Headteacher
St John's CofE Primary School, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 5EL20 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
2 March 2026 at 9am
Date listed
10 February 2026
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
Pay scale
- Band 3 Leadership Scale, Outer London, Pay Range: L15 - L21
What skills and experience we're looking for
Headteacher Job Description
Spring 2026
The Headteacher will guide St. John’s Church of England Primary School into the next stage of developing its strengths and addressing the areas needing development.
The Headteacher will provide professional leadership for the school, setting clear direction and securing high-quality teaching and learning for all pupils while sustaining the embedded Christian character.
The Headteacher will lead and embody a shared vision shaped by the school's vision of Love Learn Flourish and values of peace, compassion, joy and wonder, trust and generosity. While supporting pupils to flourish academically, socially and spiritually, this role calls for high ambition and energy, a strong and visual commitment to safeguarding and the ability to build positive, trusting relationships with all members of the school and wider community.
Main roles and responsibilities
Shaping the Future
1. To articulate, model and embed the school's Christian vision and values in all aspects of school life.
2. To work in partnership with the Governing Body to set and deliver a clear strategic direction for the school, keeping children, learning and wellbeing at the heart of decision-making as the school enters its next stage of development, with safeguarding embedded throughout.
3. To lead the school in preparation for Ofsted and SIAMS inspections; followed by addressing the outcomes by maintaining strengths and responding effectively to areas for development in line with current frameworks.
4. To be committed to the future of the school's community, able to anticipate and respond to changes in the demographics of the community, existing funding challenges and potential further restrictions, changes in education policy and in the wider socio-economic situation, while ensuring that the vision of the school and needs of the community are at the core of strategic planning.
5. To continue to build on the school's reputation for inclusion and high-quality SEND support, with a strategic focus on strengthening provision and using space effectively to respond to a growing and increasingly complex range of needs.
6. To improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, ensuring the needs of all vulnerable groups are met and exceeded, whether SEND, Pupil Premium or other groups.
7. To develop and maintain the school's premises and outdoor space to meet the needs of the curriculum and enhance pupils' school experience and learning.
8. To be ambitious for the school and its potential, seeking ways to maximise and build on its core assets to the advantage of pupils, staff and wider community.
Leadership and Management
9. To support and enhance the Christian distinctiveness of the school through personal example and professional leadership.
10. To shape a collaborative and supportive learning culture in which children and staff feel valued and are understood, encouraged, inspired and equipped to succeed.
11. To produce and implement clear, evidence-based school development plans and policies for the future of the school.
12. To model sustainable financial and resource management, including long-term financial planning to support the vision of the school, in partnership with the Governing Body,
13. To promote a culture of financial responsibility and awareness across the school, ensuring financial decisions support educational priorities and deliver best value for money.
14. To ensure staffing structures are affordable, sustainable, and aligned with the school’s educational priorities.
15. To lead a robust safeguarding culture, ensuring safer recruitment practices and that all staff, governors, volunteers, contractors and visitors understand and fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities.
16. To train and retain, motivate and inspire staff through regular feedback, effective appraisal, professional development and supportive performance management.
17. To be a supportive and encouraging role model for staff, helping them to thrive professionally and maintain a positive work life balance.
18. To work openly, constructively and effectively with the Governing Body.
19. To ensure compliance with all relevant statutory, legal and diocesan requirements.
Teaching, Learning and Standards
20. To ensure the school provides an engaging learning environment and a creative and broad curriculum which reflects the children who learn here and enables all children to achieve their full potential, and incorporate rich PSHE/SMSC curricula to help keep children safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain.
21. To ensure high standards of teaching and learning throughout the school and across the curriculum, including spiritual development as an intrinsic element and delivering high standards of teaching, learning and fostering aspiration for pupils with SEND.
22. To maintain a consistent focus on pupil achievement, monitoring, tracking and reporting on progress and attainment, including accurate and timely reporting to the Governing Body.
23. To maintain high aspirations for and expectations of the whole school community, in a supportive environment.
24. To identify areas for ongoing school development by monitoring and evaluating the performance of the school through self-evaluation and external review.
25. To maintain a culture in which children are enabled to grow academically, socially and spiritually, recognising that children need more than academic knowledge.
26. To ensure effective planning, allocation, support and evaluation of staff work with clear delegation of tasks, so that staff are motivated and empowered.
27. To make the most of the school's location to provide wide-ranging experiences which inspire a joy of discovery and give children the widest possible chance to excel.
28. To ensure high standards of behaviour and attendance are maintained.
Community
29. To lead and sustain community-building initiatives, bringing pupils, parents/carers, staff and parish together in a happy, welcoming, Christian school.
