Welcome, and thank you for your interest in our Executive Headteacher opportunity
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in our inspiring Executive Headteacher opportunity. We hope that the information we have provided encourages you to make an application to our welcoming and inclusive school.
Follifoot and Spofforth Church of England Schools are a federation of two small schools with a joint governing body. Our vision and Christian values are at the heart of our work to nurture each individual child, build positive relationships with everyone and value everyone’s uniqueness. Together we love, learn and thrive.
We are proud to welcome our confident and articulate children to their school every day. They enjoy leading worship and being part of our school productions. A strength of our schools is the clear Christian vision understood and driven by our leaders and governors. As small village schools, community is also important to us. Each school has a strong link with the local church and the Church Reverend. Pupils attend Church for festivals throughout the year and Collective Worship is provided at both schools.
We want all our children to be excited by learning, to take risks, seek challenge, ask questions and persevere. The education and pastoral care we offer prepares them effectively as lifelong learners. Relationships between staff teams, staff and children and staff and families are strong; a reflection of our view that every member of the Federation plays a significant part in its success.
For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please email Ashley Benford, who has been engaged to support us with recruitment to this key role, or call on 07814 932 389. We would encourage you to come and visit in advance of your application and see for yourself the enthusiasm that our pupils have for their education. Such a visit is not part of the selection process, and whether applicants have visited will not influence the outcome. We would also encourage applicants to have a look at the school website (opens in a new tab) and our news pages (opens in a new tab) to get a feel for our school federation.
I hope you find the information provided useful and informative and that it will encourage you to apply. On behalf of the governing body, thank you again for your interest in Follifoot and Spofforth Primary Schools.
Yours faithfully,
Emma Booth and Marianne Tharby,
Co-chairs of Governors
Learn more about our Executive Headteacher opportunity
Post: Executive Headteacher
Number on Roll: 107 (inc. nursery) – Spofforth'; 41 – Follifoot
Commencing: September 2025
Salary: L12 – L18 (£65,286 - £75,675)
Contract Term: Permanent
Our Opportunity:
The Federation of Follifoot and Spofforth Primary Schools are friendly and welcoming small village schools in the heart of the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. The Headship of one village school is a unique one; with this opportunity you will have the benefit of getting to know two caring communities and personally build relationships with children in both schools, whilst determining long term opportunities and identifying the benefits these can bring to the federation.
This is a rewarding and challenging position where you can make an immediate impact. You’ll lead two rural schools with distinctive strengths and opportunities. With confidence, empathy, and strategic insight, you will foster a healthy workplace culture that benefits both staff and pupils whilst being a key figure of influence in shaping the strategic direction of the Federation in consultation with the Governing Body, Diocese and Local Authority.
About You:
You will be an experienced Headteacher with a proven track record of raising educational standards, driving school improvement, and fostering a culture of high expectations and achievement. Your expertise will enable you to quickly identify areas for development, implement effective strategies, and deliver tangible improvements that benefit both pupils and staff.
With exceptional leadership ability, you will excel in communicating effectively and whether working with pupils, staff, parents/carers, governors, or external stakeholders, you will inspire confidence, trust, and collaboration. Your ability to listen, empathise, and communicate will be essential to engage the school community as well as establishing a cycle of reflection with a view to continual improvement.
You will relish the opportunity to step into a challenging role, bringing your energy and determination to tackle complex issues head-on. You will thrive in a dynamic environment where your leadership can make an immediate and meaningful impact. Your resilience and adaptability will allow you to navigate the unique challenges of working across a federation, while your focus and strategic thinking will lay the groundwork for sustainable improvements. As a skilled leader, ideally possessing a SENCO qualification, you will balance the diverse needs of pupils, staff, and the wider school community, ensuring that every decision aligns with the schools’ ethos, values, and long-term goals.
We can offer you
- Strength in our Christian Vision and ethos and the ethos this inspires in our community of children, staff and parents/carers.
- An excellent opportunity to provide strategic leadership and direction in a supportive environment
- Happy, caring and supportive schools, with children who respect and care for each other and have a thirst for learning.
