About this role
Job description: deputy headteacher
Medina Primary School is committed to creating a diverse workforce. We’ll consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, age, disability, marriage or civil partnership.
Job details
Closing Date : 6th October 2026
Interview Date 13th October 2026
Salary: Pay range leadership scale 5 - 12
Contract type: Full time permanent
Reporting to: Headteacher
Responsible for: Deputy Headship with inclusion
Main purpose
The deputy headteacher, under the direction of the headteacher, will take a major role in:
Formulating the aims and objectives of the school
Establishing policies for achieving these aims and objectives
Managing staff and resources to that end
Monitoring progress towards the achievement of the school’s aims and objectives
If the headteacher is absent, the deputy headteacher will deputise, as directed by the governing board.
The deputy headteacher will also be expected to fulfil the professional responsibilities of a headteacher, as set out in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).
Qualities
The deputy headteacher will:
Uphold public trust in school leadership and maintain high standards of ethics, behaviour and professional conduct
Build positive and respectful relationships across the school community
Serve in the best interests of the school’s pupils
Duties and responsibilities
Key areas of responsibility will include:
Overview of inclusion
Relational practice
Curriculum
Safeguarding as Deputy DSL
Assessment
School culture and behaviour
Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:
Work alongside the senior leadership team (SLT) and other staff members to create a culture where pupils experience a positive and enriching school life
Uphold educational standards in order to prepare pupils from all backgrounds for their next phase of education and life
Ensure a culture of staff professionalism
Encourage high standards of behaviour from pupils, built on relational practice, rules and routines that are understood by staff and pupils, and clearly demonstrated by all adults in school
Use consistent and fair approaches to managing behaviour, in line with the school’s behaviour policy
Teaching, curriculum and assessment
Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:
Establish and sustain high-quality teaching across all subjects and phases, based on evidence
Ensure teaching is underpinned by subject expertise
Effectively use formative assessment to inform strategy and decisions
Ensure the teaching of a broad, structured and coherent curriculum
Establish curriculum leadership, including subject leaders with relevant expertise and access to professional networks and communities
Use valid, reliable and proportionate approaches to assessing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum
Ensure the use of evidence-informed approaches to reading so that all pupils are taught to read
Additional and special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities
Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:
Promote a culture and practices that enables all pupils to access the curriculum
Have ambitious expectations for all pupils with SEN and disabilities
Make sure the school works effectively with parents, carers and professionals to identify additional needs and provide support and adaptation where appropriate
Organisational management and school improvement
Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:
Establish and sustain the school’s ethos and strategic direction together with the governing board and through consultation with the school community
Establish and oversee systems, processes and policies so the school can operate effectively
Ensure staff and pupils’ safety and welfare through effective approaches to safeguarding, as part of duty of care
Manage staff with due attention to workload
Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk
Allocate financial resources appropriately, efficiently and effectively
Identify problems and barriers to school effectiveness, and develop strategies for school improvement that are realistic, timely and suited to the school’s context
Make sure these school improvement strategies are effectively implemented
Professional development
Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:
Ensure staff have access to appropriate, high standard professional development opportunities
Keep up to date with developments in education
Seek training and continuing professional development to meet needs
Governance, accountability and working in partnership
Under the direction of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher will:
Understand and welcome the role of effective governance, including accepting responsibility
Ensure that staff understand their professional responsibilities and are held to account
Ensure the school effectively and efficiently operates within the required regulatory frameworks and meets all statutory duties
Work successfully with other schools and organisations
Maintain working relationships with fellow professionals and colleagues to improve educational outcomes for all pupils
Other areas of responsibility
To lead on the relational practice journey of the school
To support and line manage teaching assistants across the school
Please note that this is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the deputy headteacher will carry out. The postholder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role.