This is a rewarding Headship in which you will be able to lead our school on to the next stage of its journey and develop what our journey might look like. You must exhibit confidence, be an empathetic, engaging communicator who has a clear focus on continuing to build a healthy workplace culture to benefit the wellbeing of staff and pupils.

This exciting opportunity gives a new Headteacher the scope to shape how our school moves forward. The future of our school requires a strong leader with a clear vision, who has the ability to communicate that vision to others and to make an instant impact.

The new Headteacher will be committed and concentrating on:

• Appointment and development of the next substantive senior leadership team to maintain and develop the successful work of previous postholders.
• Development of the role of middle leaders to provide subject leadership of foundation subjects in line with the core curriculum.
• Implementation of the Covid recovery plan to ensure that all pupils continue to make progress in learning and have their social, emotional and mental health needs met.

We want our dynamic, energetic and driven Headteacher working towards getting the best possible outcomes for all pupils whilst maintaining the highest levels of staff and pupil wellbeing.

Our new leader will:

• Be a committed leader with excellent interpersonal skills who can motivate and manage all stakeholders, effectively shaping and delivering the strategic plan.
• Demonstrate superb leadership skills with ability to challenge robustly and constructively.
• Be someone who recognises the importance of maintaining the school’s existing values while instilling their own leadership and identity.
• Be an outstanding teaching practitioner able to set and achieve ambitious goals and continually seek to raise standards and promote our vision, values and aims in a way that is relevant and inspiring to all.
• Be able to provide excellent and robust staff management.
• Have progressive IT skills and a deep understanding of the significance and importance of consistent data monitoring.
• Consider and shape how we can adapt our practices innovatively to promote and enhance the wellbeing of our staff team.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the needs of young people, social, physical and emotional alongside educational needs, and ensure that the school provides a rounded provision to nurture them.
• Show practical knowledge and experience in raising standards.
• Be a strategic thinker able to plan long, medium and short term.
• Be able to review our financial resources and look at how we invest in our school.
• Have a continuing drive to reflect, learn and strive for positive development, for themselves, their staff team, the children and our school as a whole.
• Be someone who is capable of and confident in making difficult decisions and ask challenging questions in order to seek the best possible outcome for our school as a whole.

This is an excellent opportunity to provide strategic leadership and direction while building on high expectations and a history of strong leadership. This will mean a strong focus on outstanding teaching and learning, ensuring every pupil makes the best possible progress, curriculum development and implementation, and forging ever-closer relationships with parents and carers and our wider school community.

Our school has a warm and welcoming feel. The children are well behaved, polite and genuinely care for each other and their school community. They are motivated leaners and have a great sense of pride in their work and the school.

We are a two-site school with 270 on roll. The main site (KS1) is located at Mount Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL6 1RB, while our other site (KS2) is just a short walk away at Moor View Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL6 1RF. The school is situated in the heart of a local housing estate and is close to the local secondary school (Northallerton School and Sixth Form College) leisure centre and library.  

Close to Yorkshire Dales and coastal resorts, Northallerton is North Yorkshire’s market town. Situated 60 miles from Newcastle, 50 miles from Leeds and 30 miles from York, it benefits from excellent rail links on Trans Pennine and East Coast main line as well as being very close to both the A1M and A19 making it an easy commute from Teesside, Darlington, York, Harrogate, Newcastle and Leeds.

The school has mixed year groups in Y1/2 for smaller numbers and also in Y5/6 this year due to previously bigger numbers – from next year all class sizes approx. 30.

