Trust School Improvement Lead

Transforming Lives Through Exceptional Educational Leadership As a growing specialist multi-academy trust, The Youth Engagement Schools (YES) Trust brings together a diverse family of alternative provision and specialist schools, united by a shared commitment to transforming the lives of children and young people. Our schools are built on child-centred education, authentic relationships and an unwavering belief in every learner’s potential. Across the Trust, highly skilled professionals bring deep expertise in trauma-informed practice, relational approaches, SEND, inclusion and personalised learning. As we continue to expand our national footprint, we are strengthening our regional hub model, bringing together schools through shared expertise, strong local partnerships and collective leadership. Aligned to the DfE’s regional structure, our hubs combine local identity with the consistency, quality and collaboration that define the YES Trust. To support this exciting next phase of our journey, we are seeking an exceptional educational leader to join us as Regional Director for School Improvement. This is a rare opportunity to shape educational excellence across a region within an ambitious and growing national Trust. As one of our Regional Directors, you will play a pivotal role in strengthening leadership, driving sustainable school improvement and ensuring every child benefits from the highest quality education. This role is not about imposing change or applying standardised solutions. Our schools already benefit from strong leadership, committed staff and established cultures of improvement. Instead, it is an opportunity to deepen leadership capacity across the Trust, building on existing strengths through strategic oversight, thoughtful challenge and evidence-informed support. Reporting to the Director of Education, you will act as the Trust’s strategic school improvement partner across your region. Working alongside Executive Headteachers and Headteachers, you will evaluate effectiveness, identify priorities, facilitate the right support and provide constructive challenge to secure meaningful and sustainable improvement. Through rigorous quality assurance, evidence-informed evaluation and a relentless focus on holistic outcomes, you will help every school continue to grow and thrive. What makes the YES Trust distinctive is our recognition that specialist education is deeply contextual. While our schools are united by shared values and high expectations, we know that communities, cohorts and individual learners are different. We trust our leaders to respond to these differences while remaining aligned to the Trust’s vision. This role requires someone who can recognise Transforming Lives Through Exceptional Educational Leadership excellence in different forms, exercise sound professional judgement and work collaboratively across a wide range of specialist settings. We are looking for an accomplished educational leader with a proven track record of securing school improvement and improving outcomes for children and young people. You may be an experienced Headteacher, Executive Headteacher, senior Trust leader, serving Ofsted Inspector, or an experienced system leader seeking the opportunity to influence educational excellence at greater scale. You will bring substantial expertise in school improvement, curriculum leadership and educational evaluation, together with the credibility to work alongside senior leaders across Alternative Provision, SEMH and specialist education. Above all, you will combine strategic thinking, professional curiosity and sound judgement with an unwavering commitment to improving the life chances of vulnerable children and young people. Joining the YES Trust means becoming part of a values-led organisation with a clear moral purpose and bold ambitions for the future. As we continue to grow nationally, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape leadership across the Trust, influence educational excellence beyond a single school and help build a legacy that will benefit children, families and communities for years to come. If you are inspired by the opportunity to shape educational excellence across a region, strengthen leadership at scale and help transform lives, we would be delighted to hear from you.