Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence team adviser - West Midlands
Department for Education
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 25th November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to work as an expert adviser at the heart of the Government’s mission to deliver high and rising standards in education. You will advise senior civil servants on the best strategies for raising standards in schools, including schools that are most in need of support. You will help create a culture of sector-led improvement in your region, working directly with senior leaders in schools, trusts, dioceses and local authorities as well as centres of excellence like curriculum hubs, attendance and behaviour hubs and teaching school hubs.
Education is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life, no matter their background. That means high and rising standards in education for all children across the country. We want to ensure that all children and young people have access to excellent inclusive schools, to provide them with the knowledge, skills and support to achieve and thrive.
Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams (RISE teams) are a critical part of this mission. Comprising civil servants and expert advisers with a track record of school improvement and executive leadership, they will help create a sector-led improvement system in their region, working directly with schools to help them improve. Advisers will report to Regional Directors who, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, have a clear set of responsibilities underpinned by our overall mission to ensure every child has the opportunity to achieve and thrive.
RISE teams will raise standards in education in two ways:
- Universal support: promoting and creating a culture of sector-led improvement, where all trusts and schools use the new school report cards to self-identify the support they need, engage in peer review, networking, mentoring and learning from, and sharing, best practice.
- Targeted support: for a set of schools, RISE teams will work collaboratively with schools to agree bespoke packages of support, making sure that a lead supporting organisation works with the school to jointly diagnose problems and create and deliver an ambitious plan for improvement.
In addition to working directly with schools and responsible bodies, advisers will help shape and oversee an improvement strategy for each region. This will set out the distinctive challenges each region faces, as well as the actions that RISE teams will take and the support they will give.
Job description
We are recruiting a small number of advisers in each of our nine regions to be a key part of the RISE teams, working collaboratively to provide an exceptional service to the schools they support. Advisers will have flexible and varied roles, matched to their expertise and capacity. The role of the adviser includes but is not limited to:
- Developing strong professional relationships with schools, trusts, dioceses and local authorities to bring about improvements in schools, drawing on experience of delivering complex change or service transformation
- Working with local authorities, dioceses, schools and trusts across their region, to contribute to the strategic priorities for the region.
- Facilitating and leading dissemination of good practice and networking.
- Commissioning bespoke packages of support from high quality trusts, schools, local authorities or partnerships to work with and improve schools in need of support.
- Working closely with schools, local authorities, dioceses and trusts to actively monitor school improvement to ensure it is rapid, embedded and sustained across the school.
We will select advisers who, collectively, can deliver the above functions in an area. Specific roles will be allocated based on individuals’ specialisms as well as their time commitment.
Advisers will be allocated to work with schools primarily in one region, although we may require advisers to support schools outside their main region based on demand and specialisms. If you are able to work across more than one region, you only need to apply once. Please specify in your statement of suitability whether you are interested in working across regions.
We will provide training and induction for all advisers allowing them to settle into their new roles and understand how the process will work. Across our team of advisers, we want to draw on skills and expertise from across the sector and we want to create a team with backgrounds across early years, primary, secondary, special and alternative provisions settings.
Person specification
We welcome applications from individuals with an exceptional track record of school improvement and executive leadership. This may include people who are, or who have recently been, headteachers, senior local authority officers, or trust leaders.
Applicants will be assessed against the following criteria. They will need to demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria.
Essential Criteria
You will need to demonstrate evidence of:
1. An exceptional track record of supporting groups of schools to improve rapidly and deliver high quality, inclusive education - and sustain improvement.
2. A deep understanding of inclusive school improvement practice that is grounded in robust evidence.
3. Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to foster strong professional relationships to deliver change through others, ensuring colleagues feel valued and empowered.
4. A deep understanding of the education sector in your region and the specific challenges and opportunities.
Desirable Criteria
You should also demonstrate:
5. Experience of delivering complex change or service transformation within a large group of schools, a trust or local authority.
6. Strong evidence of system leadership, working as part of networks and collaborative groups across a number of schools to support improvement across a wider area.
You must not have been previously barred from being a proprietor or head teacher of a school under section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008.
Terms of appointment
We welcome applications for part-time and full-time roles. We also welcome applicants on secondment, for example you may work for your current employer part-time and carry out this role part-time. In your application, please state the time-commitment you are able to offer.
There are two possible appointment routes:
1. Applicants who are currently employed by a school, trust or local authority will be employed via a secondment arrangement. This would be a bespoke agreement between the Department and the applicant's employer. Secondments would normally be agreed for 12 months, but subject to specific negotiation with the individual's current employer.
2. Alternatively, for people who are self-employed, or not currently employed, there will be an alternative commercial route. We will share more details on application.
Where applicable, applicants are responsible for obtaining consent from their employer to apply for these roles. Applicants should also check whether their employment contract contains any restrictive covenants that would prevent them from accepting a post if they are successful in securing one. Appointments will be subject to successful Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks and enhanced security checks.
For those seconded into the department, their organisation will receive a day rate of £600.
For those who are appointed via the commercial route, the day rate will be £600 subject to the usual deductions e.g. tax.
Location
This post is available to remote workers and on the following sites - Sheffield, Nottingham and Coventry.
This post requires frequent travel, often every day. Remote workers are expected to attend in-person meetings on DfE regional sites and at schools, trusts or local authority sites.
We will try to match advisers to LAs, trusts or schools within the region that they are based; however, any travel and accommodation costs incurred as part of delivering support work will be reimbursed by the Department, in line with agreed policies.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
The closing date for submitting an application is the 25th November.
We cannot accept applications submitted after this closing date/time.
If you would like the opportunity to learn more about the role and working at the DfE we are running a virtual candidate engagement session on Thursday 14 November at:
1300-1330 - East Midlands, East of England and West Midlands.
Please contact SCS.recruitment@education.gov.uk and the MS Teams link will be sent to you to join this session.
Application
To apply for this role, you need to complete an online application via the Civil Service Jobs portal. Applications will be accepted until 23:55 on 25th November. We cannot accept applications submitted after this closing date/time.
The application will include:
- A CV (no longer than 4 sides) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years
- A Statement of Suitability (1,000 words) about why you are suitable for this role against the criteria in the person specification. You can choose to outline any further information you believe is relevant or further demonstrates your suitability for the role. If applicant numbers are significant, preliminary sifting will be done using only the first criteria.
For this role we will ask for the details of two references, these may be contacted pre-interview. The department may also take further references from other public bodies (such as Ofsted, Local Authorities etc).
If there are a high number of applicants, we will perform an initial sift on the first essential criteria.
Applicants will be informed if they have been successfully shortlisted for interview from the week starting the 2nd December.
Only applications from individuals will be accepted.
Please email scs.recruitment@education.gov.uk if you have any questions or require further information about these roles.
Interview
Applications will be sifted and short-listed candidates will be invited to a formal panel interview which will be scheduled to take place w/c 9th to 19th December. We expect some interviews to also be held week beginning 6th January.
Interviews will be in person at one of the advertised DfE locations.
Candidates may be asked to prepare a presentation for the interview (further information will be shared with shortlisted candidates) and they will be asked questions to further assess their Experience and Strengths using the Civil Service Strengths Dictionary.
Final Selection
Selection will be made by a panel that will make a recommendation to Senior Leaders who will take the final decision on appointments. Successful applicants are expected be in post between January- April 2025.
There will be training provided which will be a requirement for advisers- more details will be available upon appointment.
You will be required to declare all conflicts of interest.
Other Information
We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : scs.recruitment@education.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scs.recruitment@education.gov.uk
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