Ofsted recognised – “The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Adults ensure that the children in their care know that they are valued and cared for. Pupils feel safe and well supported. The school’s values of care, trust and honesty are threaded through all aspects of school life”– Ofsted 2018

 Features and Benefits of our Schools:

• Free Breakfast Club sponsored by Greggs
• Rainbow Club for after-school care till 5:30pm
• Extensive Grounds across both sites – cultivating a forest school area at KS1 and we also have a pond in the EYFS grounds that all pupils can use to develop curriculum skills and learning
• Newly renovated Home Skills Hub to support a focus on cooking and preparing meals; this is also used as a Teacher Training Base for Red Kite Teacher Training throughout the year.
• Newly opened Targeted Mainstream Provision to support Communication and Interaction development in the primary phase.
• Children’s centre attached to school providing a number of community support services

Our Pupils are the heart of our school; they are polite, treat each other with respect and their behaviour is good. Children’s attitudes to school and learning are good and they enjoy coming to school and show great interest in the learning activities provided for them.  The school fosters a welcoming, caring, stimulating and secure environment in which the children are encouraged to develop as learners. The Alverton Community of staff, governors, pupils and their families are committed to providing a nurturing and inspiring environment where everyone is safe, respected, supported and challenged. Nurturing the children within this environment enables them to develop to their potential and broaden their horizons; the Headteacher will be expected to lead by example. The ethos is reflected in the relationships between staff, children, parents and governors of the school. The School context and catchment area does provide a small number of pupils with a range of challenging behavioural needs that staff work collaboratively to support.

Child wellbeing:

The emotional wellbeing of the children at the school has always been a high priority and children are encouraged to talk in class and to their peers about their mental health, for example through the priority the school places on bouncing back from Covid in its development priorities mental health has continued to be of key importance during the Covid pandemic and activities, such as mindfulness, have been shared with the children.

Internet safety is also a key factor and regular information is shared with children and parents on how to stay safe on the internet.

 Ofsted recognised – “The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils display positive attitudes to learning in classrooms and good conduct around the school site. Pupils can accurately explain the school’s behaviour strategies and are eager to receive the praise and reward good behaviour and working hard can bring. They equally understand, and respect, the consequences of not following the school rules” – Ofsted 2018  

Our staff are our greatest resource and are incredibly committed, loyal and dedicated. They always have the best interests of the pupils at heart and are determined to find something at which every child can shine. Staff get to know the children in the school very well and use this information to personalise opportunities for learning.

Ofsted recognised – “Senior leaders have been determined in their efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school. The assiduity with which they have addressed the areas highlighted for improvement in the previous inspection has had a positive effect. For example, pupils’ attainment and progress in spelling, punctuation and grammar has improved and pupils’ attendance has increased” – Ofsted 2018  

We have a strong and supportive staff team:

Senior Leadership Team

• Headteacher – DSL / Pupil Premium/ Attendance /Lead Mentor Students/ Assessment
• Deputy – Deputy DSL / Phonics/Student & NQT Mentor
• SENCO Y5/Y6
• EYFS LEAD
• English Lead Y5
• TMP Lead

Nursery, EYFS, Y1, Y1/2, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5, Y5/6, Y6

HLTA – 6

ATA – 6

GTA – 12

Support staff are essential in providing support and learning opportunities for Pupil Premium children and have a key focus in EYFS/KS1 in supporting Phonic development and Early Reading

MSA – 9

Admin - 3

Kitchen/Cleaners – 6

Caretaker - 1

Alverton, in keeping with its motto, is very much a TEAM where staff support not only pupils but one another to ensure the school continues to thrive and develop.

The Governing Board’s Role and Support

• The community benefits from a very capable governing body which ensures that its needs are served and that the school continues to improve over time.
• Our Board of Governors actively support their school and take their link responsibilities seriously. During Covid, they have continued to do so virtually, with a focus on child and staff well-being.

All school governors are engaged, positive and proactive in ensuring the school continues to thrive and develop.

As a full governing body, they meet regularly, striving always to ensure our children receive the best education possible, in a safe and supportive environment.

Governors seek and consider a range of feedback from the whole school community to ensure that they fully understand the differing perspectives of all stakeholders on how the school is performing.

Ofsted recognised – “Governors carry out their role with diligence and pride. They use concise information from school leaders, records of external visits, meetings with subject leaders and information gathered from their regular meetings with groups of pupils to gain an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Their combined skills and knowledge enable them to ask probing questions about the quality of teaching and learning” – Ofsted 2018

Our School Vision, Ethos and values are at the heart of everything we do. They underpin our teaching and learning, and provide an environment which prepares our pupils to be confident, caring and happy citizens.

