Director of Primary Education

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Place Partnership as Director of Primary Education. We are seeking to appoint an exceptional and highly credible leader with a strong track record in primary education to provide strategic leadership across our primary academies. Working closely with Principals, senior leaders and wider Trust colleagues, the postholder will drive school improvement and help secure the highest possible standards for our children and young people.

The postholder will provide strategic oversight of educational standards across the Trust’s primary phase, ensuring high-quality teaching, curriculum and assessment. The role will support and challenge academy leaders to deliver sustained improvement, with a particular focus on the key foundations of primary excellence, including early reading, phonics, writing and mathematics. Through rigorous monitoring, informed support and timely intervention, the postholder will ensure academies continue to improve and that strong outcomes are secured for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

It is essential that the postholder is an outstanding people leader, able to guide, support and challenge senior academy colleagues with confidence and clarity. The postholder will maximise the potential of staff across academies, developing leadership capacity, strengthening skills and knowledge, and embedding the Trust’s values and behaviours as a consistent thread running through all aspects of school improvement. They will play a central role in fostering a culture of trust, collaboration and shared accountability, breaking down siloed working and enabling academies to benefit from stronger networks, shared expertise and increased access to resources.

Stakeholder engagement will be a key feature of the role. The postholder will build and maintain strong professional relationships with Principals, senior leaders, teachers, Governors, Trustees and external partners, ensuring open communication, shared understanding and collective ownership of improvement priorities. They will represent the Trust with credibility and professionalism, contribute to collaborative networks within and beyond the organisation, and work closely with colleagues at all levels to ensure that strategy is understood, implemented and translated into impact in classrooms.

For further information about the role, please refer to the Recruitment Brochure.

The successful candidate will be:

• An outstanding strategic educational leader, with substantial senior leadership experience in primary education and a strong track record of securing school improvement.
• Passionate about high-quality teaching and learning, with strong expertise in curriculum, assessment and the key drivers of success across the primary phase.
• Visible and influential, with the ability to build trust quickly and work effectively with Principals, senior leaders and wider academy teams.
• A confident leader of leaders, able to provide challenge, support and development that strengthens capacity, accountability and long-term sustainability.
• Committed to strong outcomes for all pupils, with a clear understanding of the importance of inclusion, equity and high expectations for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Analytical and evidence-informed, able to evaluate performance, identify priorities and use data and professional insight to guide improvement.
• Collaborative and system-minded, with the ability to foster strong partnerships across academies and promote consistency while respecting each academy’s unique identity.
• Calm, resilient and solutions-focused, with the ability to lead with clarity and purpose in complex or challenging situations.
• Values-led and professionally grounded, modelling integrity, optimism and an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing and success of children and young people.