Deputy Headteacher (DOS) job description and duties

Purpose of the role

The post exists to raise and sustain the quality of teaching and learning. It turns the curriculum into timetables, schemes of work and lessons, checks that they happen, measures what learners achieve, and supports teachers to improve. Every duty comes back to whether learners are learning.

Curriculum and timetable duties

• Prepare and maintain the school timetable and the academic calendar.
• Ensure every class has a scheme of work aligned to the syllabus.
• Monitor syllabus coverage and arrange remedial or catch-up teaching.
• Organise the allocation of subjects and classes to teachers with the headteacher.
• Oversee availability of teaching and learning materials.

Supervision and support duties

The deputy observes lessons regularly, gives written and verbal feedback, checks lesson preparation and learners' exercise books, and follows up on agreed improvements. The role mentors new teachers, organises peer observation, and identifies professional development needs across the staff.

Assessment duties

The post coordinates continuous assessment, tests and internal examinations: setting schedules, moderating papers, ensuring consistent marking, compiling results, analysing performance and preparing reports for parents, staff meetings and the district.

Records and reporting

Deputies keep records of marks, attendance, syllabus coverage, observations and professional development. These records support decisions, satisfy inspections and provide evidence when a teacher or a learner needs particular help.

Examination duties

The post organises internal examinations and prepares the school for national ones: registering candidates on time, arranging invigilation, keeping question papers secure, and meeting the conditions the examinations body sets for the day itself. Mistakes here are difficult to correct afterwards, which is why the duty usually sits with one named person.

Working relationships

The post reports to the headteacher and works daily with heads of department, class teachers, the deputy responsible for discipline, and learners. It also deals with parents over academic matters and with sector and district education officers, as well as with inspectors during school visits.

How performance is judged

Schools judge the post by learner performance and its trend, by syllabus coverage and timetable stability, by the regularity and quality of lesson observation and feedback, by the accuracy and timeliness of records and reports, and by the professional atmosphere among teaching staff.