Joanne Smith

As a supply teacher, I have been responsible for supporting a variety of different schools when teaching staff have been absent. This has involved planned absences where I have planned the learning for the day in collaboration with the school and class teacher, as well as unplanned absence where I have planned learning for the day on arrival at the school in the morning. When in school I:

• Am welcoming and warm to both staff and children.
• Communicate closely with the senior leadership team and school staff team in order to ensure I have a sound understanding of the school, the school day, any procedures and policies I need to be aware of, the IT system and the expectations of both the children and myself as the teacher.
• Have to be flexible and think on my feet to ensure children continue to access appropriate learning experiences for their age and stage of development.
• Adapt quickly to different year groups and classrooms, ensuring minimal disruption to children's learning experience.
• Aim to build a positive and nurturing rapport with children to provide continuity, consistency and build trust.
• Work collaboratively with teaching assistants to offer children optimal care and education.
• Help to resolve any challenges and disagreements within the class, displaying healthy conflict resolution.
• Adapt teaching methods and materials to meet children's' varying needs and interests.
• Keep records of daily work and communicate key information from the day with the class teacher or headteacher, via note or email.

I have been Depute Headteacher (DHT) within Perth and Kinross from December 2017-June 2024 but I am currently on a career break from my substantive position. Some of the main responsibilities I have had as part of this role have included:

NURSERY TO PRIMARY 2

· Pastoral care of children, staff and parents Nursery to P2 including regular communications and meetings via email, over the phone or face to face.

· ASN Co-ordinator Nursery to P2

· Supporting and understanding behaviour Nursery to P2 and support P3-7

· Nursery Lead

· Admission, enrolment and transition of Nursery and P1 children.

· Advise, support and challenge Nursery to P2 staff in curricular content, methodology and assessment

· Transition Home to Nursery, Nursery to P1 and between classes P1 to P2

· Track and monitor attainment through use of standardised and school baseline assessments, dialogue with staff and quality assurance

· In collaboration with staff, parents and children identify suitable interventions to best support learning and progress.

· Organise, chair minute and write up review meetings.

· Manage GIRFEC documentation and children's files, including writing referrals and reports as and when required.

· Manage pastoral notes and chronologies.

· Devise, review and evaluate Nursery Improvement Plan in collaboration with nursery team and in line with School Improvement Plan.

· Manage Nursery budget and allocated primary budget in collaboration with HT and DHT.

· Review and develop Nursery policies and guidelines in collaboration with main partners.

· PRD and Personal Learning Plan meetings with staff across the nursery and school.

· Liaising with partner agencies, community partners and partner nursery establishments.

· Plan, prepare and deliver parent information sessions, workshops and presentations.

Liaising and collaborating regularly with authority Human Resource (HR) team.

Organising, leading and minuting HR meetings including supporting health and wellbeing, attendance at work, stress management and competence.

WHOLE SCHOOL

· Contribute towards, maintain and develop a positive ethos across whole school through effective leadership and management.

· Contribute towards and share responsibility for curriculum developments throughout the whole school.

· Class teaching when and where required.

· Line management of SLA team in collaboration with DHT.

· Quality Assurance in collaboration with HT and DHT. This includes class learning visits, monitoring of planning and assessment files, monitoring of jotters and learning profiles, planning and attainment meetings with staff, reports and pupil dialogue.

· Actively engage in all aspects of recruitment including reviewing and developing job specifications.

· Support GIRFEC developments and training in collaboration with HT and DHT.

· Lead and support CLPL across Nursery and School.

· Attend and contribute towards Parent Council meetings and agendas.

· Buddy Trainer and Co-ordinator.

· Attend and support school and community events including Christmas and Summer Fairs, Fundraising Days, Discos and other school events.

