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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dedicated, creative, ambitious, and successful leader to join us as Deputy Head. The inspirational post-holder, with a young family, now needs to work closer to home, and they leave with our love, best wishes, and gratitude for everything they have brought to our school. Sound interesting? Then please read on.
Mayflower is a successful, high-performing, innovative, primary school in Evington. Our catchment is majority South Asian and North African, with EAL at 87%. This creates a wonderful, diverse mix of children, all of whom attach a high value to their education, resulting in ambition, dedication, commitment, and aspiration. The curriculum has been designed to satisfy the core principles of inclusion, and every child feels loved, cared for, known, and special. Through high levels of engagement and wellbeing, our children simply adore learning, and this is reflected in the high academic standards we reach, and the creativity that can be seen in all classes.
Enrichment is a core part of our work, and this year we have been proud to achieve the Artsmark Platinum Award, the maintenance of our International School Award, and the Platinum School Games Award. We are also involved in the Fortitude Project with the Law School at Sheffield Hallam University as well as the RRSA.
At Mayflower, international education is critically important. Despite Erasmus+ and CCGL coming to an end, we have built up links around the world, enabling our children and staff to learn from and contribute to the best education systems globally. Through a creative curriculum that is designed to promote Social Justice via the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our children fully recognise they are compassionate, knowledgeable, confident, and creative global citizens who will soon become the leaders of the future. Sadly, our beautiful planet is not being cared for. Mayflower staff believe, however, that when the next generation take over, they will do a fantastic job because they care so much about the world around them.
The role of Deputy Head is central to the effectiveness of our school, and we are looking for the right candidate who can join us on an exciting international, creative, diverse, and equitable journey. Ideally, you will have:
Passion, drive, resilience, and a joyous sense of fun
Be strongly committed to creativity and innovation
Can lead by example, through classroom teaching, and engagement with stakeholders
Highly developed interpersonal skills, that reflect the care and respect all members of staff have for each other
Fully engaged with our mission, and eager to be valued in a way that reflects your own philosophy of education
Have an unwavering commitment to the children of our school
An understanding of the critical importance of effective curriculum implementation, and how strong pedagogy encourages evidenced impact for all groups of pupils
A good understanding of inclusion and equal opportunities, recognising that every child is unique and very special
A longer-term ambition to develop the knowledge, skills, competencies and awareness of the role of a DSL or assessment manager
Of late, our school has experienced some unique challenges that have shaped us in a way we were not expecting. In April 2023, Mayflower became the first school in the country to receive an immediate Closure Notice, due to the presence of RAAC throughout the building. This led to our children being displaced across 4-different sites, including two local secondary schools. During this time, a temporary site was constructed in record time, and this is where we currently reside. Excitingly, Mayflower is now part of the Schools’ Rebuilding Programme, and all of our stakeholder groups are working hard to design a brand-new 21st Century Eco school, that is due to open in 2028. The 5-year journey has been incredibly challenging and we are now in the process of healing. We do this together, as an extended Mayflower Family where all our stakeholder groups can support each other through the difficult but exciting times ahead.
During this time, Mayflower has had to stand on its own with very little help and support from others. We are now in the process of trying to re-engage with outside agencies, but recognise the impact this has had. In the letter to candidates, we explain a little bit more about this, and what the school is now doing to continue its improvement pathway, securing development that is both rapid and sustainable. We know that the successful candidate will be closely involved in this process, and openly welcome the new knowledge, skills and insight they will bring.
We are very proud of the way we look after our staff. People rarely leave us, and this very much confirms that our school provides a wonderful, pastorally aware, exciting, and vibrant workplace. In addition, we will also offer:
A strong commitment to CPD, including higher education and wider specialisms
An able, effective, creative, and experienced Leadership Team and teaching staff who are never afraid to innovate, take-risks, and bring out the best in all of the children
Fun, engaging, caring, and exceptionally well-behaved pupils, who will make you laugh, and bring out the best in what you have to offer
Committed governors, who support the school to be the best it can be
Opportunities to work with partner agencies, including the DfE, other schools locally, higher education institutions, the SRP, and
A resolute focus on the care, engagement and wellbeing of pupils, recognising how the optimal conditions for learning help all to excel
An opportunity to make a lasting impact in the community of Evington, with the role being integral to the development of the new Mayflower Primary School
A chance to innovate, and develop new ways of working; we will support you every step of the way
A curriculum that is both original, and focused on the creative arts, all of which helps our children to achieve very highly in the national assessments
Excellent relationships, where people care for each other, and want nothing but the best for all
An established management structure, and the autonomy to lead change with the full support of the Head Teacher and Governing Body
Parents who love the school, show their support in many different ways, and evidenced by the attitudes of their children
An exciting Early Years setting that gives children the best start
If you are still reading this advertisement, we hope you will consider taking your application further. We would love to hear from you and visits are very welcomed. Mayflower is a unique school, and we want you to be part of our exciting vision for the future.
You will not be surprised to hear that we think our school is very special. Over many years, we have developed an ethos that celebrates the unique talents of all our amazing children. This has led to child-centred policies and a curriculum that seeks to develop a strong sense of Social Justice through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We passionately believe that an effective education will help to create global citizens of the future who recognise that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
Our exciting, engaging curriculum embodies these values, and has been developed by experienced, creative, and ambitious staff who skilfully link learning across the different subject areas, but always with an emphasis on core substantive and disciplinary knowledge. It is through the progressive acquisition of this knowledge that our children begin to understand the contribution they can make to a future, better, caring society where the needs of the vulnerable remain paramount.
Safeguarding Statement
Mayflower Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced DBS Clearance.