- A Governing Body who are committed and passionate about our schools and eager to support your work
- Significant support from a dedicated staff team ready to grow under your leadership, in addition to ongoing support from the Local Authority and Diocese
For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please call Ashley on 07814 932 389 or email. Helen has been engaged to support us with recruitment to this exciting opportunity.
Visits
We strongly recommend that you visit us so we can share with you why we are so proud of our school, and you will have the opportunity to see what we have to offer. If you would like the opportunity to visit, please email Ashley.
Key dates
Application closing date: Midnight on Monday 21st April 2025
Interviews: Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th April 2025
Information About Our School
Follifoot Primary School is a very small, traditional Yorkshire stone school in the centre of a picturesque country village. The village is well located, close to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby. The name Follifoot derives from the Norse meaning “Place of the Horse Fight” when the village was probably a training centre for horses entering medieval joust fights. The village enjoys beautiful views over the vale of York and has the south gatehouse to the Rudding Park Estate as a feature on the main street. There is a strong sense of community in the village with a shop, Post Office and two pubs as well as a cricket club, horse riding centre and rugby and golf clubs nearby.
The school runs a “Good Morning Club” Mondays to Fridays (8am – 8:50am) which offers a wide range of activities including art, board games and computer games. Afterschool Activities include Construction/Science Club, Mindfulness, Craft Club and Multi Sports, run by Sporting Influence.
Spofforth Primary School is a small village school in the historic village of Spofforth. The school itself is a made up of an old stone building with brand new wing, purpose-built wing to house KS1 and EYFS. In the heart of the village is Spofforth Castle (opens in a new tab), the ruined medieval residence of William de Percy dating back to 1067. As well a post office, village shop/deli there is also a bistro and popular village inns. Mixing the old with the new, there is a large housing development at Spofforth Hill and 72 new homes have also recently been built in Spofforth. The village is a short drive away from Follifoot, so also located to nearby larger towns of Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby as well as being close to the bright lights of Leeds and the popular city of York.
“Rise and Shine” club is run at Spofforth on Mondays to Thursdays (7:30am – 8:45am) and there are Multisport , Art and Mindfulness clubs run after school.
In October 2015, Follifoot School Federated with Spofforth Primary School. As our community changes, we have seen falling pupil numbers at Follifoot School. Currently, Reception children from both schools are taught in one Early Years class at Spofforth School, with a taxi service running between the schools. DfE have advised that the Federation will now need to provide an Early Years facility at Follifoot, and work is currently underway to ascertain the best way to achieve these requirements. Another consideration for the future is a potential restructure of the school to ensure ongoing viability. We are looking for someone who can bring strong leadership to the schools through challenges such as these.
Our Pupils
Our pupils are polite, considerate and thoughtful. They are engaged in their learning, with both schools’ last Ofsted reports describing strong pupil personal development. Inspired by our vision for the schools, we foster a culture where pupils are encouraged to respect others through fairness and thoughtfulness. This promotes a sense of personal responsibility where pupils play a central role in their village community, actively supporting each other.
The Early Years Class is made up of pupils from both Follifoot and Spofforth schools. At Spofforth there are 3 classes of mixed year groups (Year 1 & 2, Year 3 & 4 and Year 5 & 6) whilst Follifoot has 2 classes: Year 1/2/3/4 and Year 5/6.
Persistent absence is a challenge in a minority of pupils for a range of external challenges and despite the ambition of school and external agencies, impact of interventions has been, so far, limited.
Our Staffing Team
We have a dedicated team of staff who play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our vision of Love, Learn, Thrive. Staff relationships are very strong in each school and increasingly strong across the Federation where parallel class teachers work together to plan units of work and lead a subject across both schools. Weekly staff meetings are joint, as are INSET days.
Leaders have the desire and hunger to learn and are willing to embrace challenges and CPD. There has historically been a lack of distributed leadership and of professional development which over time has impacted the outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and understanding of outcomes within all subjects. Each subject now has subject leadership and work is underway federation-wide to develop skills and impact upon standards, something that has sat solely within a small group previously.
