools have been each been supported through their own improvement journeys, with all achieving or retaining at least a ‘good‘ Ofsted rating.

We recognise our aim that ‘every child deserves to be the best they can be’ can only be achieved with committed and empowered staff and have created a strong culture of personal and professional development, which includes a host of learning opportunities offered through our in-house training hub.

As chief executive of such an amazing organisation, I have the privileged opportunity to fulfil my aspiration to ensure high quality education is available to everyone, regardless of their ability or background, and that is an ethos I have instilled across EMAT.

Joshua Coleman
Chief Executive

About NIA

Northampton International Academy is a vibrant educational community where high expectations, a passion for deep knowledge and a commitment to fostering strong personal characteristics combine to set our children and young people on the pathway to long term success.

Situated in the heart of Northampton, NIA has a strong bond with the local community outside its walls and a warm sense of community within them. As a local school with a global vision, we also look beyond our immediate location so that NIA pupils understand the wider world and how education can help them access local, national and international opportunities and experiences.

Vision and Ethos

NIA, a local school with a global vision

We strive to be the school of choice in Northampton, a school that provides a world class education for pupils, a place where children and adults thrive and actively take part in building a community based on high aspirations.

Vision Statement

As part of our united community, our all through school celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of individuals so that all can flourish and thrive. Opportunities are created through challenge to develop a life-long love of learning. We raise aspiration by harnessing passion, promoting engagement, and in striving for excellence.

Our outward facing approach prepares our community for success in the modern world and our ethos prepares our students for life in modern Britain. The school’s culture strongly supports the promotion of values such as tolerance, respect, democracy and the rule of law.

Our aim is for every pupil to access a wide range of opportunities in order to develop their full potential.

About EMAT

A community of seven schools collectively became EMAT in 2018 and currently includes an all-through school in Northampton, a secondary school in Oundle and five primary schools in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, with more than 600 #EMATters serving over 5,000 pupils.

“Every child deserves to be the best they can be”

This can only be achieved with committed and empowered colleagues. That’s why we have created a strong culture of personal and professional development, which includes access to a host of learning opportunities offered through our in-house training hub to all #EMATters.

What does it mean to be part of a multi-academy trust?

East Midlands Academy Trust operates a supported autonomy model which means we are able to benefit from a wide range of support services, while retaining our school’s unique identity and character.

As a community of schools, we enjoy collaborative teaching and learning between schools, access to central services such as HR, finance, recruitment, IT and marketing, access to training and career development opportunities, and greater investment in our school environments.

Pupils benefit from access to greater opportunities, improved digital technology and access to quality-assured teaching and learning.

To find out more about our trust EMAT, click here.

Head of School (Quality of Education) (AQ3187)

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OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

  • The Head of School (Quality of Education) has a vital role in bringing to life the meaning of the DNA of NIA in the context of the wider #EMATter teaching and learning framework and values.
  • The Head of School (Quality of Education) will provide professional vision and leadership for the school to ensure the highest possible standards of teaching and learning in all phases.
  • Under the direction of the Executive Headteacher, the Head of School (Quality of Education), will collaborate with, the Head of Inclusion and Safeguarding, The Head of School for Behaviour and Attitudes and the Head of Primary School.

GENERAL DUTIES

As a Head of School, in addition to carrying out the professional duties of a teacher, in accordance with the requirements of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 2014 and the Teachers’ Standards, the Head of School shall perform those duties particularly assigned by the Executive Headteacher, as follows:

  • Be responsible for leading our strategy to raise standards and to promote a culture of high aspiration for all pupils.
  • As part of the SLT, actively contribute to effective strategic leadership of the school.
  • Actively drive educational excellence through high-quality teaching and learning that is consistently applied by all colleagues within the school.
  • Lead the teaching and learning strategy to ensure leaders and staff understand and apply the principles of effective pedagogy as set out in the EMAT Teaching and Learning Framework and informed by relevant research.
  • Lead and oversee curriculum planning to ensure a robust and well-sequenced curriculum is in place and understood by staff for all subjects and phases.
  • Build a culture within the school that encourages and facilitates #EMATters educational excellence to be evident through innovation.
  • Be a visible presence in the daily practice across the school.
  • Implement, working with other senior and middle leaders, strategies to embed high-quality teaching and learning, utilising research evidence and school-based evaluations.
  • Ensure, working with other senior leaders, that pupils in all phases achieve all they are capable of and outcomes that are at least in line with those seen nationally.
  • Work with curriculum/phase and middle leaders to ensure they have ownership and improve the quality of teaching and so pupils’ outcomes in their areas of responsibility.
  • Lead the school’s strategic monitoring and evaluation of teaching to identify strengths and areas for further development.
  • Contribute to clear evidence‐based improvement plans and policies for the development of the quality of education the school provides.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND MANAGEMENT

  • Be accountable to the Executive Headteacher and oversee all aspects of the curriculum and the quality of teaching and learning in the school.
  • Assist the Executive Headteacher in ensuring staff accountabilities are clearly defined, understood and are subject to rigorous review and evaluation.
  • Monitor and evaluate the performance of different teams, curriculum subjects and individual members of staff and provide support and training to ensure excellent pedagogy across all phases.
  • Work closely with leaders across the school to develop their teams through:
    • accurate self-evaluation, regular monitoring and review which focuses on the quality and impact of teaching
    • analysis of the impact of actions to bring about improvements including in relation to the School Improvement Plan
    • analysis of the impact of coaching and the development of colleagues
  • Strengthen cross-phase collaboration and transitions between year groups and key stages.
  • Provide accurate reports on evaluation of strategies, the quality of teaching, interventions, and outcomes to different stakeholders, for example, staff, school leaders, teachers, trustees/governors, and external bodies.
  • Be responsible for the line management of staff to be agreed with the Executive Headteacher.

