Headteacher
Greatfields School, Barking, IG11 7QG20 days remaining to apply
Start date details
1st Sept 2026
Closing date
2 February 2026 at 11am
Date listed
13 January 2026
Job details
Job role
- Headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £123,438.00 - £141,365.00 Annually (Actual) L33–39 (Inner London Leadership Spine)
Headteacher job summary
Greatfields School is seeking an inspiring and values-driven Headteacher to guide a thriving, ambitious and community-centred school into its next chapter.
Greatfields opened as a brand-new 11-18 school in 2016, located in central Barking, East London, at the heart of the redeveloped Weavers Quarter, in purpose-built accommodation. It currently has 1,260 pupils, including a growing Sixth Form. The school shares a campus with Greatfields Primary School, and the two schools, though separate entities, work closely together under a shared governing body.
The school has quickly established a positive reputation with parents and the local community and is known for excellent behaviour and the high ambitions it has for its young people. It achieved Ofsted ‘Good’ in 2019 at its first inspection and this grade was confirmed in 2024.
Greatfields is part of a multi-academy trust - Partnership Learning - which supports 20 schools. Headteachers in the Trust’s schools have high levels of autonomy - similar to those leading local authority schools or stand-alone academies.
About the School
Greatfields is a school where:
High expectations and clear routines create a calm, purposeful environment.
Students feel safe, respected and known.
Staff are valued, supported and developed.
Inclusion, diversity and community partnership are central to the school’s identity.
A broad, knowledge-rich curriculum is matched by a vibrant extended offer of clubs, trips and cultural experiences.
The Role
As Headteacher you will provide ethical, strategic, instructional and operational leadership that secures excellent educational outcomes and life chances for all learners.
We are looking for a leader who:
Believes deeply in inclusion and diversity
Understands and is committed to the vital role a school plays in its local community
Has a clear vision for educational excellence, combined with the ability to inspire and motivate staff, pupils, and families to achieve it
Is passionate about improving life chances for children in disadvantaged areas, and can lead with empathy, resilience, and ambition.
Applications are welcomed from:
Talented senior leaders ready for their first headship, with the capacity to make a lasting impact
Existing Headteachers seeking a new challenge
Applications
If you would like to visit the school, either before or after applying, please email Kamar El Ghabaoui, the Headteacher’s PA at kael@greatfieldsschool.com
If you would like an informal discussion about the role with the Trust CEO, please email hrpayroll@partnershiplearning.com
Applications must be made online, by application form available at www.greatfieldsschool.com
- CVs will not be accepted. Your supporting statement should, of course, address key aspects of the person specification, although please do not feel that you need to evidence every single one of them.
Completed applications should be submitted by 12 Noon on Monday 2nd February 2026.
Partnership Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its pupils and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An enhanced criminal record check via DBS will be undertaken for the successful candidate. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and a comprehensive screening process, including a disclosure check, will be undertaken on all applicants.
Further information about the job
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 will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Greatfields School
- School type
- Free School, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1224 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Greatfields School website
Greatfields School is a mixed, non-selective, non-denominational, secondary free school, situated in the Gascoigne community in Barking, East London. The school opened in September 2016 with 120 Year 7 students, and aims to grow to a 10-form entry, 11-18 school with 1,800 pupils in purpose-built new accommodation. Greatfields School is a partner school within the multi-academy educational trust – Partnership Learning.
Although Greatfields School’s priority is maximising examination success, it believes school is not just about academic study. It actively encourages all students to enjoy school and to get involved in as wide a range of activities as possible. Attendance at after school clubs is exceptionally high, with half of the students regularly staying behind to attend a club every night.
Greatfields School’s mission is to provide the young people of the community with a first-class education and to equip them with the skills and knowledge they will need to achieve their future dreams. Greatfields School is built on three simple principles: high quality teaching and learning for all students; a culture of positive behaviour; high aspirations for all students.
The school believes its boundaries are clear and expectations are high, which enables students to reach their full potential. Positive relationships underpin everything that it does. Greatfields School believes it is creating a school which staff and students enjoy coming to every day. There is a high level of mutual respect between staff and students which ensures a positive and calm atmosphere throughout the building and in classrooms. It wants students to enjoy their time at school whilst at the same time striving hard to achieve their goals.
Head of School,
Richard Paul
School location
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