The substantive Executive Headteacher will have a key role in driving this forward. This includes considering a future staff restructure to increase Senior Leadership capacity and to limit further part time staff in order to increase capacity for subject leadership.
Current Structure:
The current interim Executive Head Teacher splits his time between the two schools. The Senior Teachers act as the DSL and deputy DSLs are clearly defined. In addition, the SEND lead is also DSL qualified. Each School has an administrator (37 hrs at Follifoot and 31 hrs at Spofforth). One of the Senior Teachers is 0.8 (Spofforth), the other is 0.8 (Follifoot). Each Senior Teacher has TLR2. (UPS2 and UPS 3). Both of the Senior Teachers receives half day leadership time per week
The Federation SENCO is non-class based and has recently been increased from 0.2 to 0.4 in light of growing workload and higher than numbers of undiagnosed SEND need across both schools.
Each teacher leads a subject across the federation; this is an attempt to decrease workload and increase consistency across both schools. Subject leadership overall is a challenge due to the expectations of the Ofsted Framework and the high levels of part time staff.
Spofforth School:
4 teachers (2 x maternity leave)
1 x HLTA
3 x GTA
2 x GTA (SEND)
1 x Administrator
1 x Senior Administrator
MSA x 2
Follifoot School
2 classes: 2 teachers (3 x fte)
There are also 3 part time GTA
Wellbeing of Staff and Pupils
We recognise our staff as the Schools’ most valuable resource. As stated in our mission:
‘Every member of the Federation plays a significant part in its success retaining the distinctiveness of village schools whilst working effectively as a Federation.’
In line with our vision, we look after our staff and support them using the federation effectively to nurture their skills and abilities. We are committed to maintaining strong and well-trained practitioners within the staff team who can address specific SEMH needs and support other members of staff.
We believe that the social, emotional mental health of children and adults is of the utmost importance. We want everyone involved in our federation family to be emotionally and mentally healthy. This means supporting them to becoming resilient with the ability to recognise how to proactively care for their emotional health, just as they would do for their physical health. Support for mental health comes in many different forms from many different sources, all of which have value and can play a role.
We are fortunate to have trained teaching assistants who can provide 1:1 pastoral support for anxiety and emotions as well as group activities to support social and emotional difficulties with children. We have links with the Communication and Interaction team at North Yorkshire Council who have further supported work on emotions through Zones of Regulation programme, supported by teaching assistants in class.
Read about the support and interventions accessible for our children (opens in a new tab).
Our Governing Body
We benefit from an active and skilled Governing Board who support the schools and embrace the federation principle to serve all children across both schools. The joint governing body has a range of duties and a general responsibility for the conduct of both schools with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. Responsibilities include:
- setting and monitoring the strategic direction of the schools
- managing the school’s finances
- making sure the curriculum is balanced and broadly based
- appointing new staff
- reviewing staff performance and pay
The structure and makeup of the Federated Governing Body is set in statue:
2 Parent Governors-From either school (elected by the parents/carers of each school)
1 Staff Governor- (elected by staff from both schools)
1 Local Authority (LA) Governor (appointed by the Local Authority)
1 Head teacher Governor
2 Foundation Governors (appointed by the Diocese)
3 Co-Opted Governors
Together we Love, Learn & Thrive
LOVE
We nurture each individual, build positive relationships with everyone and value their uniqueness.
LEARN
We inspire children to have a lifelong love of learning. They develop wisdom, knowledge and skills and become fluent learners.
THRIVE
We develop children socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually, help them to be the best versions of themselves and prepare them well for their future lives in a diverse world.
Learning at Follifoot and Spofforth Schools
Children are central to all we do; we strive to make them resilient and to inspire them to achieve their ambitions and dreams. We design our curriculum with the aim to offer the best learning opportunities in a modern world and are constantly reviewing it to suit the needs of the children in each school.
Our Curriculum is;
- Rooted in our vision and principles.
