Headteacher
River Mead School, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 7EDThis job expired on 19 February 2024 – see similar jobs
Start date details
1 September 2024
Closing date
19 February 2024 at 9am
Date listed
26 January 2024
Job details
Job role
- Headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- L15 - L21 (starting salary dependent on experience)
Headteacher job summary
We are looking for a dynamic, motivated and creative leader to drive the next phase of development at River Mead School in Melksham. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing Multi Academy Trust and lead one of our three primary schools. We welcome applications from existing Headteachers, as well as experienced senior leaders looking for a new rewarding challenge.
River Mead School is a single entry primary and nursery school with an average number of children on roll of 250. 37 children are educated within the Complex Needs Resource Base, and 34 are in the nursery. The proportion of children living with disadvantage and eligible for pupil premium funding is well above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school is at the heart of its community and takes the pastoral care of its children and families as seriously as it does their educational needs.
The staff pride themselves on the holistic support they offer the children; there are a number of children who receive support from social services and staff recognise that it is only when children feel safe and secure that they are able to learn at their best. Within the school, everyone embraces the ‘River Mead family’ ethic, where the mutual respect for all who work in the school is very evident.
We are looking for a Headteacher who will create an ethic of excellence and ambition for all children. They will drive the implementation of a broad, well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum and ensure high-quality, inclusive teaching and learning across the school. The Headteacher will champion ethical, values-led leadership and nurture talent and expertise across the staff team. They will be someone who is:
- Committed to The Mead Trust’s vision, purpose and values
- Inclusive, passionate, and principled. These are our Trust core principles, and everyone who works for us embodies these in their own unique way
- Able to lead, develop and inspire a strong team of leaders, teachers and support staff to deliver a culture of continuous school improvement
- Creative and dedicated, with the leadership qualities and flair to make great things happen and take the school to the next level
- A motivational leader who will work in partnership with our Trust
- Willing to share practice and to learn from others
- Self-motivated and ambitious, with a strong track record of professional learning
- An excellent, engaging communicator who can develop strong relationships with the school’s key stakeholders, including the children, parents, Academy Advisors and the wider community
To be effective and successful, you will be someone who:
- Has excellent knowledge and understanding of current educational priorities and challenges, and how to deliver a high-quality education to all children
- Will bring energy and creativity to drive curriculum innovation whilst maintaining existing effective practices
- Has a proven track record of achieving success and raising standards as a leader
- Has the belief that every child can and will succeed, and the determination to provide the necessary experiences to make this happen
We pride ourselves on our comprehensive induction process and delivering meaningful, ongoing professional development to all our staff. We invest in, and support, the people that are the right fit for our schools and children, as we believe strongly that it’s much more about attitude and approach than it is about experience. We are therefore interested in hearing from school leaders who are ready to step into leading a school for the first time, as well as experienced Heads who are ready for a new challenge.
We are committed to supporting our Headteachers to create outstanding schools and provide Inspirational Learning for All. The Strategic Leadership Team works closely alongside the Trust CEO to focus on school and Trust-wide improvement and development. Heads meet together regularly and undertake peer support and challenge across our schools.
Visits to the school are warmly welcomed, please contact us at hello@themeadtrust.org to organise this.
We recognise the value and contribution every member of our staff makes to our schools, and in return for their dedication and commitment we provide:
- A clear vision with purpose and values that are supported by all our staff
- An ambitious and vibrant place to work, with enthusiastic staff and children in all of our schools
- A highly organised and very supportive team
- Dedicated weekly planning time which Teaching Assistants are paid to attend
- High quality professional development opportunities from Day One, including a National College training account, where thousands of training courses can be accessed online for free
- Unlimited, free access to the Employee Assistance Programme which gives all our staff confidential support and guidance when they need it most
- A clear, comprehensive induction process
The Mead Trust is made up of three primary schools in Wiltshire: The Mead School and Castle Mead School in Trowbridge and River Mead School in Melksham. All three schools are graded as Good by Ofsted. The schools are individual learning communities, and their differences are valued. The Trust is an organisation characterised by optimism, excellence and creativity. We love to share good practice and to learn from, and challenge, each other. We have a clear focus on continuous improvement to ensure that all of our children achieve the best possible outcomes in all areas of school life. We are currently in the process of merging with Equa Multi-Academy Trust, with a plan for the new Trust to be formed by 1 September 2024. Should the merger go ahead, the new combined Trust will include 2 secondary schools and 16 primary schools. You can read more about the exciting proposals on our Trust website.
This role will involve contact with children and the post holder will be engaged in regulated activity relevant to children and will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed. This Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exception Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. Please note that by submitting an application, you acknowledge that we reserve the right to view any publicly available information published online (including social media platforms) as part of our shortlisting process, in line with current KCSIE guidelines.
Commitment to safeguarding
This role involves contact with children. The post-holder will be engaged in regulated activity relevant to children and subject to an Enhanced DBS check before appointment is confirmed. We submit DBS applications upon position acceptance. We follow Safer Recruitment procedures. Interviews include safeguarding questions. Our Safeguarding Policy is on our website.
Posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Amendments to the Exception Order 1975 (2013/2020) provide certain spent convictions/cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure and cannot be taken into account. Guidance is on the Ministry of Justice website.
About River Mead School
- School type
- Academy, ages 2 to 11
- Education phase
- Primary
- School size
- 247 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 2 to 11
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- River Mead School website (opens in new tab)
We strive to ensure that the school is the centre of our community and with the support of an excellent staff team we do our utmost to develop children into respectful, well-mannered individuals with a passion for learning. The school environment should provide every child with the very best opportunities available, to achieve their potential both academically and in their wider skills; our children are happy, polite and enthusiastic learners. In 2019 OFSTED recognised this passion for excellence stating “River Mead is a nurturing haven of aspiration. Pupils feel safe to make mistakes and are eager to learn from them. They demonstrate pride in their learning and show an appetite to learn”. Working as part of The Mead Trust, we are very proud to be part of a forward-thinking and creative family of schools. These close, supportive links and a shared vision of shaping inspirational learning for all, help enable our school to strive for excellence in all we do.
School location
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