Lead School Improvement Adviser for the Curriculum

About the role

The LSIA will plan and lead support for schools on the development and assessment of the wider curriculum, keeping up to date with legislation, statutory frameworks, current research and national policy related to the curriculum, predominantly for children aged 5-11 years. They will also work with other members of the team to support schools on assessment.  Alongside this, LSIAs provide some support, advice and challenge to school leaders on wider school improvement priorities, taking particular responsibility for the risk assessment of an allocated group of schools as their Link Adviser.

In this role you will keep up to date with legislation, statutory frameworks, current research and national policy related to curriculum development, predominantly for children aged 5-11 years. You will disseminate key information to schools and work closely with other members of the School Improvement Team and the Lead Adviser for Early Years, to drive improvement from a position of understanding, research and knowledge of good practice. Other duties of the role will include:

• A comprehensive overview of the quality of inclusive curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across KS1 and KS2, and the associated monitoring and improvement of this provision. This will include planning and delivering bespoke support and training - to support and empower senior school leaders and foundation subject curriculum leaders - and identifying effective practice to share with other schools. 
• Planning and leading a range of networks for curriculum and assessment, including oversight of the foundation subject networks & Racial Justice network, supporting and guiding the facilitators, as well as presenting at School Improvement Forums and Conferences. 
• Leading on the use of assessment in schools, for example: assessment for learning strategies; on-going formative assessment, which effectively informs teaching and assessment of the wider and core curriculum.  You will plan and lead the termly Assessment Leaders network and maintain regular communications with school leaders, disseminating key information.
• Wider school improvement priorities will include organising visits to schools that ‘stand out’; action-based research projects with schools; planning and participating in school reviews. 
• Build mutually respectful relationships, particularly with headteachers of allocated schools, and also represent the Local Authority on the SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for RE) for each borough.
• Plan and deliver bespoke training and support, which will empower senior school leaders, particularly those leading the whole school curriculum, foundation subjects and assessment, helping and ensuring good practice is recognised and shared with other schools.

For an informal information about this role please email Emma Smith emma.smith@achievingforchildren.org.uk.

About you

To be Lead School Improvement Adviser for Curriculum Development for AfC you will be passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people as well as demonstrating the following:

• A proven track record as a successful senior or middle leader within a school or school improvement organisation, with experience of effective curriculum development for core and foundation subjects.
• Significant recent experience of teaching the KS1 and KS2 national curriculum in England and carrying out statutory assessments in Year 1, Year 2 or Year 6.
• Deep knowledge of research and understanding of strategies for effective formative and summative assessment practice, with evidence of how this has been used to inform and improve practice.
• Experience of designing and delivering an inclusive curriculum to secure outcomes for all learners. 
• Strong understanding of prevailing Ofsted frameworks for the inspection of schools, KS1 and KS2 national curriculum requirements, statutory legislation and national policies that affect schools.
• Experience of building effective partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions to challenges across a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Proven ability to support and coach other professionals to facilitate change and improvement.
• Excellent skills in designing and delivering innovative training for a variety of stakeholders, using blended approaches, face-to-face and online training platforms

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children click here. For our social work offer click here. For our Recruitment Journey, click here.

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.