Assistant Principal - Head of Primary
Deira Private School
Total years of experience :29 years, 7 Months
My roles included ‘Head of Primary’ and Inclusion Lead. The opportunity of working overseas gave me the experience of working in a privately funded school and the leadership and management skills needed for this, managing HR and specialist teaching departments and the implementation of the English National Curriculum.
The key responsibilities; providing strategic leadership and working closely with the Principal, Senior Management, Governors and staff. This included:
• strategic leadership for inclusion across the school creating policies, structures and systems across the school and implementing the Dubai Inclusion Framework
• strategic leadership in primary working with middle leaders and improving teaching and learning
• action planning as a result of Inspection recommendations
• supporting and developing staff’s understanding about children with special needs and differentiation
• raising standards across all subjects as a result of stringent monitoring and data analysis
• delivering INSET and CPD across the whole school with a focus on teaching and learning, EAL and SEND strategies, learning styles, questioning, planning effectively using key learning objectives and success criteria
• Supporting staff with assessment including how to use Target Tracker to inform planning and close gaps in learning
• Coaching middle managers to develop their skill set
• Curriculum development
• Working closely with parents and ensuring accountability
My present role as Deputy Head involves responsibility for leadership and management of the school, inclusion and admissions across the school, this includes: Special Education Needs, EAL, Pupil Premium and Able Pupils. I work with a range of agencies from outside school and the local authority to support the differing need so of the pupils. I have introduced a rigorous and relevant admissions process and policy, including an EAL programme for pupils with limited or no English. This has been recognised as good practise across the ARK network. I have coached staff responsible for early years and Special Needs across the school and other ARK schools to improve teaching and learning for all pupils as well as leading training across three primary schools.
As the 'Designated Safeguarding Lead’ across the school; I ensure that all procedures are in place and are followed rigorously including the reporting of concerns around child protection, the ‘Single Central Record’ and regular safeguarding training. I am also responsible for attendance and punctuality ensuring that the school meets the set targets, I line manage and set performance management targets for the ‘Teaching Assistants’, the 'Pastoral Team' and ‘Lunchtime Supervisors’, ensuring excellent practise, I also lead professional development to improve the skills and knowledge of the staff at Tindal and other ARK schools.
Through regular monitoring and data analysis I continue to ensure that teaching and learning is good or better so that all pupils are making good progress and attainment, and leading to action planning as a result.
As Deputy Head my experience has involved: strategic planning to compile the ‘School Evaluation Form’ and the School Development Plan and monitored their progress, formulated a community cohesion plan, worked together with a high performing leadership team ‘to improve the quality of teaching, and linked staff performance effectively with salary progression and further training’ OFSTED, implemented an inclusive and creative curriculum in order to more effectively meet the needs of children and promote outstanding outcomes.
I have ensured data collected on how well pupils are doing is used to tackle underachievement quickly increased the challenge in lessons, so that pupils, including those with Special Needs and English as a second language reach their potential and make appropriate progress; improved standards and progress especially in the core subjects through high expectations and effective assessment procedures.
I have successfully worked with the School Leadership team to implement an inclusive and creative curriculum in order to more effectively meet the needs of children and promote outstanding outcomes. I did this by ensuring staff were matching teaching and learning styles, changing the learning environments, including outdoor learning and ensuring the content of the curriculum was relevant and coherent for all children. In addition to this I have set up an nursery in the school this has included making an application to the local authority, ordering resources and setting up a nursery environment condusive to early learning; the employment and training of early years staff and leading regular monitoring and evauation on the effectiveness of early years provision. Furthermore I have introduced and led a research based programme ‘Success for All’ which successfully improves pupil progress in English for all pupils.
As a school leader, my experience has included allocating the budget, organising staffing and professional development for myself and staff, auditing and ordering resources, assisting in planning whole school development for the future. As school governor I have contributed to Governing Body meetings and have an increasing involvement in budget/finance meetings. This process has increased my understanding of the responsibilities of the Governing Body in my role as a school Governor and that of the whole body.
As assistant head teacher, senior leader, phase leader and Year 2 teacher, my focus was to lead by example and maximise pupils’ progress to reach high levels of attainment within a positive learning environment. This was achieved through vigour, high levels of quality teaching with a focus on English and Maths, valuing children’s contributions, exemplary behaviour management and positive relationships, and creating a thirst for learning. This resulted in the school achieving its best KS1 SATs results. Then I moved to Key Stage 2 to make further impact; involving staff in establishing a clear and shared set of aims and values for the school, promoting excellence in the classroom, promoting school improvement strategies, promoting positive attitudes to behaviour and achievement. As a Year 6 teacher, the school achieved their most successful KS2 results and the most children achieving Level 5 and recognised nationally in the top 10% of most improved schools. This was as a result of enhancing pupils understanding of expectations, having an awareness of the next steps of learning, target setting and developing teaching and learning styles. My areas of responsibility also included: assessment recording and reporting, gifted and talented and emotional intelligence.
My role was to raise standards in a failing school by supporting the senior leadership team, modelling quality teaching and learning, supporting subject leads with their action plans, raising attainment and progress through mentoring and coaching staff. The school came out of special measures with its most successful test results.
I worked across the primary age range (3-11year olds) in a variety of schools, to improve and raise the profile of teaching and learning. This involved teaching: how to plan effectively, to be innovative and creative in teaching, and this was achieved through modelling lessons and team teaching. I also collaborated with the senior leaders to produce action plans that ensured good practice was shared across school resulting in sustainability. Furthermore I worked with national consultants to lead training and workshops across the authority. As a result this role gave me a good working knowledge of the curriculum at the all key stages and how to raise standards in teaching and learning at all levels.
I started my teaching career as class teacher in Year 1 (6 year olds) and during my time there gained experience in teaching Nursery to Year 2 pupils (3 - 7 year olds). I gained recognition as a good teacher with good classroom and behaviour management. My skills included planning effectively using a range of teaching and learning styles which ensured that all pupils were motivated to learn and were successful.
The English Lead role gave me invaluable experience in writing policies, monitoring and leading a core subject across school with a main focus on improving speaking and listening skills.
Bachelor of Education Honours: 2:1