Director of Primary Education

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Executive Team as the Director of Primary Education. We have six fantastic primary schools in our Trust that our Principals have taken on a significant improvement journey over the last five years and we want to continue building on our strong practice.

If you are passionate about driving inclusion and great outcomes within a values driven Trust, then this could be the role for you. We work collaboratively to develop pedagogy and curriculum whilst ensuring that our schools maintain their own distinct identities and most importantly, serve their communities. Our primary schools enjoy working together and we also have some very effective cross-phase collaboration.

Heartwood Learning Trust has fourteen Academies and Schools located across York, Hull and North Yorkshire, comprising six secondary, six primary and two alternative provison settings. Three of our primary schools and two of our secondary schools are Church schools. Our Trust’s values of Respect, Teamwork and Kindness underpin the vision ‘Life in all its fullness - a place to thrive’ and are central to all Trust activities and aims.

In this pivotal leadership role, you will hold strategic and operational oversight for the educational standards, school improvement, and leadership capacity across our six primary schools. Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Education, you will work closely with our primary Principals, balancing robust challenge and professional mentoring, coaching and guidance. Significant experience as a Principal in primary education with a demonstrable record of improving educational quality and pupil outcomes is considered essential for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership, challenge, and support across all six Trust primary schools to ensure a high-quality, ambitious curriculum.
• Drive the Trust-wide primary school improvement strategy, translating organisational priorities into measurable, sustainable outcomes.
• Develop leadership capacity, robust succession planning, and high-quality professional development across the primary phase.
• Rigorously use performance data and quality assurance frameworks to identify priorities, mitigate risks, and evaluate educational impact.
• Promote a culture of deep collaboration, inclusion, and equity, specifically focusing on improving outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable children.
• Contribute actively to the wider strategic growth of the Trust as a core member of the Executive Team.

We can offer:

• Experienced and supportive leadership with a collaborative approach
• An established, experienced and strong central team that works closely with stakeholders across our schools/academies.
• A commitment to continuing professional development
• Structured support to unlock talent
• Teachers Pension Scheme
• Occupational Health Support
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work scheme

Job Details

Hours of Work: 1.0 FTE

Position Type: Permanent Post

Line Manager: Executive Director of Education

Travel Required: Yes

The salary is dependent on current qualifications and experience, please see the attached job description for more information.

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting our children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are subject to a safer recruitment process which includes enhanced criminal records and barring checks, scrutiny of employment history, robust referencing and other vetting checks.

Our safeguarding system is underpinned by a range of policies and procedures which encourage and promote safe working practice across the Trust. On joining you will be required to undergo continuous professional development to maintain safe working practice and to safeguard our children and young people.

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