Centre Manager (Alternative Provision)

Dudley Academies Trust are seeking a Centre Manager for our Alternative Provision Centre (ASPIRE @The Link Academy). Our Aspire Centre offers a tailored learning environment for learners who do not attend mainstream settings. We dream big, creating opportunities for learning that inspire growth and resilience. Our aim is to create a nurturing environment where learners engage and develop their confidence and self-worth. Together we lead with collaboration, celebrate the effort and achievement of every learner, and foster respect for each other and the wider world. The postholder will play a key role in ensuring the efficient and smooth running of the Aspire centre by working alongside teachers and other colleagues to address the needs of learners who need support outside the traditions of a classroom to overcome barriers of learning to raise their aspirations and achieve their full potential. You will need to be resilient and empathetic with experience of working with young people in a similar setting with strong communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Dudley Academies Trust was established to ensure a first-rate education for the young people of Dudley and the surrounding areas. It is important to us that all our young people have a high-quality education that will give them the foundations they need for a fulfilling life and a rewarding future career. With three primary schools having joined the Trust so far, we aim to offer a route from Nursery and Reception all the way through to the A Levels, T Levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships and degree-level courses offered by our sponsor, Dudley College of Technology. We have recruited numerous, excellent staff to our academies and made some outstanding appointments to their leadership teams. We have introduced a proven system of rewards and behaviour management that has changed the culture of our classrooms, accompanied by a raft of new approaches to teaching. An inspiring curriculum offers a rich variety of subjects with strong emphasis on basic skills in English and Mathematics and the digital technologies that are now so important. Over £15 million has already been invested in improving the buildings, facilities and computing equipment of our academies, and much more is being spent this year. The Trust recognises that our staff are our most value asset and investing in our people is a key strategic priority. An extensive program of staff development is operated across the Trust., Dudley Academies Trust was formed in September 2017, uniting four secondary schools under the sponsorship of Dudley College of Technology, which is one of the UK's leading FE colleges and rated 'Excellent' by Ofsted. The schools are: Beacon Hill Academy, Pegasus Academy, St James Academy and The Link Academy. The Trust, when combined with the sponsor, annually supports 8,500 young people aged 11 to 19 years old and employs almost 1,300 staff. The Trust has a strong emphasis on providing the very best educational experience for pupils so they can experience both academic and personal success. It has a strong central team that works across the schools to ensure that our aspirations for them are put into practice. We believe that our investment in people, technology and our estate makes the Trust an attractive employer for anyone who wishes to work in a progressive, environment where achievement is valued. Our Chief Executive, Jo Higgins, joined us after a career in school leadership in South Yorkshire, where she led Penistone Grammar School for ten years. She also contributed to the borough wide school improvement system in Barnsley and she led the application process for a cross phase MAT of eleven schools. As a school leader, Jo is motivated by the conviction that all young people should be able to access outstanding provision, irrespective of their starting point in life. As part of her previous work she has driven rapid school improvement, and brings this experience to help strengthen each school's performance. The vision for Dudley Academies Trust is that our family of schools will be the first choice for young people and parents in north and central Dudley. We will achieve this through:

• innovative teaching and learning supported by a team of expert practitioners who work across our schools
• access to the latest available learning technologies
• a relentless focus on aspiration
• a rich, broad and varied curriculum, meeting the needs of learners of all abilities
• providing clear pathways to educational advancement and employment
• instilling positive values in our learners through a system of Values Driven Expectations that rewards achievement and good behaviour
• developing a culture in which our staff can contribute, develop and thrive.