As DHT in Stirling council my main responsibilities included:

NURSERY TO PRIMARY 3

· Pastoral care of children, staff and parents Nursery to P3

· ASN Co-ordinator Nursery to P3

· Behaviour Nursery to P3 and support P4-7

· Nursery Lead

· Admission and enrolment of Nursery and P1 children

· Advise and support Nursery to P3 staff in curricular content, methodology and assessment

· Transition Home to Nursery, Nursery to P1 and between classes P1 to P3

· Track and monitor attainment through use of standardised and school baseline assessments, dialogue with staff and quality assurance

· In collaboration with staff, parents and children identify suitable interventions to best support learning and progress

· Organise and chair review meetings

· Manage GIRFEC documentation and children's files

· Manage pastoral notes and chronologies

· Devise, review and evaluate Nursery Improvement Plan in collaboration with nursery team and in line with School Improvement Plan

· Manage Nursery budget and allocated primary budget in collaboration with HT and DHT

· Review and develop Nursery policies and guidelines in collaboration with main partners

· PRD and Professional Update meetings with staff across the nursery and school

· Liaise with partner agencies, community partners and partner nursery establishments

· Plan, prepare and deliver parent information sessions and workshops

WHOLE SCHOOL

· Contribute towards, maintain and develop a positive ethos across whole school through effective leadership and management

· Contribute towards and share responsibility for curriculum developments throughout the whole school

· Class teaching when and where required

· School Literacy Co-ordinator Nursery to P7

· Line management of SLA team in collaboration with DHT

· Quality Assurance in collaboration with HT and DHT. This includes class learning visits, learning walks, monitoring of planning and assessment files, monitoring of jotters and learning profiles, planning and attainment meetings with staff, reports and pupil dialogue

· Organise and support peer learning visits and learning rounds

· Actively engage in all aspects of recruitment including reviewing and developing job specifications

· Lead GIRFEC developments and training in collaboration with DHT

· Lead and support CLPL across Nursery and School

· Pupil Voice

· School Environment Committee

· Parent Grounds Team

· Attend and contribute towards F.A.S.T meetings (Families and School Together)

· Buddy Trainer and Co-ordinator

· Lead for P7 residential week

· Attend and support school and community events including Grounds Day, Christmas and Summer Fairs, Remembrance Service, Fundraising Days, Discos and school gymnastic competitions

· Responsible for displays in shared school areas

LOCAL AUTHORITY ROLE

· Provided Management Support in another Local Authority school, one day per week, for a term. This was put in place to support a new Headteacher to post and in preparation for inspection.

· Local Authority trainer for 'POLAAR' (Primary One Literacy and Assessment Resource). This involves providing Local Authority training each year for P1 and Nursery staff.

· Member of Local Authority Nursery Improvement Partnership.

· Lead for Validated Self-Evaluation visit in another Local Authority Early Learning and Childcare Centre.

As part of the Whole School Senior Management Team (SMT), I have been responsible for assisting with strategic and operational planning, implementation, review and development for the whole school. I have had particular responsibility for the Primary and Nursery Departments, including a new Nurture Class, Hub Nursery, Gaelic medium class and breakfast club. As part of this role I:

•Attended weekly SMT meetings, where I was actively involved in quality assurance measures to plan, develop and monitor the work of the school in implementing local and national policies and objectives. I assisted with the school Self Evaluation and Improvement Plan, advising on aspects directly related to the Primary and Nursery departments. I then had responsibility to provide feedback, where appropriate, to staff, parents and children, in the Nursery and Primary Departments. This ensured that there was a consistent approach across the whole school, working together to improve and develop the learning experiences and environment for the children, as well as supporting the staff and local community.

•Organised, led and oversaw Primary and Nursery collegiate meetings.

•Represented SMT and actively engaged in the school Self Evaluation working group, set up to develop a consistent approach to quality assurance, across the whole school.

•Reviewed and evaluated a new Learning and Teaching Policy, devised by our school Learning and Teaching working group, with SMT. The policy reflected developments in Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and Assessment is for Learning (AifL).

•Authorised use of Primary and Nursery budget, working with the school Business Manager to identify, review and control Primary and Nursery finances.

•Identified good practice within the school, for planning, assessing and recording in other curricular areas, in line with CfE.

•Led collegiate curriculum development meetings, to review and improve the Primary and Nursery planning, assessing and recording formats, for Literacy and Numeracy.

•Monitored planning files for all Primary and Nursery, as part of our school quality assurance. Following each monitoring week, I provided written and oral feedback to each member of staff.