DEVELOPING SELF AND WORKING WITH OTHERS

  • Provide strategic leadership of staff training and development to secure high quality teaching, including the effective implementation of the school’s coaching programme.
  • Promote performance management as a means of improving teaching, learning, leadership, and management within the school.
  • Work with the Head of Behaviour & Attitudes and the Head of Inclusion and Safeguarding, to ensure leaders and other staff effectively adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of all the school’s pupils, including those who have SEND, are disadvantaged, or speak English as an additional language.
  • Lead and oversee the induction of new teaching staff across the school.
  • Lead and oversee the organisation of the school ITT programme including liaison with teacher training providers and other partners.
  • Lead and oversee the organisation of the school ECT programme including support, training, and mentoring arrangements.
  • Oversee work experience, undergraduate and postgraduate volunteers, in conjunction with appropriate awarding bodies and universities.

Additional duties

Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities, please note that this is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the work to be undertaken, commensurate with the grade. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the post holder will carry out. Employees will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from a manager to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in this job description.

N.B. The post holder will carry out his/her responsibilities in accordance with the Trust’s equal opportunities policy.

This job description is provided to assist the post holder to know what his/her duties are. It may be amended from time to time without change to the level of responsibility appropriate to the grade of the post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Qualifications and Training

Essential:

  • Degree
  • Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

Desirable:

  • Higher degree
  • NPQ

Experience

Essential:

  • Knowledge and experience of pastoral care and safeguarding
  • Experience of reflecting on practice, learning from it, and adapting accordingly
  • Sustained successful KS3, KS4, and KS5 teaching experience, leading to sustained excellent outcomes for pupils
  • Evidence of continuing professional development
  • Significant middle and/or senior leadership experience
  • Experience of successfully leading and managing the work of a team to deliver sustained improvements
  • Experience of creative problem-solving and critical thinking

Desirable:

  • Experience of working with and advising governors
  • Experience of working with partner schools and outside agencies

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential:

  • Demonstrable understanding of raising achievement
  • Experience of contributing to and bringing about rapid and sustained improvement
  • Knowledge and understanding of effective careers education
  • Understanding of the theory and practice of providing effectively for the individual needs of all children (e.g., classroom organisation and learning strategies)

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of effective management and deployment of people and resources
  • Understanding of the Trust’s Teaching and Learning Framework

Skills and Abilities

Essential:

  • Ability to think strategically, plan effectively, and evaluate perceptively
  • Ability to inspire, motivate, and lead staff and pupils
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to analyse and evaluate information and data from a range of sources
  • Ability to quickly synthesise understanding and apply it to new situations
  • Ability to communicate a vision and lead others towards it

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of statutory National Curriculum requirements at the appropriate key stage(s)

Personal Qualities

Essential:

  • Ability to take decisions and initiate action, providing direction to others
  • Willingness to take responsibility for own actions
  • Commitment to diversity and equality in the workplace
  • Energy, drive, and enthusiasm
  • Ability to listen to and acknowledge the views of others
  • Empathy and emotional intelligence
  • Ability to work to deadlines and under pressure
  • Sense of humour and a balanced outlook
  • Adaptable and positive in the face of change
  • Confident, positive, and approachable
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Terms of appointment

All staff should be committed to the school and East Midlands Academy Trust’s purpose, values and objectives.

Health and Safety

So far as is reasonably practical, the post holder must ensure that safe working practices are adopted by employees, and in premises/work areas for which the post holder is responsible, to maintain a safe working environment for employees and learners.

Safeguarding

EMAT is committed to the safeguarding of its young persons and expects all staff, volunteers and adults to work within the parameters of the policies and procedures as agreed by the Board of Trustees to ensure the safety of all young persons within its care.

Equal Opportunities

It is the policy of EMAT to provide equal opportunities for all individuals; to prohibit discrimination in employment on any basis protected by applicable law, including but not limited to race, religious creed, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, age, medical condition or disability. EMAT promotes equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment through positive employment policies and practice.

How to apply

Northampton International Academy has appointed recruitment specialist Anderson Quigley to support this appointment.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 27 April 2025

Interview Date: w/c 12th May 2025

Applications should consist of:

  • Applications should consist of a CV and covering statement (of no more than 1,000 words) outlining key matching experience and rationale for applying for the post.
  • Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete the Trust application form online with safer recruitment practices.

Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact Melanie Pye at melanie.pye@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7743 927 786 or or Phil Gifford on phil.gifford@andersonquigley.com 07743 936 121.

Safeguarding Information

East Midlands Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults, and all appointments are subject to enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks and satisfactory references.

East Midlands Academy Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

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