Assistant Head of Primary - Teaching and Learning

Job Description

Assistant Head of Primary – Teaching and Learning

Type: Permanent

Department: Academic

Line Manager: Head of Primary

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Job Purpose

The Assistant Head of Primary – Teaching & Learning plays a pivotal role in providing proactive and responsive instructional leadership to engage staff, students, and families in the delivery of high-quality teaching and learning. The role ensures that academic, curricular, and learning pathways for all Primary students are coherent, rigorous, and aligned with the school’s American curriculum framework and improvement priorities.

Reporting to the Head of Primary, the Assistant Head of Primary – Teaching & Learning supports and promotes a culture of growth, purpose, and belonging, where high expectations for learning are balanced with support, reflection, and continuous improvement across the Primary School.

• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students in Primary, in line with school safeguarding policies and professional codes of conduct.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Primary and fellow Assistant Heads to contribute to strategic planning, policy development, and the delivery of agreed school priorities, ensuring a coherent and aligned approach across the Primary School. The Assistant Heads maintain shared awareness of key priorities and developments across Teaching & Learning and Student Life to enable effective leadership continuity and mutual cover in the absence of the Head of Primary or a fellow Assistant Head.
• Contributing to a consistent, positive, and inclusive school culture.
• Supporting high standards of student behavior through clear expectations and consistent practice.
• Maintaining high-quality learning environments that support student engagement and achievement.
• Ensuring the appropriate use, storage, and care of curriculum and year-level resources.
• Keeping up to date with developments in educational best practice and statutory requirements.
• Supporting the consistent implementation of school policies and procedures.

• The Assistant Head of Primary – Teaching & Learning maintains an active teaching commitment of up to 50%, ensuring close connection to classroom practice while fulfilling leadership responsibilities. Teaching allocations are reviewed annually in line with school priorities and operational needs.

• Serve as a leader of learning, modeling and promoting high-quality instructional practice across the Primary School.
• Lead and support consistently high standards of teaching and learning through regular learning walks, classroom observations, and professional feedback cycles.
• Monitor, evaluate, and enhance instructional practice to ensure strong student engagement, progress, and achievement.
• Promote effective, research-informed instructional strategies aligned with school expectations, improvement priorities, and the American curriculum framework.
• Support a culture of challenge and support, where all students are actively engaged in their learning and encouraged to achieve their full potential.
• Teach to an exemplary standard and serve as a visible instructional role model for staff and students.

• Provide strategic leadership for curriculum alignment and coherence across Primary, ensuring alignment with AERO standards and school-defined scope and sequence.
• Lead the development and review of an engaging, rigorous, and developmentally appropriate Primary curriculum.
• Oversee assessment practices, including MAP, internal benchmarks, and moderation processes, ensuring consistency and reliability across grade levels.
• Lead data-informed decision-making by analyzing and communicating student performance, progress, and trends to support instructional improvement.
• Support teachers in using assessment data to inform planning, differentiation, and targeted instructional strategies.
• Contribute to quality assurance processes related to curriculum effectiveness and student outcomes.

• Line manage and support Primary Subject Leads (English Language Arts,…