Executive Headteacher
Abbey Junior School, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 8NN12 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2025
Closing date
17 February 2025 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
24 January 2025
Job details
Job role
- Headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Early years, Key stage 1, Key stage 2
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- Between £83,464 – £94,332
Pay scale
- Leadership points 22 - 27
What skills and experience we're looking for
The Trust Board and the schools’ Local Governing Body are looking to appoint an experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated Executive Headteacher to start on 1st September 2025. This is a great opportunity for an existing Executive Headteacher, Headteacher, or ambitious Deputy Head, with a forward-thinking vision and enthusiasm to lead across two exceptionally popular schools.
As Executive Headteacher, you will have the full support of two exceptional Deputy Headteachers, as well as the backing of an enthusiastic, motivated and talented team of staff and governors.
Our ideal candidate will:
- Provide visionary leadership and strategic direction.
- Have a commitment to raising standards and enriching the curriculum.
- Have the drive and ambition to lead a large staff team, ensuring ongoing school improvement.
- Monitor and evaluate the schools’ performance and implement improvement plans.
- Foster a positive and inclusive school culture.
- Nurture a teamwork ethos - ensuring professional development and high standards of teaching.
- Engage with parents, pupils, and the wider community to promote the schools’ values and achievements.
- Lead by example, ensuring high expectations across all aspects of school life.
- Have a keen awareness of the national education agenda and assessment procedures.
Demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of pupils and staff.
What the school offers its staff
We will offer the successful applicant a happy, welcoming and supportive team where everyone is committed to staff development and raising standards for all in an enjoyable and purposeful environment.
Further details about the role
Visits to the school are welcome and will take place on:
Friday 31 January at 2.00pm
Tuesday 4 February at 10.00am
Tuesday 11 February at 4.00pm
To arrange a visit, please contact Claire Rochester on 01325 380748 or via email: Claire.Rochester@abbeyschools.org.uk
We would also welcome visits to Melrose Learning Trust to speak to the CEO, which will take place on Friday 7 February.
To arrange a visit to Melrose Learning Trust, please contact Stacey Tomlinson, HR and Compliance Manager, on 0191 380 5050 or via email: stomlinson@melroselearingtrust.org.uk
Commitment to safeguarding
Melrose Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to relevant vetting checks in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education Part 3, including an enhanced disclosure, satisfactory references, before an offer of employment is confirmed. All shortlisted candidates will be subject to an online check as part of the safer recruitment process. Melrose Learning Trust welcomes a diverse population of both children and staff and is committed to promoting and developing equality of opportunity in all its functions.
Applying for the job
Please download the application form using the link below, and once completed send to stomlinson@melroselearningtrust.org.uk
CVs are not accepted.
Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Abbey Junior School
- School type
- Academy, ages 7 to 11
- Education phase
- Primary
- School size
- 347 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 7 to 11
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- Abbey Junior School website (opens in new tab)
- Email address
- claire.rochester@abbeyschools.org.uk
- Phone number
- 01325 380748
Abbey Infants and Junior schools are located on the same large site in the heart of Darlington. The infant and junior schools federated in 2007, sharing a leadership team and local governing body, before joining Melrose Learning Trust in February 2024.
With 614 pupils,Abbey Infants and Juniors are warm, inclusive family schools with a strong sense of community and a commitment to excellence for all children in our care. We aim to ensure that our children feel safe and happy and achieve their potential as unique individuals
and as learners.
Abbey is a learning community, which evolves and changes. We believe that education is about expanding our expectations and building on firm foundations. It is critical for our success that every learner is well equipped with a balance of social, moral and academic skills. We have excellent staff who are committed to providing unique, stimulating and interesting learning opportunities, which motivate our learners to apply their skills.
Our vision is to provide a high quality, relevant educational community which enables children to achieve their best in a safe, creative and exciting environment. All are valued and inspired to flourish and grow as individuals, leaving us believing anything is possible. Our aims reflect our beliefs and values; they represent our vision and what we want to achieve as a school community. We endeavour to move the schoolforward to meet the challenges of an ever changing world.
We are very proud that both Abbey Infants (November 2022) andAbbey Juniors (June 2023) have both been judged by Ofsted as ‘Good’ schools. Inspectors identified that the curriculum is ‘broad, well-organised and ambitious’ and led by ‘passionate subject leaders’. Inspectors also highlighted that although the infant and junior schools are in separate buildings, ‘older pupils act as role models, supporting younger pupils in their play at lunchtime’.
We believe that Abbey is a place that offers excellent opportunities for children, parents,the community and our staff.
Arranging a visit to Abbey Junior School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email claire.rochester@abbeyschools.org.uk.
School location
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