Headteacher

St Mary and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Garstang, Preston, Lancashire, PR3 1RB

17 days remaining to apply

Closing date
24 June 2025 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
6 June 2025

Job details

Job role: Headteacher
Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern: Full time
Contract type: Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary: £60,644.00 - £70,293.00 Annually (FTE)

Headteacher job summary

Welcome to St Mary & St Michael’s Catholic Primary School: a happy, vibrant, and nurturing learning community. As a caring Catholic school, we offer a welcoming environment where each child's uniqueness is valued and celebrated. At the heart of our school is Christ, and our daily life is rooted in our Mission Statement: By living our values – we shine!

Our Values

At St Mary & St Michael’s, we welcome all. We celebrate each person’s individuality through love, care, and compassion, serving all of God’s family. We respect one another and support each other’s dreams and aspirations. We nurture our faith and practice forgiveness with courage and understanding. We offer every child the opportunity to shine through collaboration and the warmth of our school community. We foster a love for learning, empowering our children to achieve their full potential and follow their dreams.

These values are deeply embedded in our curriculum and evident in our daily interactions. We believe that care and respect for every member of our school family are fundamental.

Our Community

At St Mary & St Michael’s, education is a shared journey. We work in partnership with parents, staff, governors, and the wider parish community. We believe a strong home-school-parish connection is essential for children to thrive academically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Our Vision

Our children love their school and thrive within an ambitious, thoughtfully sequenced curriculum tailored to individual needs. Our dedicated and experienced staff ensure that every child receives a first-class education in a safe, happy, and inspiring environment.

We aim to instill kindness, respect, and a lifelong passion for learning in our pupils. We nurture their talents, broaden their horizons, and encourage them to strive for excellence and make a positive difference in the world.

Headteacher Role

At St Mary & St Michael’s, we are a happy, caring, and faith-filled school community where everyone is encouraged to shine. As our Headteacher, you will lead this vibrant and inclusive Catholic school, helping each child grow in faith, confidence, and a love of learning.

We are looking for someone who can build on our strong foundations and continue to lead with compassion, clarity, and commitment. You’ll help us live out our values every day — putting Christ at the centre of all we do, celebrating each child’s uniqueness, and supporting our staff and families as one school family.

What You’ll Do

Lead with purpose and faith: You’ll provide strong and thoughtful leadership, grounded in Gospel values and the teachings of Jesus. Your vision will inspire children, staff, and the wider community to grow and thrive together.
Make learning come alive: By ensuring high-quality teaching and a rich, carefully planned curriculum, you’ll help every child discover their potential and develop a real passion for learning.
Keep our Catholic identity strong: You’ll guide our school’s spiritual life and make sure our faith is woven into every part of school life — from assemblies and RE lessons to the way we treat one another.
Support and develop our team: Working closely with staff, governors, and families, you’ll create a positive, supportive environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged to give their best.
Work in partnership: You’ll play a key role in our wider school family — including working with our parish, other schools in our CMAT, the Diocese, and local services — always looking for ways to share, learn and grow together.

What Matters to Us

We believe that children learn best when they feel safe, happy, and understood. That’s why we’re looking for a Headteacher who not only sets high standards but leads with kindness, listens carefully, and is committed to seeing every child succeed — academically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Safeguarding

Our Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share the commitment and undergo an enhanced DBS check. The successful candidate will be appointed under the terms and conditions of a CES contract which they will be required to sign. The employer will be the Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Applications must be made on the CES/Mater Ecclesiae Senior Leader application form.

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974(Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013), If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a ‘Disclosure.’ Information provided by you or the Disclosure and Barring Service will be dealt with in a confidential manner in accordance with the DBS’s Code of Practice. You may view the Code of practice on the DBS website at www.gov.uk/dbs or alternatively a copy is available on request.

The school’s safeguarding policies can be found using this link.

Mater Ecclesiae has adopted Lancashire County Council’s policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders. This is available to all applicants upon request.

Please note that in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 an online search will be carried out as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates.

How to apply

Please take the time to read the candidate information pack, and please do contact us before the closing date for an informal chat if you have any questions about the role. If you decide to apply, ensure that you complete the supporting statement in your application to let us know how your experience and personal qualities make you suitable for the role.

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.