•Managed, organised and facilitated Reduced Class Contact Time (RCCT) for the Primary and Nursery departments, utilising the expertise of staff across the school. This involved identifying suitable RCCT for Nursery and Infant classes, through our staffing exercise, collaborating with a member of the secondary SMT, to identify secondary departments available to provide Upper school RCCT, and teaching a variety of classes myself.

•Promoted and authorised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses and training, identifying particular training to support the development of both teaching and non teaching staff.

•Conducted Employee Review and Development (ERD) meetings with both teaching and non-teaching staff, in the Primary and Nursery department.

•Facilitated the involvement of staff in school Learning Rounds, enhancing and encouraging the provision of high quality learning experiences for all pupils.

•Responsible for organising supply cover, completing Supply Staff Engagement forms when required.

•Responsible for organising and timetabling all non-teaching staff in the Primary and Nursery, including Support for Learning Assistants (SLA), Early Childhood Practitioners (ECP) and Classroom Assistants.

•Responsible for organising and timetabling our Additional Support Needs (ASN) teacher, following consultation with staff.

•Responsible for all aspects of Inclusion and Additional Support within the Primary and Nursery, including Looked after and Accommodated Children (LAC).

PRINCIPAL TEACHER

· Supported new SMT in all aspects of the nursery and primary school.

· Supported Nursery teacher and team.

· Played a lead role during a community campus inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectors.

· Organised learning rounds in collaboration with secondary colleague.

· Co-ordinated P.E timetabling in collaboration with secondary P.E department and campus leisure manager.

· Co-ordinated RCCT allocation and timetables, in collaboration with secondary PT's.

· Co-ordinated Standardised assessments from P2-P7.

· Organised, planned and timetabled Primary and Nursery Health Promotion Week.

· Liaised with a range of community partners to enhance Health Promotion Week and develop community links.

· Lead transition for Nursery to P1 and P7 to S1.

· Provided class cover from P1-P7 during staff absences and training.

· In collaboration with SMT, reviewed and evaluated remit in line with school improvement plan and self-evaluation, and council priorities.

· Attended regular meetings with Primary and Whole school SMT.

CLASS TEACHER

· Class responsibility 3 days per week for P6/7.

· Worked collaboratively with class share partner.

· Always strived to provide excellent learning experiences and opportunities for all children in class.

· Provided support and effective learning activities for children with additional support needs.

· Engaged in team teaching with stage partner.

· Continually reflected upon and reviewed individual lessons using feedback from children, self, colleagues and SMT.

· Engaged in regular professional dialogue with colleagues and SMT, regards learning and teaching.

· Participated in Learning Rounds.

· Selected for observations from colleagues, SMT, council and HMIe.

· Visited practitioners in other schools, where good practice had been identified.

· Actively engaged in ERD process.

EARLY YEARS SUPPORT

As a member of the Primary SMT as Early Years Support, I was responsible for supporting the Early Years, incorporating nursery and Primary 1, as well as assisting with strategic and operational planning and implementations.

· Actively participated and contributed towards the whole school improvement plan, with personal responsibilities to support the development of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in the early years and nursery/Primary 1 transition within the school.

· Strengthened nursery team through supporting and modelling positive communications, providing opportunities for the team to work collectively on different aspects of CfE and creating opportunities for staff to take leadership roles within the department. As a result there has been an increase in team moral and nursery colleagues have become more motivated and enthusiastic towards the changes in curriculum and early years education.

· Initiated and facilitated nursery colleagues to actively engage in CPD opportunities, resulting in staff becoming more experienced in areas of interest to them and sharing their experiences, knowledge and skills with the team.

· Supported and empowered new nursery teacher to take leadership role within the developing team.

· Represented SMT at weekly nursery planning meetings, assisting with the co-ordination of staff, activities and events within the nursery department.

· Assisted primary depute to lead and implement pre-birth to 3 Strategy within the nursery and wider community. Managed Pre-birth to 3 meetings, providing support, guidance and recommendations for future developments and improvements.

· Collaborated closely with nursery staff to gather evidence and information for Care Commission Inspection. Information was used to complete detailed report, in preparation for the visit. Care commission acknowledged many plans were in place to improve and enhance the nursery experience for both children and staff.

