School’s Organisational Structure
and Job Glossary
Primary
Headteacher – responsible for the leadership and management of the school, its staff, its pupils and the education they receive.
Deputy Headteacher – responsible for managing the school in the absence of the Headteacher. In some schools, deputy Headteachers have a teaching commitment and are responsible for a class. In large primary schools, they may have a reduced teaching commitment with no overall class responsibility.
Assistant Headteacher – supports the head and deputy head with the management of the school, usually only in larger primary schools.
Early Years Coordinator – responsible for children in the foundation stage and leading the team of foundation teachers, nursery nurses and teaching assistants.
Key Stage Coordinator – employed to lead and manage either key stage 1 or 2. They usually also have a class teaching commitment.
Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) – responsible for the day-to-day provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including the implementation of the SEN code of practice.
Subject leaders and curriculum coordinators – responsible for the leadership and management of a particular curriculum subject; classroom teachers may have responsibility for a curriculum area as part of their normal duties.
KS2 Classroom teachers – plan, prepare and deliver lessons to meet the needs of all pupils, setting and marking work and recording pupil development as necessary from Year three to Year six. Often work in partnership with teaching assistants.
KS1 Classroom teachers – plan, prepare and deliver lessons to meet the needs of all pupils, setting and marking work and recording pupil development as necessary from Reception to year two. Often work in partnership with teaching assistants.
Early years/nursery teachers work in pre-school, nursery and reception classes with children aged between three and five. They are responsible for developing and implementing work schemes and lesson plans in line with the requirements of the foundation stage. This involves organising and developing the nursery learning environment and resources in order to facilitate learning.
Supply teacher – substitute/temporary teachers are usually employed by a supply agency to take classes when teachers are in training or absent due to sickness.
Support staff in the classroom
HLTA - Higher level teaching assistants work closely with the teacher, complementing their role and freeing them up to have more time to develop each child to his or her potential. Find out more background about HLTA status and see case studies of HLTAs.
LTA - Learning support assistant A widely used job title for an assistant providing in-school support for pupils with special educational needs. An LSA will normally work with a particular pupil or pupils providing close support to the individual pupil and assistance to those responsible for teaching him/her.
TA - Teaching Assistants work either in a general role or they may have responsibilities for a particular child (with a statement or additional educational needs). A key role of the Teaching Assistant is to help raise educational standards in the classroom, by providing support for the pupils, the teacher and the school.
Nursery nurses work with children from birth to eight years old. They work in day nurseries and crèches, supporting teachers in schools. The work involves a mixture of childcare and early education.
EAL Assistant – English as an additional language assistant helps and develops pupils whose mother tongue is not English. Working closely with the class teacher they encourage the child(ren) to improve their English skills.
Support Staff
- Bursar or senior administrator - responsible for finance and office management
- Secretary – Responsible for numerous administrative tasks and all school communication
- Site manager/caretaker – Responsible for security and maintenance of the school premises
- Librarian – responsible for all elements of the school’s library
School governors
Governors work in close partnership with the Headteacher to determine the strategic direction of the school. Representatives include parents, teachers, support staff, local authority, members of the local community, and members of the foundation (the church authority, voluntary trust or organisation that set up the school).
The governing body is often divided into committees with responsibility for admissions, curriculum, staffing, performance management policies, finances and building maintenance.
Secondary school
Headteacher or Principal – responsible for the leadership and management of the school, its staff, its pupils and the education they receive.
Deputy Headteacher(s) – responsible for managing the school in the absence of the Headteacher.
Assistant Headteacher(s) – supports the head and deputy heads with the management of the school.
Heads of Department / Heads of Faculty / Curriculum Coordinators – responsible for the leadership and management of a particular curriculum subject. Subject leaders will monitor standards to ensure high quality teaching, effective use of resources and improved standards of learning and achievement.
Key Stage Coordinator – responsible for particular key stages in particular subjects of the curriculum, including monitoring and improving standards.
Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) – a teacher who has been recognised, through external assessment, as having excellent classroom practice. Increased non-contact time is given so ASTs can share their skills and experience with other teachers, within both their own and other schools.
Heads of Year – responsible for the pastoral aspects of school life.
Special needs coordinator (SENCO) – responsible for the day-to-day provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including the implementation of the SEN code of practice.
Classroom Teachers – plan, prepare and deliver lessons to meet the needs of all pupils, setting and marking work and recording pupil development as necessary. Often work in partnership with teaching assistants.
Supply Teachers – substitute/temporary teachers, usually employed by a supply agency or local authority to take classes when teachers are in training or absent due to sickness.
Other key roles
- Head of learning support
- Personal, social and health coordinator
- School sports coordinator
Support staff in the classroom
- Special support assistant or teaching assistant
- Foreign language assistants
- Learning mentors
Other staff in the school (as per primary)
- Bursar or senior administrator – responsible for finance and office management.
- Site manager or caretaker
- Technicians
- ICT technicians
- Librarian