Job Description
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Head of School - The Wickford Church of England School
Payscale: HEARTS Leadership scale
Actual salary: £National, to be discussed at the interview
Start date: September 2025
Closing date: Sunday 23rd February 2025
Shortlisting: Monday 24th February 2025
Interviews: Friday 28th February 2025
HEARTS Academy Trust has an opportunity for an inspirational leader who puts children at the heart of everything that they do, who wants to influence and drive the future development of education in our schools, and who can demonstrate our Trust values of Happiness, Esteem, Achievement, Respect, Responsibility, Truth, Service and Spirituality.
The Wickford Church of England School is a happy, successful, and inclusive school at the heart of a vibrant and diverse community. Our distinct Christian vision of 'Always more' underpins all we do. We are committed to providing a nurturing environment where every child is valued and encouraged to achieve their full potential, for every child to flourish and to be introduced to the richness of human experience to understand and question the world around them. We have supportive parents who uphold the Christian ethos and have strong community links. If you feel you would be able to bring this vision to life through your work as a Head of School within our Trust, we welcome hearing from you.
As Head of School of The Wickford Church of England School you would be joining a school that shares in the values and purpose of the MAT to provide a world-class education through a knowledge-rich curriculum and the highest quality teacher development. You will have a commitment to developing the aims and ethos of a church school and a desire to embrace the school in its wider context of the community and church.
Our school has a distinct feeling of family and community and has a strong drive to reach high levels of attainment.You will lead others to continue to invest fully in the personal, academic, and cultural capital of all pupils providing them with a range of experiences and knowledge in order that they can engage with all sections of society and community academically, intellectually and socially.
We are committed to providing systems of high-quality support and challenge to ensure that our school leaders develop and that our schools continually improve. Our leaders have direct links with each other, our education team, and our central support teams.We provide significant operational and management support, and together we are building a strong offer for professional development at each level.
The role of the Head of School
As the Head of School, you hold a position of great influence in society that shapes the teaching profession. You are a lead professional and a significant role model within the communities you serve, and our pupils deserve nothing but the best. Therefore, it is crucial that our new Head of School has strong values, is ambitious, and takes accountability for the education of our children.
Your leadership will have a decisive impact on the quality of teaching and the achievements of our pupils. You will have a proven track record of leading by example, demonstrating the professional conduct and practice of teachers, which minimises unnecessary teacher workload and leaves room for high-quality continuous professional development for staff.
Your primary goal should be to provide a safe and secure environment for our pupils, promoting exemplary behaviour in them. You should have unwavering expectations for high academic standards, both within and outside the school, recognising differences and respecting cultural diversity within contemporary Britain.
Application process
Tours of the school are strongly encouraged and will be facilitated by Danny Wagstaff, Executive Headteacher. To arrange a tour please email Louise Allbury, Chief Operating Officer: l.allbury@heartsacademy.uk.
To apply please complete a HEARTS application form in full, please note CVs are not accepted. Your supporting statement should address and evidence the selection criteria detailed in the Person Specification and Job Description. Completed application forms should be returned in electronic format to: l.allbury@heartsacademy.uk.
Interview Process
After the closing date, shortlisting will be conducted by a panel, who will match your skills/experience against the criteria in the person specification. You will be selected for an interview entirely on the contents of your application form, so please read the Job Description carefully before you complete your application form. Occasionally, when we receive sufficient applications to do so, the trust may close the vacancy and shortlist prior to the published closing date.
In addition to the candidates' ability to perform the duties of the post, they will:
- Deliver a 30-minute lesson;
- Complete an in-tray task; and
- Present to the interview panel, followed by a formal interview
The interview will also explore issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including:
- Motivation to work with children and young people
- Ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with children and young people
- Emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours
- Attitudes to the use of authority and maintaining discipline
HEARTS Academy Trust is an equal opportunities employer and will not discriminate against any applicant on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race. For this reason, all application forms are anonymised before shortlisting takes place to ensure applicants are considered only on the relevant qualifications, skills and experience that are profiled on the application form and personal statement.
If you would like any support or assistance at any stage of your application process, please contact recruitment@heartsacademy.uk / 01268 572672. We will be happy to discuss this with you.
Why choose HEARTS Academy Trust as your new employer?
The HEARTS way of working is based on our values of happiness, self-esteem, achievement, respect and responsibility, truth and service, all of which are embedded within each of our schools.
HEARTS Academy Trust offers a comprehensive rewards and benefits package to all colleagues, including but not limited to:
- Pension schemes (LGPS/TPS)
- Professional development opportunities
- Access to our trust Counsellor
- Access to our Mental Health First Aid team
- Additional week's leave during October
- Excellent CPD opportunities with purposeful training, including trust-wide twilights
- Supportive leadership and opportunities to collaborate across the trust
- On request, and if appropriate, flexible working
HEARTS Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to the receipt of a satisfactory application form, satisfactory references that meet the requirements as set out in KCSIE, satisfactory online search and an Enhanced DBS check, to include a children's barred list check, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered 'protected' and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.
Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974
All applicants can view a copy of our Records Retention Policy on the Trust website, the policy sets out how we will gather, process and hold personal data of individuals during and after the recruitment process.
For further information about the HEARTS Academy Trust and The Wickford Church of England School please visit our websites at:
http://www.heartsacademytrust.co.uk
http://www.hearts-wickfordcofe.uk
Information about the School
The Wickford Church of England School is a small, friendly school, close to good transport links. Our school is a place where children can thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. The school provides education for children from the ages of 2-7 in the local area. As a team, we aim to create a respectful, caring and secure place for children to explore, learn and be happy together.
As a distinctively Christian school, spirituality is at the heart of all we do and we are supported in doing this by the close links we have with the Wickford and Runwell Diocese. HEARTS is an acronym inspired by our vision of Happiness, self-Esteem, Achievement, Respect and Responsibility, Trust, Service and Spirituality for all pupils.
The Wickford Church of England School is part of the HEARTS Academy Trust, a trust of local schools that has the values of happiness, achievement, self-esteem, respect & responsibility, truth, spirituality & service. The trust is truly innovative and rewards outstanding staff for outstanding outcomes. The school calendar consists of 184 contact time with pupils, 5 non-pupil days and the equivalent of 6 days of high quality continuous professional development.
The Trustees are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, online searches, medical check, prohibited from teaching check and references. References are taken up prior to interview. A copy of the trusts Child Protection Policy is available on our website:- https://www.heartsacademytrust.co.uk/policies
We can offer you:
an excellent CPD entitlement with purposeful training, including trust-wide twilights throughout the year
a two-week October half-term
supportive colleagues who want to provide the best possible opportunities for their pupils
a highly effective learning environment
a responsive and involved leadership team
the HEARTS four-day face-to-face teaching week model whereby all teachers in the trust receive 20% non-contact time. This goes above and beyond the national entitlement of 10% PPA.
a school with a highly positive culture that supports all staff; mental health, workload and wellbeing are at the forefront of our vision and values
access to our school counsellor and network of Mental Health and Wellbeing champions
For further information about HEARTS, including policies and procedures, please refer to our website www.heartsacademytrust.co.uk