Our Aims - Working to learn together by

• Encouraging everyone to have high expectations of their own performance and behaviour
• Providing a stimulating and balanced curriculum that reinforces skills for life within the local, national and global context
• Securing a positive relationship between all those involved in the education of the pupils within a friendly, supportive and caring environment

Values and Ethos

Although we are a split site school (amalgamated 2013) we are very much one school with shared values of care, trust and honesty and a motto of Together Everyone Achieves More. We are a family at Alverton and support and encourage each other to be the best that we can be. The ethos of our school is based on care, trust and honesty. The key values we hold are the consideration and feelings of others, respecting each other and a high appreciation and expectation of what we have around us.

Mission Statement

Alverton Community Primary strives to meet the needs of all children in our care. Learning to us is about children feeling enjoyment and confidence so that they experience greater opportunities and take a natural ownership to discover, challenge and be creative in all aspects of their learning. We aim to engage and capture the interest of children through our inspiring curriculum (International Primary Curriculum), which enhances key skills of development and has a strong emphasis on the international, social, emotional and physical attributes.

Alverton aims to

• We aim to help all children reach their full potential and raise standards through meeting needs. We offer an inspiring and motivational curriculum, which children enjoy, are challenged and can experience enriched inclusive opportunities.
• We aim to ensure children have self- confidence and independence in learning and can apply key skills in literacy, mathematics and other subjects.
• We aim to have children who care and consider others, developing strong social and emotional values and a clear sense of people’s ways of life and beliefs.
• We aim to create an ethos of positive behaviours where children can flourish in self- confidence and can deal with or provide solutions to challenges and changes they may come across in life.
• We aim to create an environment of equal opportunity where children can enjoy and have personalised programs of support to offer success and involvement from parents and the community.

January 2018 - Ofsted Inspection – Graded Good

Ofsted recognised – “The headteacher and deputy headteacher consistently lead by example. Their passion and care for the school are well recognised by the whole school community” - Ofsted 2018

 Our School’s current strengths:

• Challenging but Supportive Governing Body
• Staff ‘TEAM’ Spirit
• Relationships with Local Community
• Care for Staff and Pupil Wellbeing
• Staff Positively Impact on School Improvement Priorities
• Commitment to staff CPD
• Opening new TMP
• Opening new SCITT HUB
• Mixture of experienced staff and new teachers
• Growing pupil numbers
• Support for Pupil Premium children and families
• Nursery / EYFS
• Professionally generous staff support others schools SENCO/Headteacher/Science Lead
• Outward looking School – Member of Beacon Partnership/Swaledale Alliance/Schools North East
• Highly regarded by Local Authority
• Integration of Syrian/Afghan Refugee pupils and families into school and the wider community

 Current areas identified for improvement and Future Considerations:

 Improve leadership and management by:

• Continuing to support and empower middle leaders to lead their subject areas with confidence, so that they use regular checks on the quality of teaching and learning alongside accurate assessment information to direct school improvement successfully.

Improve the quality of teaching and learning by:

• Ensuring that the most able pupils are sufficiently challenged in all subjects, so that a greater proportion reaches higher standards
• Making sure that the lower-ability pupils in early years and key stage 1 have reading books that are well matched to their developing phonics skills, so that they can read with fluency, confidence and enjoyment
• Raising expectations of pupils’ accuracy of letter formation and presentation of work, so that pupils’ rates of learning are not hindered, and they consistently produce work to be proud of.
• The Governors are discussing the implications of the Government White Paper.
• Considering options available to provide 2year old provision

What are the main priorities of your School improvement Plan:

Objective 1: To improve teaching, learning, assessment and outcomes in EGPS, phonics and writing.

Objective 2: To ensure Subject leadership, particularly English, Science, History and Geography is effective in securing improvements in teaching, learning and assessment across the school (with a focus on greater depth and Pupil Premium).

Objective 3: To build a Curriculum with appropriate coverage, content, structure and sequencing that is implemented effectively.