- A curriculum for all our children recognising their individual uniqueness.
- Ambitious and challenging enabling all children to progress well and be the very best they can be for themselves.
- Designed to promote positive attitudes to learning as a highly as the knowledge and skills associated with the curriculum content.
- Based on our knowledge and understanding of the key principles of cognitive science and the supporting research behind these principles.
- Designed to promote a love of reading and a balance between children acquiring knowledge and skills.
- Carefully and systematically planned in sequences to help our children remember and understand knowledge with confidence so they become more fluent, efficient and resilient in their learning.
- Balanced valuing equally each subject discipline.
- Designed to broaden the horizons of our children from their immediate local communities and prepare them well for life in modern Britain.
Read our full Curriculum Intent statement (opens in a new tab)
Whilst there have been improved standards in phonics in KS1, recent data at Follifoot within KS2 was below national standards (cohort specific). Reform to the curriculum at Spofforth has developed more sequential learning, however for some pupils learning is not embedded. Leading on curriculum reform is needed to ensure all subject offer a sequential and progressive offer that is consistently delivered throughout the year.
Other challenges for our Executive Head Teacher include:
- Lack of distributed leadership team throughout all areas of the curriculum
- A need for robust evidence base to provide commentary for lower standards over time, particularly at Spofforth.
- Outcomes are sporadic within school providing evidence of inconsistent teaching and learning over time.
- As a result of variance of teaching and learning, progress is inconsistent. There has been low level disruption due to lack of challenge, impacting the progress of learning
Relationships with parents, carers and the local community
Parents/carers are supportive, generally engaged and have good relationships with the school and the staff. Each school has an active and committed PTA who raise a good amount of money for their school. There are concerns from parents/carers at Follifoot about falling pupil numbers and the longer-term future of the school.
We see the important part we play as schools in small, rural villages and, as such, there is a strong relationship between parents/carers, staff and the wider community. We enjoy strong links with our local church, with pupils attending Church for festivals throughout the year and Collective Worship is provided at each school. The recent SIAMS review at Spofforth stated:
“Collective Worship is inspiring, welcoming and engaging. Strong relationships between the school and local church enhance the impact of worship on pupils and adults. The spiritual life of the school is enriched through meaningful opportunities for reflection”
We regularly run sharing assemblies for parents/carers who are also invited to church services and annual productions. Both schools have an active school council/eco Council and both have the Fair Trade mark.
Relationship with LA and Diocese
As a Church of England school, both schools are supported by the Diocese and have a nominated Diocesan Adviser as well as good relationship with our local churches.
The federation has regular visits from the SEA. The relationship between the SEA and the current Interim Head is strong. The SEA offers support and challenge and is preparing the whole staff team.
The Federation has a School Partnership Improvement Plan with the following Key Performance Indicators:
- Quality of Education
Effectively embed the sequenced curriculum so it has a positive impact on learners’ progress and all children knowing and learning more
- Behaviour, Attitudes and Personal Development
Embed a consistent approach to the teaching and modelling of positive behaviour and relationships in their widest sense across the whole school and federation community which is rooted in mutual respect
- Leadership and Management
Quality leadership is embedded at all levels including senior leaders, subject leaders, class teachers, pupils and governors and has a positive impact on the quality of education
- EYFS
The Early Years provision supports the intent of an ambitious, coherently planned and sequenced curriculum
- Church School Distinctiveness
Strengthen the distinct Christian ethos of the Federation
Wider networks
The federation has a relationship with Teaching School Alliances and other school networks and partnerships.
There is also the HART Alliance that the school are part of which come with a range of valuable CPD, school to school networks and joint projects for the Headteacher and leaders/ staff at all levels.
Since September 2021, the schools have been supported by two NLEs provided by HART who offer regular contact/advice to the head and complete HTPM.
You will benefit from a proactive and passionate Governing Board and active PTA.
