System leader: Improving attainment by increasing parent/carer engagement

Starting September 2021

Salary Inner London L11 (£62,066) – L14 (£66,114) Full time (term time only), Teachers, Pay and Conditions

Hackney Education provides a range of services to support the education of children, young people and adults in our inner London borough. Hackney is one of the UK’s highest performing local authorities, serving one of London’s best places to live and work. Within our diverse borough we serve a wide range of children and young people. We have a particular focus on supporting less advantaged families: Hackney figures in the 10% most deprived boroughs in England on a number of measures.

Hackney Education’s key priority is to improve the life chances of every child, young person and learner: making Hackney the most forward looking education system in the UK, where schools, settings and partners provide an exciting environment which ensures inclusion and success for everyone. We see our borough as being one of the best places in the country for young people to grow, learn, develop and achieve –and one of the best places for colleagues to work and thrive in our education system.

We are seeking an experienced education professional to lead and coordinate our work to narrow the attainment gap through best practice in parental engagement with the curriculum and learning, particularly for disadvantaged families. We want you to make a difference.

This exciting new post would require you to work with a range of stakeholders, acting as professional adviser to schools and parent groups, ensuring highly positive relationships between schools and parents. This role requires you to build on the work of Hackney Education to create sustainable structures and initiatives that will support self improving school systems.

In particular we are seeking applicants who:

● Have credible and successful school experience at a senior leadership level
● Have a passion and energy for school improvement and empowerment of children and families
● In depth knowledge of the diverse communities that we serve with a strong understanding of the range of family arrangements in Hackney
● Are able to sensitively challenge and identify where things could be better
● Are seeking to work in partnership to lead and enact change across multiple settings
● Can contribute to the professional development of leaders
● Are excellent communicators in a range of situations.

This is an exciting opportunity for a school leader seeking to make a difference across the borough education system. Combining the knowledge of how effective schools work with understanding of families and the skills of empathy, persuasion and strategic collaboration, this role affords the opportunity to further develop leadership skills at a system leader level. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to influence policy and practice on the outcomes of young people across a range of different settings, working with a range of professional partners.

Our young people attend 54 Maintained Primary Schools, 6 maintained secondary schools, 3 special schools, 2 Nursery schools and 16 academies and free schools. 93% of our schools are good or better due to successful partnership working. Hackney is an innovator and we are at an exciting time in our journey with the formation of the Hackney Schools Group Board and the commitment of the Council to our continuing success.

We can offer you:
● The chance to work in a vibrant, diverse and proud Inner-London borough
● A role which uses your expertise and experience to coach, guide and develop others
● A varied, interesting and exciting work plan
● A supportive and committed team of professionals
● The opportunity to make a genuine difference to the life chances of young people
● The opportunity to further develop skills and experience as a system leader

If you are interested in this position and would like to discuss it further, please contact Rebekah Johnson rebekah.johnson@hackney.gov.uk on 0208 820 7159 to arrange a further conversation with the recruiting manager. 
You can download the application pack and job description below and complete an online job application via the link.

You will need to register with our site in order to apply. The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 15th March. Should you have any queries on the application process, please contact education.recruitment@hackney.gov.uk.

For more information and news about Hackney’s schools, children’s centres and our legacy, please visit www.education.hackney.gov.uk or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/hackneysuccess.

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, age and marital status. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people and people from a black and ethnic minority background as these groups are currently under represented in our workforce.