Lead Practitioner

Do you want the opportunity to be part of a great team who want to make a difference to the lives of the children at Ranikhet Primary Academy and all REAch2 schools in Reading?

Are you passionate that all children deserve the very best learning opportunities, regardless of their background or barriers?

Are you someone others look to for support, guidance or inspiration?

Maybe you are an established leader looking for a new challenge or have some leadership experience but want to develop this further?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

At Ranikhet Academy, we are looking for a Lead Practitioner to be part of the Senior Leadership Team to lead on whole-school teaching and learning. First and foremost, you need to be an excellent classroom practitioner who is a role model for others. Secondly, some leadership experience or ambition is necessary - either you are an exceptional leader already or you are an aspiring leader at the beginning of your leadership journey. Please see the person specification for more details.

Ranikhet is exciting and vibrant place. Our school is nearing the end of a multi-million-pound refurbishment project and we are building a team of excellent people to take us to the next level. We need a Lead Practitioner who is innovative, creative, think outside the box, pay attention to detail, have sky high expectations of themselves and others. The ideal candidate will be kind, compassionate, driven, relentless, reflective and above all fearless!

As a Lead Practitioner, you will have a pivotal role in shaping the teaching and learning across the academy. You will have oversight and accountability for the effectiveness and impact of teaching and learning strategies, leading to accelerated progress and great outcomes for pupils.

This is a very hands-on role that we are putting in place to accelerate our pace of progress to further improve teaching and learning, and as such, the appointed candidate will be expected to be flexible, and someone who is up for a challenge, getting stuck into all aspects of academy life!

Next academic year the role will include work across our cluster of REAch2 academies in Reading and will involve leading initiatives and improving practice at Civitas, Green Park Village and The Palmer academies too. Collaboration is key to our success and this role provides the successful candidate with the chance to lead at scale - an opportunity that will be exciting and rewarding in equal measures!

About The Role

The role of a Lead Practitioner is central to the success of Ranikhet Academy and all its pupils. It is a role which has a wide influence, which permeates through all aspects of the academy and its approach to teaching and learning.

You will be an inspirational role model and will be supported by, and work in partnership with, Trust experts to ensure you have access to the latest, research informed CPD to support innovative teaching and learning initiatives. We will provide you with bespoke mentoring and coaching to allow you to achieve your short-term and long-term career goals. As the largest primary only Trust in the UK, the opportunities this role presents are limitless!

What we're looking for

We are looking for someone with a passion for teaching and learning. We want someone who can live and breathe great teaching, who is a role model to others and someone who can work alongside members of staff with all ranges of experience. We are looking for a candidate with a wide range of experience in teaching across the curriculum, teaching children with various needs and is a skilled practitioner who can model excellent, inclusive practice to others. We're looking for someone who is a team player, who can work alongside the energetic and skilled senior leadership team and be both strategic and operational when required.

We are looking for someone who has:

• The motivation to achieve the very best for the children in our care and be relentless in the pursuit of excellence.
• Excellent inter-personal skills.
• A proven track record of excellent teaching.
• Excellent communication skills and a good sense of humour.
• Exceptional organisational skills.
• Creativity and a thirst for research to drive all aspects of teaching and learning.

What to do next

If this sounds like the project for you then let's have a chat on the phone or Teams so you can find out more. Please contact the Deputy Director of Education for Reading, Tom Twort on or via email:

Why work with us

There are over 60 schools within the Trust which means we can offer opportunities including:

️Collaboration across other REAch2 schools, both locally and nationally.
️ Specialist curriculum support and training from our Trust experts - providing a flightpath for professional development
️ A support package for staff wellbeing

You'll be working for a Trust with big ambitions for all our schools to be 'great'. We want to be national leaders in sustainability; to transform our teaching and learning through digital transformation and to ensure social justice is at the heart of what we do.

Safeguarding, Safer Recruitment and Data Protection

At REAch2 we recognise that those who work in an academy are in a unique position in their care of children. The responsibility for all staff to safeguard pupils and promote their welfare, as stated in Section 175 of the Education Act (2002) is one that is central to our ethos, our policies and our actions. All children are deserving of the highest levels of care and safeguarding, regardless of their individual characteristics or circumstances, and we are committed to applying our policies to ensure effective levels of safeguarding and care are afforded to all our pupils.

We will seek to recruit the best applicant for the job based on the abilities, qualifications, experience as measured against the job description and person specification. The recruitment and selection of staff will be conducted in a professional, timely and responsive manner and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be requested for all successful candidates, including a Children's Barred List check if the role meets the criteria for regulated activity.

For more information about our safer recruitment processes, please click here for our Safer Recruitment Policy.

All information is stored securely, and any information supplied by unsuccessful candidates will be destroyed through a confidential waste system six months after the decision has been communicated, in accordance with our information and records retention policy.

The Trust ensures all applicant data is stored and processed appropriately. For further details on how your information will be managed during the recruitment process please refer to our Privacy Notice for Job Applications .