Ofsted
Key findings of the most recent Ofsted Report:
Spofforth Ofsted – July 2022
- Spofforth continues to be rated as “Good”
- Reading is prioritised
- Clearly mapped out mathematics curriculum
- Other than reading and mathematics, other areas of the curriculum are not so clearly mapped out
- High quality EYFS provision
- Leadership of SEND is a strength
- Strong pupil personal development
- Pupil behaviour is an area for improvement
- Subject leadership shared between the two schools in the Federation
Follifoot Ofsted – February 2023
- Follifoot is currently graded as “Requiring Improvement”
- Quality of Education - Require Improvement
- Behaviour & Attitudes – Good
- Personal Development – Good
- Leadership & management – Good
- Early Years provision – Good
- Order of learning clearly mapped out but some pupils have knowledge gaps meaning learning can not be built on
- Some teachers not sufficiently experienced to meet need for SEND pupils
- Use of assessment still being delivered in some subjects, so knowledge and skills gaps are missed
- Phonics in year 1 needs further attention to ensure pupil knowledge is secure
- Reading is strong and children enjoy reading
- Transition from EYFS to year 1 is an area for development
- Most pupils behave well
- Strong pupil personal development
- Safeguarding is effective
Follifoot is due an Ofsted inspection within the next 6 months (RI judgement from Feb 2023, the reinspection window is within 30 months
Spofforth had a successful SIAMS inspection in January 2025 and received a Judgement 1: The school is living up to its foundation as a Church of England school and us enabling pupils and adults to flourish. Key strengths from the review included:
- The school’s clear Christian vision is understood and driven by leaders and governors, underpinning their actions and decisions. As a results, pupils and adults flourish in this welcoming, nurturing and inclusive school.
- The curriculum, shaped by the vision, is carefully planned and adapted to meet learners’ needs, enabling pupils to thrive. The is particularly evident in the school’s support and nurture of those who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- Collective worship is inspiring, welcoming and engaging. Strong relationships between the school and local church enhance the impact of worship on pupils and adults. The spiritual life of the school is enriched through meaningful opportunities for reflection.
- The school promotes loving relationships, where pupils and adults are welcomed, valued and feel known. Committed staff are resolute in their care, with their actions demonstrating their determination to ensure pupils have the opportunity to flourish.
- Inspired by the vision, Spofforth fosters a culture where pupils are encouraged to respect other through acts of justice and thoughtfulness. This encourages a sense of person responsibility where pupils and adults play a central role in their village, actively supporting others.
Follifoot had a successful SIAMS inspection in May 2023 and was found to be good in all areas. The review in brief:
- SIAMS Follifoot: Christian Vision: The school's Christian vision shapes a warm, caring community where all are valued. Pupils articulate how the vision influences their lives.
- Inclusivity and Behaviour: The school has a culture of inclusivity, good behaviour, and supportive relationships, fostering dignity and respect for all.
- Learning and Spiritual Development: Learning is engaging and ambitious, but opportunities for spiritual development are not always planned.
- Collective Worship: Inclusive and invitational, reinforcing the school's vision and values. Governance is supportive but lacks regular monitoring of RE and collective worship.
- Religious Education (RE): Effectively led, with pupils enjoying and engaging in the subject, learning about Christianity and other faiths.
Full Curriculum Intent statement (opens in a new tab)
Read the full SIAMS and Ofsted reports for Follifoot (opens in a new tab)
Pupil achievement, attainment and progress
Please see national outcomes link for federation below:
Follifoot (opens in a new tab)
Spofforth (opens in a new tab)
Budget position
Each school has it’s own budget, there is currently a deficit. Read for further information on our financial position.
Short and Mid-term Priorities
- Improvements in quality of education
- Ensure quality of education meets the need of SEND pupils
- Improvement in standards of behaviour
- Stability of leadership and consideration around the staffing model within leadership
- EYFS provision to be made available at each school
- Address budget deficit (in year at Spofforth and accrual at Follifoot)
- Reduce persistent absence
Future Considerations
- Due to the decline of pupil numbers and deficit budgets, the Governing Body will look for the new Executive Headteacher to consider a potential future restructure of the schools to ensure ongoing viability
North Yorkshire is England's largest county and one of the most rural. The area comprises the Yorkshire Dales (opens in a new tab) and North York Moors (opens in a new tab), 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. Our 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 surfsport 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, with 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.
