Executive Headteacher
Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, Okehampton, EX20 1PU2 days remaining to apply
Job start date
1 September 2025
Closing date
21 April 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
15 April 2025
Job details
Job role
- Headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- L6-L10
Executive Headteacher job summary
About the Role
Would you enjoy working across a group of small schools that collaborate effectively together? Would you like the opportunity to lead a team of senior teachers who are the operational leaders within each school?
If you are looking for a varied and exciting role and would like to have meaningful impact at a senior level across the Trust, then this is the role for you.
We are seeking an exceptional and visionary Executive Headteacher to strategically lead our collaborative group of six primary schools (with a total enrolment of 267 students), which form part of the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. Since 2018, our schools have been united by a shared commitment to educational excellence. This is a unique opportunity to inherit an established, high-performing collaborative framework, where you will build on its success, driving continued improvement, and ensuring sustainable excellence across multiple sites.
Our schools embrace The Church of England’s vision for education in all schools and aim to serve the common good of the entire community. This is a deeply Christian vision of human flourishing for all and one that embraces excellence and academic rigour but sets them in a wider framework of spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and social development and enables children to flourish:
- Educating for wisdom, knowledge, and skills to shape life well.
- Educating for hope and aspiration whereby the worth of each child is demonstrated and valued so that they are guided towards their fulfilling their potential.
- Educating for the community and living well together by sharing a commitment to relationships and the worth of each other.
- Educating for dignity and respect, valuing each person as a unique and valued individual
- As Executive Headteacher, you will be the spiritual leader of the church schools, sustaining and developing their Christian Character. All of our schools seek to embed living well together so that all of our communities flourish.
Key Purpose of the Role
As Executive Headteacher, you will have overall responsibility for ensuring that the leadership across all schools is both highly effective and aligned with the strategic goals of the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. Your leadership will focus on creating a culture of continuous improvement, high achievement, and sustainability, while fostering a safe and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.
You will work closely with the Trust's Executive leadership team and local school leaders to drive high-quality teaching and learning, staff development, and community engagement. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the Trust by ensuring that all schools in the Hub meet the highest standards of educational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership: Develop and articulate a compelling vision for the Hub, aligned with both the Trust’s values and the unique context of each school, ensuring long-term success and sustainability.
- Drive Excellence in Teaching and Learning: Work with school leaders to ensure the delivery of outstanding teaching and learning across all schools, setting ambitious goals for pupil achievement and ensuring all students, including those with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have the support they need to excel.
- Cultivate a Positive, Inclusive School Culture: Foster a culture of high expectations, inclusivity, and resilience, where every child is supported to reach their full potential, and where the wellbeing of staff and students is central to success.
- Collaborative Leadership: Lead a team of Lead Teachers, ensuring strong collaboration and shared responsibility for school improvement. Work closely with the Trust’s Executive leadership team to ensure alignment with broader strategic goals and contribute to the growth and development of the Trust.
- Safeguarding and Welfare: Prioritise safeguarding and child protection, ensuring that all schools in the Hub maintain a robust safeguarding culture that enables children to feel safe, secure, and valued.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with staff, parents, and the wider community, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual respect. Work in partnership with families to ensure high levels of attendance and engagement with school life.
- Operational Excellence: Oversee the effective management of resources across the Hub, ensuring schools are well-supported and equipped to deliver on their strategic priorities. Support Headteachers in addressing operational challenges and delivering efficiency across the schools.
- Continuous Professional Development: Lead by example, ensuring your own professional growth while supporting the development of other leaders within the Hub. Stay informed on national and global educational trends to drive forward-thinking strategies within the schools.
Your Profile
- You will be a leader with a strong sense of moral purpose, a commitment to excellence, and a proven track record of driving school improvement.
- You will possess the ability to inspire and lead diverse teams, with a focus on continuous development, both for staff and pupils.
- Your leadership will be underpinned by integrity, resilience, and a collaborative mindset, and you will demonstrate a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect.
- You will be prepared to travel across Trust settings and offices, engaging with leaders at all levels to drive the Trust’s strategic vision forward.
Additional Information
This role offers an exciting opportunity to lead a group of schools with a shared ethos and vision, building on their existing success to achieve even greater heights. The duties and responsibilities listed above are reflective of the role at present and will be reviewed annually to reflect the Trust's growth and evolving strategy.
Closing Statement
If you are a strategic, innovative, and compassionate leader with a passion for ensuring the very best outcomes for children, we would love to hear from you. Join us as we continue to shape the future of education across our schools and community.
Detailed Person Specification:
Criteria | Essential | Desirable |
Professional Qualifications and Learning | Qualified teacher status Relevant degree (2:2 or higher) Held variety of roles and responsibilities | Undergone safer recruitment training Evidence or recent and relevant CPD National professional qualification for headship (NPQH) or similar |
| Experience | Experience of developing self, staff and leading coaching/continuing professional development. Successful leadership and management experience in a school (minimum of 3 years senior leadership experience). Managing self and others workload to allow appropriate work/life balance.
| Leading safeguarding. Experience of leading and managing a geographically dispersed team and multiple schools. |
| Leading, Learning and Teaching | Knowledge and understanding of a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. An understanding of a whole school approach to improvement and raising standards. Can articulate and demonstrate characteristics of outstanding teaching and learning for all pupils of all abilities. A secure understanding of the processes by which children learn. Ability to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of all achievers. Understanding and use of assessment to inform future teaching and learning. | A nationally recognised coaching qualification or something similar |
| Additional | Displays commitment to the protection and safeguarding of children and young people. Up to date knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to the protection and safeguarding of children and young people. A highly professional approach to their work. Able to demonstrate sound understanding of equality/diversity in the workplace and services provided, especially in the access to delivery of the education of pupils and of own non-discriminatory practice and attitude. | The desire for further career progression. Ability to effectively work collaboratively with parents/carers.
|
Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds to apply.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
All schools in The Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS).
‘This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974.’
Your application form will be processed by My New Term who act for DMAT as a data processor- please see our Privacy Notice for more information about how we process job applicant personal data.
The successful candidate will be required to come to DMAT HQ to complete mandatory training.
Training Details:
Location: Central Head Office (Wardhayes) 8 Simmons Way, Okehampton, EX20 1PY
Purpose: To provide comprehensive training on company policies, procedures, and systems necessary for successful integration into the role.
Training Schedule: Daily sessions from 9am to 4pm, with breaks provided.
Benefits of Training Week:
To gain valuable insights into our company culture and values.
Interact with key stakeholders and team members.
Acquire essential knowledge and skills to excel in your role.
Establish a strong foundation for your career growth within Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs are not accepted.
About Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust
- Type
- Multi-academy trust
Head office location
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