About This Role
Beckfoot Trust is seeking an intrinsically motivated and values-driven trust leader to join our executive team and lead on a high-profile school improvement project. This is an exciting opportunity for a proven senior leader to develop as an executive leader. The successful applicant will join a locally serving yet nationally focussed trust that believes deeply in true inclusion, where standards and belonging matter most for those with the greatest barriers to overcome.
The successful candidate will:
Live our values of enjoy, learn, succeed and embrace our mission of ‘creating remarkable schools where no child is left behind’
Build strong professional working relationships with adults and young people and communicate effectively and persuasively with a wide range of stakeholders
Be driven to make a difference in both mainstream and special through working with school leaders
Have a deep love of all things learning and be passionate about putting the research-informed inclusive classroom at the heart of all we do
Be intellectually curious beyond belief and prepared to be challenged to think about how mainstream and special are ‘the same but different’
Share our commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity and a relentless drive for continuous improvement, investing in people yet leaving no child behind
Have the confidence and adaptability to line-manage Headteachers in a phase that might be different to the one you have gained your experience in (particularly Special)
On application and at interview, the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a measurable and sustained record of building a purposeful and inclusive culture with exceptional pedagogy at the heart. You will have evidence of leading and implementing strategy with rigour and clarity, investing in people, and demanding remarkably high standards.
The right candidate will be highly ambitious for our trust and work with the CEO and the central team in supporting and challenging leaders in our diverse family of schools. You will be passionate about creating remarkable schools where no child if left behind and have the aptitude and experience to work at an executive level, yet the humility to be highly visible on the 'front line' so that schools can deliver great learning in every classroom for every child and young person.
A full trust induction programme will be put in place for the successful candidate. Whilst the successful applicant will need significant mainstream experience, you will be expected to develop the knowledge to support and challenge across our three phases (secondary, primary and special), therefore an interest in your own ongoing professional growth and particularly in relation to special schools, is vital.
If you are interested in this role, please make an appointment for an informal conversation with Shirley Watson, CEO by contacting Joanne Whittleston on jwhittleston01@beckfoottrust.org. If successful in short list, there will be an opportunity to meet the current post-holder and if appointed, the opportunity to spend some induction time on handover.
To apply, please complete our online application form and send a formal letter addressed to the CEO explaining how your experience to date prepares you for this role, why you want to work for Beckfoot Trust and your vision for leadership. In addition, please include a one-page impact document that clearly demonstrates your record of measurable and sustained school improvement in your roles to date.
Contract type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Preferably Full Time although flexibility up to 0.8 will be considered for the right candidate
Salary: L33-L43 range may vary according to previous experience
Why choose Beckfoot Central Team
Beckfoot Trust is different to many trusts. We are geographically close yet diverse in our composition, bringing together schools from across primary, secondary and special phases and serving quite different communities. This diversity gives us a unique strength and a shared sense of purpose, as we learn and grow together.
We are deeply committed to making a positive difference to our local community
We work closely with our schools and are focused on supporting the frontline where impact matters most
We are collegiate, inclusive and professional, with strong relationships at the heart of our work
We have clear roles and responsibilities, creating a culture of trust and psychological safety
As a medium sized Trust, we work closely together as one team, where everyone belongs
The strategic direction of the trust is clear, supported by regular briefings and high-quality training from senior leaders, including the CEO.
About Beckfoot Trust
Our mission is to create remarkable schools where no child is left behind. Since our establishment in 2013, Beckfoot Trust has grown into a respected, locally rooted yet nationally-facing family of diverse schools (primary, secondary and special) that learn from and support one another to be better tomorrow than we are today.
We are team Beckfoot Trust, and together, we’re making a real difference in our community. Discover more about our vision, the benefits we offer, and how you can join us in shaping the future by visiting our careers page on our website.
Beckfoot Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants as part of our overall vetting checks.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (amended 2013 and 2020)) provides that when applying for certain jobs, certain spent convictions and cautions are protected and they do not need to be disclosed to employers. If they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website and further information about filtering offences can be found in DBS filtering guide
Beckfoot Trust collects and processes personal data in accordance with UK Data Protection Laws. For more information on the personal data we collect and why, please see our Recruitment Privacy Notice: Beckfoot Trust - Privacy Notices
Click on the useful links below for further information:
Beckfoot Trust - Policies and Documents
Check if you need to tell someone about your criminal record: When you need to tell someone about your criminal record - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
DBS filtering guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Thank you for your interest in this vacancy at Beckfoot Trust.
If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team on the contact details below.