Information About Application and Guidance
When applying please consider the following supporting documents:
Application guidance, including policy statement on the recruitment of ex-offenders
The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet the requirements we have outlined in the person specification. This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested.
References
When completing your application, please provide two employment referees.
Your application plays an important part in your selection. As part of the application process, you may have been asked to demonstrate within this application form how you meet some or all of the criteria or key competencies outlined in the person specification. The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet these requirements. This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested. Rather than simply repeating your career history, look at the skills and experience required by the job and provide evidence that you possess them by giving specific and detailed examples which include a focus on outcomes and on your own contribution to the scenario. Try to use different and varied examples wherever possible.
When completing these sections, do not forget the skills and experience you have gained outside full-time work. Outlining your previous work experience or other responsibilities may help you to uncover skills which you have taken for granted and which are clear signs of your ability to do the job.
Should you require the application form in a different format, please contact Resourcing Solutions.
Canvassing
Should your application be for a local authority school, you must not try to influence an elected Council Member, any council employee or a member of the school governing body, to act in your favour, as this will disqualify you. If you are related to a Councillor, a Council employee or a governor you must indicate this in the relevant section of the application form.
Data Protection
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies and process applications on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Further information on how we process your data can be found by reading our privacy notice.
Rehabilitation of Offenders
The post you are applying for requires you to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service criminal records check for work with children, with a barred list check if you work in regulated activity. This check for disclosure of criminal history will include spent convictions, pending prosecutions / current court proceeding and police enquiries.
Should you be shortlisted, you will be asked to disclose full details of your criminal history prior to your interview. This includes any information deemed relevant as part of Keeping Children Safe in Education which may arise in an online search undertaken on shortlisted candidates. This information may be discussed with you at your interview in order to assess job related risks, but we emphasise that your application will be considered on merit and ability and you will not be discriminated against unfairly. Failure to disclose this information will result in any offer of employment being withdrawn.
Please also see the policy statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders below.
Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders (Source www.gov.uk)
- As an organisation assessing applicants’ suitability for positions which are included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order using criminal record checks processed through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), this school complies fully with the DBS code of practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly.
- This school undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a criminal record check on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed.
- This school can only ask an individual to provide details of convictions and cautions that it is legally entitled to know about. Where a DBS certificate can legally be requested (where the position is one that is included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 as amended, and where appropriate Policy Act Regulations as amended) this school can only ask an individual about convictions and cautions that are not protected.
- This school is committed to the fair treatment of its staff and potential staff, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependents, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.
- This school has this written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, which is made available to all DBS applicants at the start of the recruitment process.
- This school actively promotes equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. Candidates are selected for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience and criminal record information is only requested from short-listed candidates.
- A disclosure is only requested from the DBS after a thorough risk assessment has indicated that one is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned. For those positions where a criminal record check is identified as necessary, all application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a DBS certificate will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.
- This school ensures that all those who are involved in the recruitment process have been suitably trained to identify and assess the relevance and circumstances of offences.
- This school also ensures that they have received appropriate guidance and training in the relevant legislation relating to the employment of ex-offenders, e.g. the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
- At interview, or in a separate discussion, this school ensures that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.
- This school makes every subject of a criminal record check submitted to DBS aware of the existence of the code of practice and makes a copy available on request.
- This school undertakes to discuss any matter revealed on a DBS certificate with the individual seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.
References
When completing your application, please provide two employment referees. One of these must be from your most recent employer.
We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We have a robust child protection and safeguarding policy. and all staff will receive training relevant to their role at induction and throughout employment at the school. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Please note this post is in regulated activity and exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS criminal records and barred list check for work with children. An online search may be undertaken as part of the recruitment process on information available in the public domain. Candidates should disclose anything that may be relevant in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies and process applications on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Further information on how we process your data can be found here.