Principal

King James's School, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD4 6SG

21 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  1st September 2026

• Closing date

  4 March 2026 at 7am

• Date listed

  11 February 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £103,030.00 - £119,350.00 Annually (Actual) L29-L35

Principal job summary

We are seeking to appoint an innovative and inspirational Principal to be the 29th leader of our school. This is a great opportunity for a highly successful senior leader to join an aspirational and successful school.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate strong achievements at a senior level, who is able to lead our school to further success. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of all areas of school leadership including school improvement, finance, health & safety, safeguarding, staffing and teaching & learning.

We are justifiably proud to be one of the highest attaining 11-16 comprehensive schools in Kirklees and are regularly, heavily, oversubscribed. All our key performance measures are higher than the local and national averages. We were awarded ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted in November 2019 and, at our most recent inspection, in February 2025, Ofsted judged that "King James’s School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection".

We serve a suburban area and several villages to the south and east of Huddersfield. We have been a Single Academy Trust since we converted in 2012, but can trace our origin back to 1608 when we were given the charter by King James I. We have a strong and committed staff who are proud to work here. There are 7 members of our Senior Leadership Group, 56 teachers (52.60.4fte) and 56 associate staff (42.54fte). Our current budget allocation is £7.2m with £336,000 to support Pupil Premium students.

‘The King James’s Way’ sets out the values and commitments which lie at the centre of everything we do.

At King James’s School, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping everyone reach their full potential. We offer a comprehensive training and development programme, which enables staff to perform to the very best of their abilities.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and safety of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. We ask all applicants to provide us with two references, which will be obtained prior to any interview. We will also carry out online searches for all candidates who are shortlisted for interview as part of our due diligence. Any successful candidate will be required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This post involves direct contact with children and is considered to be a regulated activity. This role is exempt for the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so most criminal convictions must be disclosed to us.

We would welcome you to visit our school. Hosted visits will take place on Tuesday 24 February 2026 at 16:00 and Wednesday 25 February at 9:00.

If you have any questions about the role, or if you would like to attend one of the hosted Visit sessions, please contact Tracey Brook, PA to the Principal, on 01484 412990 or email her (staff.tbrook@kingjames.school).

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

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.

Commitment to safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding & promoting welfare & safety of children and young people and expect staff to share this commitment. We ask applicants to provide us with two references, which will be obtained prior to any interview. We will carry out online searches for shortlisted candidates as part of our due diligence. Successful candidates will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check. This post involves direct contact with children and is considered to be a regulated activity. This role is exempt for the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so most criminal convictions must be disclosed to us.

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.

About King James's School

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 1064 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: King James's School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/king-james-s-school-huddersfield

King James’s School is a successful and oversubscribed 11-16 comprehensive school (NOR 906), serving a suburban area and a scatter of villages to the east and south of Huddersfield. It is situated approximately 2 miles from the centre of Huddersfield in a semi-rural position overlooking the Farnley Valley.

Our origins go back to the thirteenth century and the school, which has occupied its present site since 1547, became an Academy in 2012.

King James’s is a truly comprehensive school. The annual intake of 180 students, for which we are regularly over-subscribed, has a very broad socio-economic and ethnic mix, closely resembling the wider British society. Our intake comes predominantly from the priority admission area of Lepton, Kirkheaton and Grange Moor, but we also take from outside the area, particularly from Dalton and Almondbury.

‘A lovely, friendly school, full of history and character, offering an excellent learning environment in a wonderful setting’ - Ofsted 2018

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