Objective 4: To continue the upward trend of attendance and reduced persistent absence.

Objective 5: Continue to re-establish positive attitudes towards learning and resilience for some pupils negatively impacted by the pandemic 

Make-up, needs and expectations of pupils

The school population is predominantly White - British. 33 of our pupils (12%) come from minority ethnic groups and have English as an additional language (the national average is 20%). Currently we have 141 pupils eligible for FSM 52%, which is above the National Average (24.3%). Currently we have 153 pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding, 57%.

Pupils are engaging, friendly, and proud to attend Alverton. They are inquisitive and keen to make friends and please.

We have a number of pupils from both Syrian and Afghan Refugee families who we have successfully supported with integration into School and the local community.  

We have a high percentage of Pupil Premium children and support children with SLCN. We have a positive reputation for supporting pupils with a range of Special Educational and behavioural needs.

Current levels of pupil achievement, attainment and progress:

Current levels of pupil achievement, attainment and progress: (Apart from the published data (DfE), an overview of current progress and achievement is very useful)

National Data 2019

No Previous Data for 2020/2021/2022

2019 Data

• Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths
  • School  67% LA  63% National  65%
• Percentage of pupils achieving at a higher standard in Reading
  • School  4%  National  11%
• Percentage of pupils achieving at a higher standard in Maths
  • School 37% National  27%
• Percentage of pupils achieving at a higher standard in Writing
  • School 4%   National  20%

We are proud of our achievements this year and delighted that the hard work and effort of pupils and staff has been recognised.

Attainment

• EYFS Good Level of Development (GLD ) 73% - Above National
• KS1 Reading/ Writing/Maths –Above National   School 74% National 66%
• KS2 Reading/ Writing/Maths –Above National  School 67% National 65%

 Scaled Scores

100 is the average scaled score

Alverton average scaled scores are:

Reading - 104 (in line with National)                         

Maths - 105 (+1 from 2018) in line with National

Progress

Progress between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is calculated differently now with 0 being expected, positive figures being above average and negative figures below.

Reading Progress for 2019 was -0.89

Writing Progress for 2019 was -5.09

Maths Progress for 2019 was 0.09

Current Situation:

The pandemic has impacted quite significantly on a large number of our pupils and we have been using a range of intervention strategies and additional tutoring funding to ensure pupils have been given every opportunity to cover aspects of the curriculum they have missed.  Although current progress within the school reflect a positive picture they also highlight the continued need for Quality First Teaching and high expectations for all pupils in order to ensure they continue to progress and diminish the difference, particularly in the case of disadvantaged pupils. 

Budgetary Position

The school is on a sound financial footing and works closely with the LA Bursar service as well as having expertise on the Governing Body in form of previous School Bursar.

Relationships – Parents/Carers, Local and wider Community

Collaborations:

The school has an open door policy with parents and carers and we are proactive in the community and have very close relationships with key families.

School has been well supported by parents during lockdown and we have mixed Parent’s Evenings online and in person. Otherwise, we have maintained our open-door policy, engaging with parents through open afternoons, class assemblies, curriculum events and performances.

The school is committed to raising funds with our fantastic FOAS (Friends of Alverton School) they are passionate about the development of our school and the aspirations of our school and children.

Ofsted recognised – “Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school’s work. They have confidence in the Headteacher and his team looking after their children and giving them positive learning experiences. One parent commented, ‘We know she is in good hands,’ and another described that they see the school ‘going from strength to strength’. Parents value opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning. Several commented on the drop everything and play (DEEP) sessions and how these have supported family life at home as well as being a great opportunity to spend time with their children in school” – Ofsted 2018

Rebuilding to previous positive levels the school’s engagement with the community post-pandemic will be a key feature of future work:

• Weekly newsletter
• Information evenings
• Town Council invite school to events and children have been involved with community projects – Tour de Yorkshire/ Food Festival/Secret Garden
• Active PTA with regular events in school. Reinvestment into school is a key priority
• Links with Churches in Northallerton, a pastor from the CE church visits weekly and other church youth leaders host whole school assemblies
• Hosting of annual MacMillan Coffee morning
• Annual summer and Christmas fairs
• Harvest Festival within local church
• High profile of school within the community by walking to all local venues and sporting events
• Raising money for local charities and supporting community events

Local Authority and School Improvement

We work closely with the LA and have a strong reciprocal relationship with them. This includes a close working relationship with School Improvement colleagues, good governor support, training and update meetings and positive relationships with HR, finance support (bursar), catering, cleaning, grounds and buildings maintenance.