· Compiled extensive evidence and information in preparation for an Extended Learning and Achievement visit. Resulted in Nursery department receiving very positive and encouraging feedback with regards different aspects of nursery practice and future developments, including transition and involvement of children in creating the learning environment.

· Devised, developed and led parent information sessions to improve transition process for pre-school children, with supporting materials provided to all parents. Questionnaires distributed following the sessions, provided positive feedback and suggestions for improvement, which have been implemented this year.

· Strengthened transition process from nursery to P1 through joint collaborative work across the early level. Allowed nursery and primary 1 staff and children to work collaboratively across department environments. Many children demonstrated increased confidence in the different environments and pre-school children were more relaxed and content when transferring into primary 1.

· Evaluated, reviewed and updated new Nursery handbook and information pack for ante pre-school parents, in collaboration with the nursery team. This has enhanced the quality of information prospective parents receive and aided transition from home to nursery.

· Supporting and facilitating nursery staff to increase parent involvement in the early years setting and the wider school.

· Highly value the ideas and contributions of others, whilst being confident in the final decisions being made.

TEACHING

· Teacher of P1 with considerable additional support needs (ASN).

· 0.5 FTE P1 class teacher, 0.1 FTE probationer mentor and 0.4 FTE management support for the early years.

· Taught a variety of class stages to cover illness and staff Continued Professional Development.

2007-2009

TEACHING

· 2007 to 2008 class teacher of P7 and responsible for teaching P2 music for 1 lesson each week

· 2008 to 2009 class teacher of P1

· WHOLE SCHOOL

· Active member of Health and Well-being working group.

· Launched Health Promotion Week incorporating events and activities for nursery, primary and secondary departments

· Collaborated with colleagues, parents, pupils, outside agencies and members of the local community to offer a variety of learning experiences during Health Promotion Week

· UPPER SCHOOL

· Responsible and supportive member of staff during transitional residential stay at Lochgoilhead

· Worked collaboratively with staff from Perth Horse Cross and musicians, on a Perth and Kinross schools project. Pupils created and performed their own song about the local area.

2006-2007

TEACHING:

· Class teacher of P7

· Responsibility for teaching health with P1 pupils for 1 lesson each week.

· Regularly collaborated with stage partner to plan, assess, record, and discuss attainment and support mechanisms in place

WHOLE SCHOOL

· Organised and oversaw P7 prefect duties in consultation with pupils and colleagues

· Successful member of Positive Behaviour Management(PBM) whole school working group, supporting the development of PBM within the secondary school and improving practice within the primary and nursery.

· Primary school representative involved in improving and developing P7 to S1 transition, through establishing links with secondary departments

· Strengthened links between the primary and secondary departments through a variety of joint curricular events.

· Active member of whole school China link group, responsible for developing links with a school in China

CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENTS

· Implemented and developed the use of WALT (We are learning today) and WILF (What I'm looking for) across curricular areas

· Improved organisation and design of personal learning targets, in collaboration with pupils

· Devised and implemented new Living and Growing Programme, in collaboration with stage partner

· Investigated, devised and implemented writing support materials for the upper school, to promote self and peer evaluation and assessment.

ENTERPRISE

· Initiated, organised and directed the first P4-7 musical show, in collaboration with stage partner and pupils

· Empowered P7 pupils to lead, organise and run a number of fundraising events within the primary school.

· Supported the organisation of a French coffee and event morning.

INCLUSION

· Collaborated with a range of multi-agency partners to support individual children.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPERIENCES

· Class teacher of Primary 6

· Gained further experiences team teaching in other stages of the primary school.

· Collaborated with stage partner, colleagues, pupils, parents and clothing businesses to organise and present a fashion show as an enterprise project.

· As a member of a school working party we successfully organised and implemented a new whole school music programme.

· Played lead role in school Christmas production.

· Assisted colleagues in developing evaluation skills.

· Organised and prepared the school Easter Service.

· Initiated, coached and participated in after-school badminton club.

· Initiated and implemented a lunch time maths club, as a result of evaluations, to support pupils.

