During my leadership career I have developed an extensive range of senior leadership skills and in particular, as substantive headteacher, I have led two schools from Serious Weaknesses/Notice to Improve to Requires Improvement/Satisfactory in the last six years. I have created and implemented significant strategic, operational and cultural change in both institutions, in a context of reducing financial resources.I have always chosen to work in school improvement in the most challenging educational environments. I have a strong belief in equality and diversity, particularly in multi-cultural settings.

I am also currently seeking Non-Executive Directorships in Charities and Not for Profit Organisations.

Employment History

20 August 2015 to 18 March 2016 - Interim Principal – Vision Studio School, Mansfield

With 220 students on roll, the 14-18 studio school serves a very disadvantaged community, with over 50% students accessing FSM.

• Created SEF indicating school’s areas for improvement after its first year of operation
• Worked with the Trust Board to identify areas for improvement, producing a new School Improvement Plan in September as preparation for prospective Ofsted visit in 2016
• Led the school through successful DfE Monitoring Inspection visits (5.10.15 &7.3.16)
• Worked alongside local headteachers and representatives of the Local Authority to improve communication between all schools, both academies and maintained schools
• Undertook staffing and curriculum reviews to support system change and rapid improvements, bringing rigour, better accountability, better line management and cost efficiencies
• Developed staff and Governors in their understanding of Ofsted and the school’s journey
• Governors extended contract to end of March 2016
• Introduced accountability measures including SISRA data analysis system
• Worked with local business partners to raise awareness of student employment availability
• Supported school and Governors in appointment of substantive Principal for Sept 2016

5 January 2015 to 16 July 2015 - Interim Principal & then Consultant Principal - All Saints Catholic High School, Knowsley

With 1100 students on roll, the 11-18 school serves a very disadvantaged community, with over 60% students accessing FSM.

• Ofsted judgement on 10 & 11 December 2014 was "Special Measures"
• Worked with LA and Diocese to produce a new School Improvement plan as an Ofsted Action Plan, judged as "fit for purpose" in first s.8 inspection (11 March 2015) and “making reasonable progress” in second s.8 inspection (24 & 25 June 2015)
• Preparing for and leading the school through its first and second HMI Monitoring visits
• Communicated frequently with the incoming permanent Principal
• Tackled significant staffing/union issues and delivered school's new staffing re-structure
• LA extended contract to support incoming Principal for summer term as Consultant Principal
• Led strategic change at Senior and Middle Leadership levels, to improve accountability
• Raised achievement for students, to 40% 5ACEM 2015 (from 32% 5ACEM 2014)

1 September 2012 to 31 December 2014 - Headteacher - Bruntcliffe School, Morley

With 1100 students on roll, the 11-18 school serves a predominantly white working-class intake. Over 40% are FSM and around 12% SEN/D.

• Most recent Ofsted judgement was 7-8 May 2014, when the school achieved "Requires Improvement" grade, coming out of "Serious Weaknesses".
• 5ACEM increased from 44% in 2012 on my arrival to 52% in 2013.
• Summer 2014 saw 64% C+ in Maths.
• Re-structures (3 in total) ensured a stream-lined and more cost-effective Senior Leadership and Middle Leadership Team. Over 100 staff left the school, many after redundancies were announced.

Ofsted 29 November 2013: "The school’s leaders, and especially the headteacher, have been successful in keeping the school focused sharply on improvement. This is particularly significant given the scale of the restructuring of teaching staff, including the high proportion of staff who have left and joined the school since the previous monitoring inspection. "The headteacher’s drive and determination, combined with the high expectations she has of herself and the staff, is keeping the school focused on continuous improvement.

1 September 2009 to 31 August 2012 - Headteacher - Barlby High School, Selby

With 700 students on roll, the 11-16 school serves a predominantly white intake. Around 25% are FSM and around 10% SEN/D.