Ofsted recognised – “Leaders use their successful partnership with the local authority to validate their school judgements and broker additional professional development for staff related to the school’s improvement priorities” – Ofsted 2018

Collaborative Partnerships

Northallerton ‘Beacon Partnership’ Cluster Group – opportunities for staff to network in subject leader groups and moderate across the town. Shared Training and CPD organised as well as opportunities for HTs to work together strategically. 

Swaledale Alliance – Provider of CPD for Teachers and Teaching Assistant’s Support network for HTs and opportunities to get involved with pupil premium development groups, peer support groups and challenge networks.

 Ofsted recognised – “Senior leaders value the partnerships they have with other schools and professionals. They are very receptive to ideas and advice that will support them in making improvements to Alverton Primary School” – Ofsted 2018

Northallerton

Set in the rich farmland of Herriot Country, you would be forgiven for thinking Northallerton is the perfect place for a sedate country escape. But instead this thriving and bustling market town is full of life and is an ideal base for visitors to explore the nearby moors, historical cities and picturesque villages.

Sitting between the scenic delights of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, Northallerton is a natural destination for visitors keen to explore all glorious North Yorkshire has to offer. Population of Northallerton is around 17,000

Northallerton has been a major commercial and administrative centre since Saxon times. It developed into a thriving market town on the old Great North Road and later became an important halfway stop for stagecoaches travelling between London and Edinburgh.

It retains its importance as the county town of North Yorkshire, England’s biggest county, and is blessed with excellent main-line rail connections and easy access to the A1 and A19.

York

York is a cathedral city and unitary authority area, at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss, in England. At the 2011 census, the borough population was 198,051 and the population of the city was 153,717. The city has long-standing buildings and structures, such as a the Minster, Castle and ancient city walls.

The city is the head settlement of historic Yorkshire and was its own county corporate. City of York Council is a unitary authority responsible for providing all local services and facilities throughout the city

and rural areas around the outside of the old city boundaries. The city is also included in North Yorkshire and Leeds city region.

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is England's largest county and one of the most rural. The area comprises the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a stunning coastline around Scarborough and Whitby. There are ruined castles and abbeys, serene gardens, unique breweries, thrilling rides and industrial heritage. The area hosted the phenomenal Tour de France ‘Grand Depart’ in 2014 and has since created the Tour de Yorkshire, an annual event with global recognition. Success in supporting these events led to Harrogate hosting the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2019.

North Yorkshire has plenty to offer the outdoor enthusiast. From the hard gritstone of Almscliff and Brimham rocks to the limestone of Malham, Gordale and Kilnsey climbing venues are in abundance. The Yorkshire Dales is the premier area for caving and for mountain biking; there are the bridleways of the Dales and North York Moors as well as the renowned trail centre at Dalby Forest. There are a small number of sailing clubs on reservoirs around the county and fantastic surf sport venues and sea kayaking on the east coast.

While the county is rightly known for its wide-open spaces, it also incorporates attractive market towns including Pickering and Helmsley, traditional seaside towns, the Spa town of Harrogate and the ancient city of York - the most visited city outside of London. There are a wide range of shopping, leisure and cultural facilities as well as excellent schools, universities, road and rail links. There really is everything to offer you and your family as a place to work, live and enjoy.

Travelling further afield, we have convenient connectivity, with close proximity to metropolitan cities of Leeds and Newcastle and with a little over two hours commute on the main train line to London. We border the Lake District, Lancashire, County Durham, and Yorkshire & Humber regions with all they have to offer.