School Principal - UK Curriculum

LEAMS Education; Dubai; On-site; AED 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tax-free remuneration

Performance-linked incentives

Learning & development

Job summary

LEAMS Education in Dubai seeks a School Principal to provide strategic, academic, and operational leadership for a UK curriculum school. You will work closely with the Board and senior teams to deliver excellence, governance, and financial accountability while focusing on student outcomes and parent engagement.

The ideal candidate will have proven senior leadership experience in a UK curriculum setting, strong data-driven decision making, safeguarding expertise, and the ability to grow enrolment

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education or related field.
• NPQH or equivalent leadership qualification preferred.
• Proven senior leadership experience in a UK curriculum school.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the whole‑school strategic improvement plan.
• Align school priorities with governance framework and group objectives.
• Maintain a clear educational vision focused on academic excellence, innovation, inclusion, and holistic student development.
• Ensure high-quality teaching and learning in line with the National Curriculum for England.
• Oversee curriculum continuity across primary, secondary, IGCSE, and A‑Level pathways.
• Use student performance data to identify trends, set priorities, and drive measurable improvements.
• Establish clear accountability for attainment, progress, teaching quality, and student wellbeing.
• Lead school self‑evaluation, improvement planning, and inspection readiness.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulatory authorities, British curriculum standards, safeguarding requirements, and internal policies.
• Maintain robust child protection, safeguarding, health, safety, and student welfare systems.
• Strengthen senior and middle leadership through coaching, performance management, and succession planning.

Skills

Whole-school leadership

UK curriculum leadership

National Curriculum for England

IGCSE

A-Level

Data-informed decision-making

Safeguarding leadership

Staff development

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Education

Master’s degree in Education

NPQH or equivalent leadership qualification

Job description

Job Details

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry: Primary-Secondary Education
Function: School-College Administration
Experience: Proven senior leadership experience in a UK curriculum school
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: 35000-55000

Role Context

The School Principal will provide strategic, academic, and operational leadership across the entire school. The role requires a high‑calibre education professional who can combine a compelling vision with disciplined execution, strong governance, measurable academic improvement, and financial accountability. The Principal will work closely with the Board of Directors, senior leaders, middle leaders, teachers, parents, regulators, and community stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of the whole‑school strategic improvement plan.
• Align school priorities with the LEAMS Education governance framework and group objectives.
• Maintain a clear educational vision focused on academic excellence, innovation, inclusion, and holistic student development.
• Ensure high-quality teaching and learning in line with the National Curriculum for England.
• Oversee curriculum continuity across primary, secondary, IGCSE, and A-Level pathways.
• Use student performance data to identify trends, set priorities, and drive measurable improvements.
• Establish clear accountability for attainment, progress, teaching quality, and student wellbeing.
• Lead school self‑evaluation, improvement planning, and inspection readiness.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulatory authorities, British curriculum standards, safeguarding requirements, and internal policies.
• Maintain robust child protection, safeguarding, health, safety, and student welfare systems.
• Strengthen senior and middle leadership through coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Build leadership capacity and establish a sustainable pipeline of future school leaders.
• Recruit, retain, develop, and motivate high‑performing academic and operational teams.
• Promote continuous professional development aligned with school improvement priorities.
• Monitor teaching through learning walks, lesson observations, data reviews, and departmental evaluations.
• Ensure consistent assessment, moderation, reporting, and intervention practices.
• Develop effective strategies for students requiring academic, pastoral, or inclusion support.
• Lead parent engagement and maintain transparent communication with families.
• Strengthen the school’s reputation, community relationships, and market positioning.
• Support enrolment growth through high‑quality education, parent confidence, and effective brand representation.
• Work with group teams to improve admissions conversion, student retention, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Ensure responsible budget management, financial sustainability, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor staffing, procurement, facilities, technology, and resource allocation.
• Present clear performance reports, risk updates, and strategic recommendations to the Board of Directors.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and professional integrity in all leadership responsibilities.

Ideal Profile

• Master’s degree in Education, Educational Leadership, or a related field.
• NPQH or an equivalent recognised leadership qualification is strongly preferred.
• Proven senior leadership experience within a UK curriculum school.
• Previous experience as a Principal, Headteacher, Vice Principal, or comparable whole‑school leader.
• Strong record of improving inspection outcomes and academic performance.
• Deep understanding of the National Curriculum for England.
• Extensive knowledge of IGCSE and A-Level pathways.
• Experience leading school inspections, self‑evaluation, and regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrated success in using data to guide strategic and academic decisions.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, inclusion, pastoral care, and student wellbeing.
• Proven ability to develop senior and middle leaders.
• Experience managing school budgets, staffing, resources, and operational performance.
• Understanding of enrolment growth, parent engagement, and school brand development.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Ability to inspire employees while maintaining high expectations and accountability.
• Strong commercial awareness combined with educational integrity.
• Calm, decisive, and solution‑focused leadership under pressure.
• Commitment to innovation, continuous improvement, and long‑term institutional growth.
• Ability to provide two professional referees and a leadership impact statement.

Skills Set

• Whole‑school leadership
• UK curriculum leadership
• National Curriculum for England
• IGCSE
• A-Level
• Strategic school improvement
• Academic performance management
• Inspection readiness
• Regulatory compliance
• School self‑evaluation
• Data‑informed decision‑making
• Safeguarding leadership
• Child protection
• Senior leadership development
• Middle leadership development
• Succession planning
• Teacher performance management
• Curriculum quality assurance
• Student attainment
• Student progress
• Parent engagement
• Enrolment growth
• Brand positioning
• Financial sustainability
• Budget management
• Operational efficiency
• Board reporting
• Stakeholder management
• School governance
• Educational innovation

Benefits

The appointment offers the opportunity to lead a prestigious UK curriculum school within a strategically expanding education group in Dubai. The successful candidate will receive competitive tax‑free remuneration, performance‑linked incentives, access to learning and development platforms, and the opportunity to contribute to the growth of a respected regional education portfolio.

Closing date: 31 March 2026.