30. To build on the school's good reputation, ensuring parents/carers and pupils are well informed about school life, values, progress and the curriculum, and are involved in supporting and encouraging children's progress.
31. To strengthen partnerships with parents and carers, including the constructive handling of challenge and concern through clear written and verbal communication of established and re-enforced procedures and governance systems, using a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job.
32. To support and develop a cohesive and strong staff team, ensuring this school is a place where people want to work, grow and deliver their best.
33. To embrace and strengthen the links with the local parish, ensuring faith continues to be at the heart of this school.
34. To actively engage with other schools and organisations in the interests of enriching the school and its value to the wider school community, as well as collaboration with multi-agency partners in the best interests of pupil welfare and safeguarding.
35. To ensure effective liaison with Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and the London Borough of Croydon.
Equality and Inclusion
36. To fulfil the school's duties under the Equality Act 2010, including those relating to its religious character.
37. To promote a Christian culture of equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging across the staff team and all other aspects of school life, ensuring a positive environment in which diversity is embraced.
38. To deliver a broad, diverse curriculum which reflects and engages the children who learn here
39. To actively work to ensure each child flourishes to reach their full potential and leaves our school with confidence and hope, including our children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
40. To ensure the unique vulnerabilities of pupils with SEND needs are addressed within the school's safeguarding framework, and to target, monitor and evaluate SEND resources for best value.
41. To implement the SEND Code of Practice and the school's SEND plans to ensure that pupils' needs are fully met, including through training and equipping staff to meet the needs of all children, including those with SEND.
42. To continuously assess and improve the accessibility of premises, resources and to the curriculum for all pupils.
Safeguarding
43. Have a demonstrable commitment to safer recruitment to ensure the school has a culture where low-level concerns can be freely reported in order to retain all pieces of the safeguarding jigsaw and to ensure this is driven from the top with a visible commitment to reducing risks and keeping children safe with no compromise.
44. To commit to safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people, to have a thorough knowledge of all safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure safeguarding is at the heart of all policy and practice in the school.
45. To be part of the Designated Safeguarding Lead team and potentially the Senior DSL for the school.
46. To have the ability to train, mentor and challenge staff on their safeguarding practice to ensure it is of the highest standard, and to ensure staff have all the necessary safeguarding training and are equipped to fulfil their safeguarding roles.
Ethics and Professional Conduct
47. To demonstrate consistently high standards of principled and professional conduct, to meet the teachers' standards and be responsible for providing the conditions in which teachers can fulfil them. Headteachers must always uphold and demonstrate the Seven Principles of Conduct in Public Life (Nolan Principles).
48. To be familiar with the Headteacher's Standards and always uphold them in relation to school culture, teaching, curriculum and assessment, behaviour, additional and special educational needs, professional development, organisational management, school improvement, working in partnership, governance and accountability, demonstrating integrity, fairness and professionalism in all aspects of leadership.
49. To be responsible for ensuring the school embodies its vision, values and ethos and that those are lived authentically, balancing ambition with compassion and care.
This job description is not exhaustive, and roles and responsibilities may be amended following discussion with the Chair of Governors. It should be read in conjunction with the range of duties and responsibilities of Headteachers as set out in the Headteacher's Standards and the Teachers' Pay and Conditions document.
What the school offers its staff
St. John’s offers you:
- collaborative and dedicated colleagues
- highly motivated and happy children who strive to achieve their best
- an ambitious and supportive governing body
- a friendly and thriving school community
- a well-resourced and innovative learning environment in our spacious well-maintained buildings and grounds
- high quality opportunities for professional development
- collaborative working with local primary schools
- good nearby public transport links and free off-street parking
- Teachers’ Pension Scheme
- Paid leave taken during the school holiday periods in line with the STPCD and with no fixed number of annual leave days
- access to a free Employee Assistance Programme
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
St John’s CofE Primary School is an employer committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments will be subject to vetting, including an enhanced DBS check and childcare disqualification Declaration. References will also be sought. Photographic identification and certificates of all relevant qualifications will need to be provided at the interview stage. In line with the GDPR and the expected provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) the school is responsible for holding and protecting personal data. For information on who we share data with please see our website for our Privacy Notice.
Applying for the job
This job requires you to download an application form, you will be able to upload the application once complete.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About St John's CofE Primary School
- School type
- Local authority maintained school, Church of England, ages 4 to 11
- Education phase
- Primary school
- School size
- 419 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- St John's CofE Primary School website
- Email address
- recruitment@st-johns.croydon.sch.uk
- Phone number
- 02086542260
St. John’s is a vibrant and happy oversubscribed Outstanding 2 form entry primary school with a distinctive Christian ethos based in Croydon, Surrey.
Arranging a visit to St John's CofE Primary School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@st-johns.croydon.sch.uk.
School location
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