Headteacher

Duncombe Primary School; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Duncombe Primary School in London seeks an exceptional leader to drive strategic vision, school improvement and high standards for pupils and staff. You will work closely with governors to deliver the School Improvement Plan and ensure strong day-to-day operations.

The role requires experienced leadership, safeguarding expertise and a track record of improving outcomes in a diverse primary school context. You will lead curriculum development and staff appraisal, building a culture of inclusion

Qualifications

• Experience leading school improvement and strategic planning.
• Proven ability to analyse data and provide accountability to governors and local authority.
• Ability to develop and sustain a safeguarding-focused culture.
• Experience in managing staff performance and workload.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the school within an agreed strategic framework.
• Provide governors with timely information to hold the school to account.
• Line manage the Designated Safeguarding Lead and maintain safeguarding culture.
• Develop, monitor and evaluate the School Improvement Plan with the governing body.

Skills

Strategic leadership

School improvement

Staff development

Governance liaison

Education

NPQH or equivalent

QTS (Qualified Teacher Status)

Job description

To lead and manage the school within an agreed strategic framework, so that it is effective, self-managing, self-evaluating and self-improving, with high achieving pupils and staff.

To provide a strong educational vision, and to lead and co-ordinate staff to deliver the School Improvement Plan in full consultation with the governing body.

To be accountable to the governing body and to Islington Council for the overall performance of the school and its day to day operation.

To provide governors with the information and analysis they need to hold the school to account, presented honestly and in good time.

To act as, or to line manage, the Designated Safeguarding Lead, and to maintain a safer culture throughout the school.

To protect children from abuse and maltreatment, prevent harm to their health or development, ensure they receive safe and effective care, and act so that every child has the best possible outcome.

To apply effective child protection strategies and procedures, and to work with relevant agencies to protect children.

To ensure recruitment, selection, induction and training are conducted throughout with a safeguarding focus, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

To develop, with the governing body and other stakeholders, an agreed strategic plan and vision with short, medium and long term targets, grounded in realistic financial and resource planning.

To lead the consolidation of the school following the 2024 merger, building a single culture and a single set of expectations.

To manage complexity and competing demands, and to make decisions in a considered and consistent way.

To show openness, ambition and optimism for children, and to make that visible every day.

To implement and develop the whole curriculum agreed with the governing body.

To sustain a broad, cross-curricular approach that is child centered and gives access to real experiences, including the arts, science and outdoor learning that Duncombe is known for.

To develop, monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of teaching for all pupils.

To raise achievement and to set challenging, motivating targets for individual pupils and for the school.

To provide strategic leadership and a continuous commitment to the inclusion of every child, in a school where 25% of pupils have a special educational need and 9% hold an Education, Health and Care Plan.

To ensure the entitlement of all pupils to equal opportunity and access to every part of the curriculum.

To ensure that provision for pupils with SEND is well resourced, well understood by staff and reviewed rigorously for impact.

To promote equality of opportunity in the appointment and promotion of all staff.

To be responsible for the leadership and management of all school staff.

To ensure staff understand the mission, values and ethos of the school, its current aims and their own part in achieving them.

To develop, support and encourage staff to achieve the highest professional standards, while holding them to account through effective performance management.

To maintain open and effective professional dialogue at every level, raising morale and protecting staff well being and workload.

To recruit, retain, reward and motivate staff, with retention treated as a strategic priority rather than an administrative one.

To be responsible for financial management, including the integration of financial, strategic and curriculum planning, the maintenance of secure procedures and systems, and adherence to all financial regulations of the council.

To protect the wider curriculum offer through careful financial planning rather than allowing it to become the first casualty of a tight budget.

To develop and oversee a plan for the effective and imaginative use of the school site and buildings, and to lead on improvements.

To establish and maintain professional and productive relationships with the governing body, staff, pupils, parents and carers, other schools, the local authority, businesses and community groups.

To communicate the expectations and boundaries of the school clearly, kindly and consistently, and to hold to them.

To build a school culture and curriculum that reflects the richness and diversity of our communities, and to understand the cultural differences within them.

To create and promote positive strategies for challenging racial and other prejudice, and for dealing with harassment.

To ensure learning experiences are linked into and integrated with the wider community, and to raise the profile of the school locally.

To sustain a positive ethos in which individuals feel valued and personal endeavor and responsibility are encouraged.

To develop high morale, confidence and professional pride, and to set an example of professional standards and leadership.

To promote a suitable system of pastoral care for pupils and staff, including liaison with families and outside agencies.

To maintain good behaviour, supported by policies and practices that promote self discipline and responsible attitudes.

To promote and sustain a school environment that is safe, secure and conducive to learning.

Qualified Teacher Status, with evidence of appropriate subsequent training and professional development.

National Professional Qualification for Headship, or a commitment to complete it.

Substantial leadership experience in a senior post in a primary school.

A proven track record of raising academic standards, ideally in a school with a comparable level of disadvantage or special educational need.

A current understanding of national policy, curriculum development and the statutory framework within which maintained school operates.

Knowledge of what makes an effective school, and of the strategies that can be deployed for school improvement.

Knowledge of what constitutes good teaching, and how to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

A sound working knowledge of SEND provision, the EHCP process and inclusive practice.

An understanding of the impact of disadvantage on children and families, and of what schools can and cannot do about it.

Strategic planning, and the ability to articulate a vision and direction that other people want to follow.

The ability to develop people and hold them to account through both informal and formal processes, in the interests of the children.

Management skills in respect of performance data, finance, resources and people, including delegation, monitoring and evaluation.

Highly skilled listening and communication, with the ability to create confidence in children, parents, staff, council officers and governors alike.

The ability to build partnerships and networks that produce tangible benefits for the school.

The ability to develop strategies for, and to lead, a culturally and socially diverse school population.

Resilience, tenacity and steadiness under pressure, with the judgement to think things through rather than react.

Emotional intelligence and empathy, combined with a clear willingness to lead.

Clear personal values, and the confidence to state them and be consistent about them.

Cultural sensitivity, and genuine curiosity about the communities we serve.

The ability to communicate boundaries and expectations with both kindness and firmness.

Warmth, optimism and the ability to spread it.

A commitment to equality of opportunity, diversity, safeguarding and social inclusion.

Approach ability, and a visible presence in the daily life of the school.