We at Best Practice Network share the belief that every child, regardless of their background, should benefit from an excellent education. To achieve that, we support and train the educational professionals who work alongside them to be the best they can be, so in turn, they can transform the lives of children and young people.
We're a friendly, DfE accredited, Ofsted outstanding training company providing apprenticeships, professional development and the DfE's 'Golden Thread' (trainee teachers to school Executive Leaders). We are adaptable, collaborative, and genuinely value the work we do to support the education sector, as much as our trainees do.
Our people are at the heart of our business and our passion and commitment to education is what drives us. As a result, we have seen incredible growth over the last few years both nationally and internationally.
We aim to be an employer where everyone can be themselves, do their best in an inclusive working environment and where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives.
The ITT Programme Director will provide visionary leadership and operational oversight of our expanding teacher training portfolio. This includes strategic growth across the UK, compliance with regulatory frameworks such as Ofsted, OfS and the development of international teacher training programmes.
They play a pivotal role in ensuring academic excellence, commercial growth, regulatory alignment and the global relevance of out ITT offer
Coordinate a national suite of ITT qualifications, with approximately 1000 participants annually
Build the ITT offering to include additional routes and specialisms including iQTS and the undergraduate Teacher Degree Apprenticeship
Act as the face of our ITT provision with all stakeholders including the DfE
Ensure the quality of the programmes meets ITE criteria and have a positive impact on student teachers
The Position
Reporting to the Director of Early Years and Education, the ITT Programme Director will be an educationalist, leading on the strategic leadership and content development of the ITT programmes including achieving quality, growth and profitability in line with the Business Plan. The postholder will be part of the BPN Senior Leadership Team and will work closely with the Director of Quality and Compliance to develop and lead the highest possible standards of quality across the programmes, through the application of robust quality frameworks, best practice approaches and by fostering a culture of high performance, service pride and continuous quality improvement across the organisation.
The postholder will ensure Ofsted readiness and compliance with the DfE ITT criteria and Quality Requirements as well as the apprenticeship funding rules.
The postholder will liaise with all external regulatory bodies (DfE, Ofsted, OfS, External QA) and will ensure Best Practice Network remains credible, competitive, compliant and provides the highest standards of academic quality across the programme.
Responsibilities
Lead the ITT programmes by driving the achievement of KPIs and objectives through effective recruitment, leadership, coaching and development of the team
Work closely and build strong relationships with SLT, CAPS, delivery workforce, and other teams including but not limited to Partnerships, Finance, eLearning, Sales and Marketing.
Drive innovation in programme design, digital delivery, and school-based training to ensure relevance and responsiveness to sector needs
Ensure efficiencies with systems and processes are achieved
Lead national recruitment strategies for high-calibre candidates into the ITT programmes
Identify and respond to new business opportunities, funding streams and policy developments
Ensure compliance with all UK regulatory frameworks including Ofsted, DfE, Skills England and Office for Students (OfS) requirements for registered providers
Work alongside the Quality Team to review the quality of the programme, including participant evaluations and external assessment by Ofsted and External Moderators
Use stakeholder and CQI feedback to inform setting of priorities and strategic direction
Lead on the completion of the Self Evaluation and Quality Improvement Plan alongside the Director of Quality and Compliance
Ensure a robust suite of reports and performance data is available to enable measurement of quality performance, participant engagement levels and impact of ITT provision on student teachers
Work with the Director of Partnerships to assure delivery partners' provision is to a high standard
Provide contingency direction and planned response to external landscape
Have oversight of the pastoral support across the programmes
Contribute to monthly budget management and reporting to track financial performance
Produce management reports and information as required
Hold regular team meetings, development surgeries and training
Engage with a range of external partners developing strong and supportive partnerships and alliances with communities, stakeholders, other education providers, employers, professional bodies, placement providers, funders, government agencies, etc. as necessary.
Foster a culture of respect, high aspirations, empowerment, and collaboration to achieve excellent outcomes and personal job satisfaction for all.
Any other duties as may be required
Targets
Meet/exceed departmental KPIs including recruitment, conversion and retention
85%+ average (agree/strongly agree) evaluations across programme delivery elements.
Meeting/exceed minimum requirements as set out in ITT criteria
Achieve successful outcomes from Ofsted and other external evaluation/ scrutiny
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Qualified Teacher Status
Masters Level professional qualifications in education
Evidence of CPD and expert knowledge in relevant professional area
Experience, skills and attributes
Substantial leadership experience in initial teacher training with a large scale national provider
Strategic thinker with strong commercial awareness
Understanding of the wider education and schools' landscape
Knowledge of and affinity for the Education & Skills sectors
Experience of postgraduate teacher apprenticeships
Experience of writing degree level qualifications
Experience of managing ITT funding including SLC and bursaries
Thorough knowledge of ITT requirements and content frameworks and management of curriculum development
Proven experience with Ofsted inspections and Office for Students (OfS) compliance processes
Evidence of successfully leading and managing a Team
Efficient and effective planning and deployment of resources
Formulation and implementation of strategic and operational plans
Stakeholder management skills, including partners & clients
Creative, innovative and able to solve problems
Effective at leading cultural and organisational change
Driven to see things through to successful completion and results
Excellent communication skills, written and oral
Highly numerate and literate
Our Benefits
- 28 days holiday and get an extra day for each year you stay with us, up to max 33 days PLUS bank holidays.
- We pay for a Healthcare Plan once you've passed probation, which includes access to a private GP.
- From day 1, free life insurance covering up to x4 your salary.
- We'll both add money into your pension pot after 3 months.
- Choose what flexible benefits you want after you've passed probation - this could be buying extra holiday, dental, topping up your healthcare plan, bikes, gym membership, electric cars and give as you earn.
