Headteacher (St John's Primary & Surrey Hills All Saints Primary)

St John's Church of England Primary School, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 2LR

25 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  1st September 2025

• Closing date

  28 April 2025 at 5pm

• Date listed

  18 March 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £75,206.00 - £86,904.00 Annually (Actual) GST Band L17-L23

Headteacher (St John's Primary & Surrey Hills All Saints Primary) job summary

We are seeking a Headteacher who has the passion, drive and enthusiasm to build and develop the schools’ existing strengths and values. To lead, motivate, develop and inspire school communities committed to giving our children a bespoke curriculum that promotes values, a range of life skills and a love of learning. We are searching a dynamic and experienced individual to assume the pivotal role of Headteacher. Recognising the critical nature of this position, we are eager to find a candidate who can infuse the role with not only stability, leadership, and commitment but also a vibrant energy that propels both schools forward.

As the leader of the school communities, you will model and promote positive attitudes and relationships amongst staff, children, local committee members and parents in keeping with the Trust’s vision and values. You will be an outstanding practitioner with strong leadership skills and a proven track record for raising progress and attainment.

The successful candidate will work with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Education Officer and the other schools in the hub to improve outcomes for children within Surrey Hills All Saints Primary and St John’s C of E Primary schools and across the Trust.

Main Purpose of the job:

To carry out the duties of a Headteacher recognising the unique features of our school. This is in accordance with the Headteachers’ Standards (2020).

Strategic direction and development of the schools

Work with the Local Committee to review and develop the strategic vision for the schools in their communities, and analyse and plan for the future needs and further development of the schools

• Provide vision and direction to secure effective teaching, successful learning and achievement by pupils and sustained improvement in their social, moral, cultural, spiritual, and physical development to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life

• Ensure that School Development Plans, based on robust self-evaluation, are in place and are delivered and impacts on school improvement

• Enable the Local Committees to challenge and support the schools effectively to enable them to meet their responsibilities, by attending meetings and providing timely and relevant information on:

• Progress against School Development Plans

• Pupil attainment, progress and achievement and quality of teaching and learning

• Action arising from any recent audits

• Child safeguarding, bullying, exclusions, and attendance

• Such other matters as the Local Committee needs to be informed about in order to be effective

• Working with your SBM, propose to the Trust a balanced budget that meets the needs and addresses the priorities within the School Development Plans across the planning period.

• Ensure creativity, continuous improvement and the use of appropriate technologies to achieve excellence and a broad curriculum, equipping pupils well for their next stage of education

• Promote the vision and values of the schools and demonstrate them in everyday work and practice to allow both children and adults to flourish

• Promote an inclusive environment and positive and respectful relationships across the school communities

Leading teaching and learning

Work with staff and the Local Committees and sustain effective learning throughout the schools

• Monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and standards of pupils’ achievement across the schools, using benchmarks and rigorous analysis of data to identify priorities for school development and setting targets for improvement

• Establish creative, responsive and effective approaches to learning and teaching

• Demonstrate and articulate high expectations and set stretching targets for the whole school communities

• Implement strategies which secure high standards of behaviour and attendance

• Ensure a diverse, creative, flexible curriculum

• Implement an effective assessment framework

• Embody excellent leadership together with confident, clear and sensitive oral and written communication skills

• Work in partnership with staff, the wider community and other service providers to maintain and extend the curriculum and sustain a variety of after school provisions.

Managing the school

• Ensure staff and pupils’ safety and welfare through effective approaches to safeguarding, as part of duty of care

• Create an organisational structure which reflects the schools’ vision and values and enables the management systems, structures and processes to work effectively in line with legal requirements

• Recruit, retain, develop and deploy staff effectively in order to maintain the highest quality of education and to achieve the vision and goals of the schools

• Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk

• Develop and present a coherent, understandable and accurate account of the schools’ performance to a range of audiences including the Trust, parents and carers, to ensure that they are well informed about the curriculum, attainment and progress and about the contribution that they can make to achieving the schools’ targets.

Leading and Managing Staff

Plan, allocate, support and evaluate the work undertaken by all staff, ensuring clear and appropriate delegation of tasks and devolution of responsibilities

• Work closely with the administrative staff to ensure the smooth running of the schools

• Put in place effective means of communication with staff that provides them with support, and the information needed to help them in carrying out their duties effectively

• Implement and sustain effective strategies and processes for staff induction and the performance management of staff, including the appraisal process, ensuring it is balanced and robust

• Support subject leaders in the development of core and foundation subjects

• Ensure that staff have access to appropriate, high-standard professional development opportunities

• Ensure that trainees and early career teachers are appropriately trained, monitored, supported and assessed in relation to all relevant standards

• Manage staff with due attention to workload and broader wellbeing

• Maintain a culture of high staff professionalism, ensuring staff understand their professional responsibilities and are held to account

• Sustain a culture of trust and mutual support from the SLT through to all staff

• Demonstrate strong commitment to their own professional development.

Safeguarding

Promote and uphold a strong safeguarding culture across the school community, ensuring current good practice is sustained and continues to evolve to remain up to date

• Ensure the policies and procedures relating to safeguarding and safer recruitment are adopted by the Local Committee and are fully implemented and followed by all staff

• Ensure sufficient resources and time are allocated to enable the designated person and other staff to discharge their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding, including taking part in strategy discussions and other inter-agency meetings, and contributing to the assessment of children

• Ensure all staff and volunteers feel able to raise concerns about poor and unsafe practice in regard to children and that such concerns are addressed sensitively and effectively in a timely manner in accordance with agreed whistleblowing policies.

Commitment to safeguarding

The Good Shepherd Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We ensure that all our recruitment and employment practices reflect this commitment.

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.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

About St John's Church of England Primary School

• School type: Academy, Church of England, ages 3 to 11
• Education phase: Primary
• School size: 229 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 3 to 11
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: St John's Church of England Primary School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/st-john-s-church-of-england-primary-school-dorking

On behalf of the children, staff, Governors and The Good Shepherd Trust, I would like to welcome you to St John’s Church of England Primary School. We hope you find our website clear, informative and easy to navigate. It is designed to give you a flavour of the vibrant life of our school, the work of our pupils and the quality education we strive to deliver.

St John’s is a one-form entry primary school welcoming children from age 3 to 11 years old in a caring, happy and supportive environment that enables children to achieve their full potential.

The school is very privileged to have outstanding facilities including a swimming pool, Astroturf, a school farm, Discovery Room and stimulating learning environments, giving our children opportunities to explore learning in a fun and engaging way.

With our Christian Values underpinning all the work we do, our children learn together in an atmosphere of high expectations, mutual respect and friendship. We know and value each child in our school and believe in ensuring that all children achieve their best through high quality teaching and support. Learning at St John’s is an exciting and challenging experience for each child. There is a strong emphasis on delivering all areas of the curriculum to a high standard, so that each child experiences a broad and balanced curriculum; developing skills, knowledge and understanding in all areas.

Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and we look forward to meeting you

Jacky Fyson

School location

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