With its network of parishes covering the country, the Church of England plays an active role in national life, bringing an important Christian dimension to the nation, as well as strengthening community life. The Church of England is arranged geographically into 41 areas, each under the care of a Bishop, and covers every part of England.

The Diocese of York takes in much of North and East Yorkshire, an area which includes the cities of York and Hull; towns such as Middlesbrough and Selby; rural areas including the North Yorkshire Moors National Park; and the incomparable Yorkshire coast. We are a family of clergy, churches, parishes and schools, led and guided by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.

Together, we strive to be a people who are “Living Christ’s Story”. We are developing and delivering strategic programmes focused on our goals: Becoming more like Christ; Reaching those we currently don’t; Growing churches of missionary disciples; and Transforming our finances and structures. We want to be a simpler, bolder, humbler church, which in its diversity reflects the communities it serves.

Our diocesan teams provide a wide range of support services including our Education team working closely with Church schools; and our support functions such as Safeguarding, Finance, and Communications.

The Diocese supports Church of England academies and schools located in seven local authorities between the Humber and the Tees. The role of the Diocesan Board of Education (DBE) is to promote education consistent with the faith and practice of the Church of England throughout the Diocese, with specific responsibilities for supporting Church schools and academies and their governors. In order to do this effectively, it works with a wide range of bodies and organisations (including parishes, other dioceses, local authorities, Multi Academy Trusts (MATs), Teaching School Hubs, the Department for Education and the national Church of England Education Office) on any matter affecting Church schools and academies, their performance, their Christian vison and ethos and their buildings.

The Diocese is also a member of DBE Services Ltd, a company formed by a group of northern dioceses for the marketing of educational services. This too extends the capacity of the education team to support school development and offers opportunities for members of the team to work collaboratively with professional colleagues from other dioceses on an ambitious range of projects and initiatives.

We have an opportunity for a qualified teacher with leadership experience and a strong personal commitment to join our team as Assistant Director. This post has a particular focus on our work to support school improvement, both with individual schools in particular need as well as all schools through the Service Level Agreement. You will support high quality leadership in Church schools through induction, mentoring, training and appraisal programmes and be a key individual in our liaison with wider partners – local authorities, MATs, the DfE and other dioceses.

To be successful in this role you will have leadership experience in a school or academy context, including experience of leading training, and demonstrate a good understanding of curriculum in the primary and/or secondary phases. You will have the ability to interpret school performance data accurately and to use it as a basis for developing strategies for Church school improvement. In all that do as Assistant Director, you will demonstrate a strong personal commitment to promoting education with a Christian purpose, and an understanding of the Church of England’s Vision for Education.

The diocesan education team is currently made up of full- and part-time officers, who also work regularly with other educational partners. A significant amount of support for schools is delivered through our Service Level Agreement (SLA), which was introduced in 2008 and has proved to be very popular with a high level of take-up from schools: 122 of our 123 schools and academies have joined the current scheme. As a provider of schools and academies, the Diocese is increasingly held to account for their standards, so the shape of the team is continually evolving to ensure that it includes significant expertise in the field of Church school improvement.

The deadline for applications is midday on Monday, 20 March 2023.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on Monday, 27 March 2023.

Applicants should hold eligibility to work in the UK.