• Most recent Ofsted judgement was March 2013 (just after I left), when the school achieved "Good" grade
• 5ACEM increased from 40% in 2009 on my arrival to 58% in 2012.
• Interim Executive Board in place from October 2009
• Re-structures (2 in total) ensured a stream-lined and more cost-effective Senior Leadership and Middle Leadership Team. Over 50 staff left the school, many after redundancies were announced.

1 September 2005 to 31 August 2009 - Deputy Headteacher - Allerton High School, Leeds

1 April 2002 to 31 August 2005 - Director: Raising Achievement through Data - Challenge College, Bradford

1 September 1999 to 1 April 2002 - Teacher of History & Literacy Co-ordinator - Priesthorpe School, Pudsey, Leeds

Education

"O" Levels: 1979-1981: 8 x A grades, 3 x B grades

"A" Level: 1990: 1 x A grade

University: 1997: BSc (Hons) History & Politics, First Class, Open University

Post-graduate: 1999: PGCE History & PSE, Trinity & All Saints College, Leeds

Masters: 2003: MSc Educational Leadership, Leeds Metropolitan University

NPQH: 2006

SEN Award: 2011, Bath Spa University

Professional Development

West Notts College - Data Protection – February 2016

NSPCC Safer Recruitment in Education - November 2015

Virtual College – FGM - November 2015

Virtual College Safeguarding e-academy – Protecting Children from CSE - November 2015

Child Protection Company - Further Child Protection - October 2015

NYCC & York Safeguarding Boards – Basic Awareness in Child Protection - May 2015

OCR Examiner’s Standardisation training - June 2015 (History GCSE)

OCR Examiners' Standardisation Setup training - April 2015 (History GCSE)

ASCL Annual Conference – 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

ASCL Regional Conference - 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

Northern Education Conference - November 2014

Hays Seminar - Leading in Impossible Times - Sir Tim Brighouse & David Cameron - 23 Oct 2014

ASCL Council - Professional and Leadership & Governance Committees - October 2014 to date

Additional information

Coach for NPQSL October 2015

Vice-Chair of the Leadership & Governance Committee of ASCL Council from October 2014 onwards

Vice-Chair of the Professional Committee of ASCL Council from October 2015 onwards.

Co-opted on to Council of ASCL from September 2014 for two years

Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors from April 2015

Member of national CEIAG Working Party for ASCL in November 2014

Judge for History in Parliament’s annual Post-16 essay competition 2014 & 2015

Panel Member for Degree Approval, Trinity University, March 2015

Assistant Examiner for OCR GCSE History 2002, 2006, 2007, 2015

Member of the Teachers' Advisory Group (TAG) for the Transformation Trust charity from 2007; Chair of TAG from 2010 to date

Asked to be member of the Business in the Community headteacher stakeholder group from September 2014; presented to BITC Leeds 20 May 2015

Elected Chair of the Secondary Committee of the Historical Association in September 2004, then Deputy President from 2010-2012; now biennial compere of HA's The Great Debate, most recently March 2015 and seminar presenter at HA Annual Conferences (May)

Testimonial from Richard Long, Chair of IEB at Barlby High School

“At the end of 2009 I was approached by the Education Department of the Local Authority to become a member of an Interim Executive Board for a failing local secondary (11 to 16) school - the previous headteacher had retired and the Board of Governors had been dismissed. At the time I was a senior HR manager in a large multi-national organisation and was chosen for the role, in part, due to my extensive experience in organisational change.  Heather Scott had been appointed a few months before the IEB was set up, and was faced with a school where the levels of student achievement were far from where they should have been, coupled with a very large budget deficit which hampered the ability to facilitate change.

Heather’s performance in transforming the school was little short of outstanding. She very quickly recognised the interventions that needed to take place, had an instant impact on the culture of the school – both of the staff and the students – and in two years moved the school results from below 50% ACEM to over 90% ACEM. This was largely due to her inspired leadership, requirements for high standards in staff (teaching and non-teaching) and students, plus her determination to ensure the best outcomes for the students at the school. It was a privilege to work with her.”