Head of Early Childhood and Elementary

**Summary**

The Head of Early Childhood and Elementary School is responsible for the overall learning leadership of students aged 2.5 (Nursery) through aged 10 (Grade 5) in collaboration with the ES Associate Head and ES Curriculum and Learning Coordinator. They support intentional and systematic reflection, research-based practice, and future-oriented thinking that underpin the school’s Vision for Learning (Strategic Plan) and the day-to-day operations of the Elementary Section.

**Key Direct Reports**: ES Associate Head and ES Curriculum and Learning Coordinator, Teaching Staff

**Reports to**: Head of School

**Guiding Principles**
- Lead a strong pastoral system to maximize the social and emotional welfare of students.
- Lead the utilization of a variety of data to monitor learning and reflect on ways to maximize student learning.
- Lead the annual professional learning and growth of teachers to maximize the quality of teaching and learning.
- Effectively lead and delegate the day-to-day operations of the ES.
- Communicate effectively with all community members: families, students, staff members, and external staff.
- Supports and advances the mission and learning vision of the school.
- Supports student and adult learning and achievement through reflective dialogue.
- Supports and promotes the written, taught, and assessed curriculum.
- Supports and advances international education.
- Support students at key transition points.
- Supports and nurtures relationships between community members.

**Standards and Performance Indicators**

In the area of **Instructional Leadership**, The Head of Section:

- Strategically leads the development, alignment, and execution of an innovative plan of action for instructional and assessment strategies that enhance learning and teaching.
- Looks for evidence of learning and is focused on the learning impacts that come from effective teaching.
- Brings a sound knowledge and understanding of age-appropriate development, keeping the students at the center of the decision-making process.
- Looks for evidence of learning to determine if effective research-based instructional and assessment strategies are being employed and are measurably enhancing student learning.
- Systematically observes lessons and promotes a culture of reflective dialogue around observations/walk-throughs in relation to student and teacher learning.
- Ensures that teaching and learning is inclusive of all young people.
- Fosters and values future-forward, design-oriented thinking in the community of teacher and student learners.
- Is knowledgeable about language acquisition and English immersion programs and works to develop BFIS’s programs to meet international best practices for Spanish speakers, English speakers, and speakers of other languages.
- Coaches, mentors, and holds their faculty team to account for teacher professional standards.
- Oversees the development, documentation, and implementation of the scope and sequence of learning intentions.
- Models, supports, and assists staff in maintaining high-quality social-emotional learning and well-being.
- Collaborates with the Associate Head of School, Associate Head of Section, and Curriculum Coordinator on the written, taught, and assessed curricular frameworks and their successful implementation and monitoring.
- Ensures that learning is made visible and documented and that appropriate formative and summative assessment occurs and is recorded and reported.
- Ensures that the Mission and guiding statements of BFIS are fully implemented within the community to support students to become responsible and successful citizens.
- Develops a culture of growth mindset about the written, taught and assessed curriculum that ensures that staff and students have an understanding of, and can respond to, the evolving wider societal context.

In the area of **Organizational Leadership**, The Head of Section:

- Creates pathways and processes toward future organizational improvement through collaboratively designed and innovative policies and procedures.
- Serves as a member of the school’s Leadership Team, collaborating to develop and transform school practice.
- Models and fosters distributed leadership for all learning stakeholders.
- Delegates tasks appropriately to the N-Grade 5 team, ensuring the instructions and execution are clear to guarantee the response to needs. Oversee each task assigned to their completion.
- Participates in school functions, parent meetings, and other such occasions as appropriate.
- Develops annual goals in support of the school’s overall strategic plan.
- Completes an annual written self-appraisal against these annual goals and job description.
- Monitors local Spanish educational requirements regarding the Spanish and Catalan curriculum and works with the Spanish Technical Director to ensure that these are met.
- Effectively supports the alignment and execution of the school’s Vision for Learning.
- Collaborates with the Admi