Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER (DEPUTY CEO)

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB PURPOSE

The Chief Education Officer is the most senior role in the education function of Romero CAT.

This role supports the CEO in ensuring that all schools fulfil the Trust’s mission to provide exceptional Catholic education.

• Champion and uphold the distinctive Catholic ethos of the Trust.
• Support the CEO in delivering the Trust’s vision, mission, and strategic plan in accordance with Catholic education principles.
• With the CEO and Executive Team, be accountable for the academic performance of the academies and the leadership teams therein by holding them to account.
• Have overall responsibility for reporting to the CEO and the Board of Trustees on the strategy, improvement initiatives and performance of each academy.
• Work with Diocesan authorities and school leaders to ensure that Catholic life, collective worship, and Religious Education are strong and consistent across all schools.
• Support the CEO to devise and implement the agreed strategy; project managing and demonstrating leadership in respect of the Trust’s central services and delegated models to schools.
• Develop and implement a Trust-wide strategy for school improvement and educational excellence aligned with Catholic values.
• Support the recruitment and formation of leaders within the context of Catholic education.
• With the CEO and Executive Team, lead on the on-going development of staffing across the Trust to ensure they are sustainable, fit for purpose and facilitate collaboration and continuous improvement across each academy.
• Work directly with Headteachers and school leaders to drive educational excellence and equitable pupil outcomes.
• Deputise for the CEO in their absence.
• Support the CEO to identify risk and opportunity to design highly effective and ambitious strategic plans and objectives.
• To critically analyse performance utilising a range of data available of schools across the Trust based on a wide range of indicators.
• Lead the Trust school improvement strategy and line manage a range of senior colleagues.
• Evaluate the impact of school improvement actions.
• Support the day-to-day operations of the Trust, working closely with members of the Executive Team, Central Team and school leaders to deliver sound operational services.
• Actively ensure that the Trust’s vision and values are embedded and that all Trust policies and procedures are implemented across the Trust.

• As a member of the Trust’s Executive Team, provide strategic leadership and direction for the trust and deputise for the CEO, taking decisions and actions collectively with other executive team members and acting as the CEO’s representative as required.
• Develop a coherent strategic education team to contribute to school improvement across the trust. This team will ensure that activities are complementary, focused on key priorities, and maximise impact across the trust’s schools, whilst upholding the Trust’s values and agreed behaviours.
• Provide enthusiastic, innovative and consistent strategic leadership throughout the Trust to bring about a culture of shared accountability.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement and high-quality performance, ensuring effective performance management and succession planning arrangements are in place.
• Engage with and motivate a high-performing team within each school, including the headteacher, to achieve transformational change, growth, and success.
• Utilise all the evidence available to assess the progress being made by each school in the Trust and analyse the evidence critically, being honest with the findings.
• Deploy school improvement resources appropriately based on an analysis of need and in line with the Trust School Improvement Strategy.
• Provide thorough, clear, accurate and up-to-date reports on school standards and effectiveness, including Catholic Life, within the Trust to the CEO, Executive Team, Local Governing Boards and the Trust Board, including the Catholic Life and Standards committee.
• Support the development and work of Local Governing Bodies in line with the Scheme of Delegation.
• Act as an appraiser for key staff as directed by the CEO.
• Lead or support performance reviews and the development of effective professional development pathways.
• Collaborate with diocesan and national Catholic leadership programmes to support formation and development.
• Model servant leadership rooted in Catholic social teaching.
• Promote wellbeing, professional development, and effective communication across the Trust workforce.
• Act with integrity, honesty and professional competence and understand the importance of confidentiality.

• Lead the planning, development and implementation of an effective education strategy, in conjunction with the education team, ensuring that aspirations and standards continue to rise in each of the trust’s schools over the long term. This includes:

O ensuring all schools deliver a broad, balanced, and high-quality curriculum, with a strong emphasis on equity, Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching.

O providing consistent recording and monitoring systems;

O coordinate and monitor internally and externally led projects. for example, supporting schools outside Romero CAT or county-wide/national initiatives.

• In conjunction with headteachers, determine each school’s improvement needs, with an emphasis on high standards of teaching and learning, to achieve outward-facing, aspirational Catholic communities.
• Lead preparations for Ofsted and CSI evaluations and inspections of the trust.
• Ensure effective support for schools before, during and after Ofsted and CSI inspections.
• Alongside trust leaders responsible for CPD, develop programs of professional development for school middle and senior leaders which develop capacity across the trust and ensure strategic priorities and operational plans are delivered effectively.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING INFORMATION – SPECIFIC TO THIS POST

The post therefore requires a practising Catholic who can show by example and from experience that they will ensure that the school is distinctively Catholic in all its aspects.

A positive and supportive faith reference from a priest where the applicant regularly worships will be required.