KNOWLEDGE GAINED

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

· Knowledge developed through background reading, continual professional development courses and discussions with colleagues.

· Implemented a range of formative assessment strategies within the classroom.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

· Used personal skills in I.T to advance children's learning

· Developed smartboard skills for whole class, group and independent learning.

· Introduced use of internal email system for class book reviews.

· Introduced and developed pupil skills in creating Power Point Presentations, resulting in independent presentations.

INCLUSION

· Negotiated strategies for managing and improving challenging behaviour in class with pupils, parents and management.

· Gained experience working with a pupil with Asperger Syndrome

· Developed knowledge and skills in Asperger Syndrome to ensure full inclusion of pupil within the classroom.

· Communicated and collaborated with school Educational Psychologist, parents and colleagues.

· Undertook a small-scale study on Asperger Syndrome and writing.

· Visited Autistic Base to gain further experience.

· Developed skills and knowledge in preparing and delivering differentiated work appropriate to all pupils.

Whilst studying as a primary teacher in Glasgow, I worked part time in a busy Wetherspoons pub. This involved:

• Waitressing
• Taking food and drink orders
• Clearing and cleaning tables
• Stocktaking and rotation
• Working effectively as part of a team
• Welcoming customers
• Providing an extremely high level of customer service
• Ensuring my knowledge and understanding of the products we sold was of the highest standard in order to support customers with their choices and provide an effective service
• Ensuring my knowledge and understanding of the company was up to date
• Effective communication with colleagues and customers
• Adapting to different situations and problem solving as and when required
• Up to date knowledge and understanding of the IT systems in place to ensure effective and timely customer service
• Organising and managing given tasks to ensure they were completed effectively, in a timely manner and to the best of my ability
• High levels of concentration when busy

Whilst in secondary school I had a part time job at a busy restaurant franchise which was part of the local sports centre, rugby club and cricket club. As part of this role I:

• Enhanced guest satisfaction through attentive and prompt service.
• Demonstrated excellent multitasking abilities for timely delivery of orders.
• Handled cash transactions accurately, ensured balanced till at end of shift.
• Assisted with inventory management, streamlined restaurant operations.
• Collaborated with kitchen staff to ensure order accuracy.
• Ensured smooth restaurant operation by effectively managing reservations system.
• Met special dietary requests with careful preparation and presentation of dishes.
• Managed table settings for enhanced dining experience.
• Advanced team efficiency by assisting in training new waitstaff members.
• Executed food and drink orders accurately to improve customer satisfaction rates.
• Ordered and stocked beverage supplies, maintained availability of popular drinks.
• Showcased extensive knowledge of menu items, heightened customer decision making.
• Utilised professional communication skills to resolve customer complaints.
• Optimised workflow in busy periods through successful coordination with the kitchen staff.
• Accommodated special event needs, provided customised services for parties.
• Improved customer satisfaction by providing efficient and friendly service.
• Maintained clean and organised dining area for customer comfort.
• Provided recommendations on specials or seasonal offerings for increased sales revenue.
• Ensured compliance with health regulations through effective cleaning practices in the dining area.
• Served meals and drinks with professionalism and skill, maintaining high presentation and quality standards.
• Maintained excellent level of service in busy and demanding restaurant environment.
• Warmly greeted guests upon arrival to create welcoming atmosphere.
• Provided friendly, courteous service, maximising positive customer satisfaction ratings.
• Regularly communicated with kitchen and bar staff to maintain smooth front of house operations, minimising potential service delays.
• Delivered exceptional service by greeting and serving customers in timely, friendly manner.
• Arranged tables and set up linens and silverware in preparation for guests.
• Performed bar closing duties, thoroughly cleaning, sanitising and replenishing stock.
• Demonstrated exceptional memory and communication skills for reliable and trusted service.
• Followed health and hygiene standards when handling food and cleaning restaurants.
• Kept tables clear of used crockery, glassware and cutlery.
• Accurately took orders, making menu recommendations as appropriate.
• Polished glasses and cutlery to pristine standards.
• Assisted kitchen staff with food prep, dishwashing and plating food.
• Stayed up to date on menu changes to accurately answer customer queries.