Assistant Head of Primary - Curriculum Design and Development - August 2025 start

Arcadia School - Dubai is an exciting, forward-thinking international community built on a strong UAE vision where innovation and growth sit at the forefront. The vast expat-community provides vibrancy and inclusivity and thus promise a variety of exciting activities and events beyond the workplace. It is a wonderful place to grow professionally and personally where all citizens are welcomed to immerse themselves within the culture and the community. 

We are looking to appoint an experienced Assistant Head of Primary commencing August 2025. The successful candidate will sit on the Senior Leadership Team and will have a dedicated teaching commitment.

Our outstanding Primary Leadership Team is a team where collaboration, challenge, creativity, exceptional standards and innovative thinking is essential. The ideal candidate will be an inspirational educator, dedicated to raising standards and enhancing student experience and achievement within a supportive and collaborative environment. We believe that relationships and dynamics are vital to collective success, and as such, this role calls for a committed professional who is passionate about fostering a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring our academic programme remains engaging, relevant, and aligned with our school’s mission and values as well as upholding our ‘Happiness First’ vision.

We are committed to getting the right fit for our team and believe in adapting to and developing the skills and strengths of our leaders. We are looking for diverse leaders with an overall skill-set in adaptive leadership. For this position, we invite applicants to demonstrate their expertise, knowledge and passion for Curriculum Design and Development as well as leading teams. The successful candidate will be leading in a combination of areas with a key focus on curriculum development therefore you may wish to tailor your application to demonstrate your suitability. There will also be a teaching commitment as part of the role. As part of a diverse and innovative community, the successful candidate will bring expertise in teaching, leadership, and professional development, and will uphold our reputation as an Apple Distinguished School.

Requirements:

Essential

• Bachelor's degree and a fully qualified teacher holding BEd, MEd, PGCE, QTS or equivalent.
• Minimum of 7 years teaching experience with a minimum of 4 years in a middle leadership role.
• Committed professional who is dedicated to raising standards in alignment with the schools vision, mission and values.  
• Outstanding practitioner and leader with the ability to establish innovative practice amongst the teaching team built on current pedagogy and forward-thinking initiatives.
• Teacher and leader with a natural desire to learn, contribute to and participate in the Arcadia Professional Learning Community.
• Skilled at using digital tools to ensure that learning is enriched and relevant to complement the schools ‘Apple Distinguished School’ status.
• A professional who works collaboratively both within the immediate team and across the wider school community.
• A robust and resilient personality with the ability to think strategically and outside the box and to comfortably work collaboratively or independently.
• Proven positive impact in leadership within the British National Curriculum and UAE curriculum requirements.
• Experience within a leadership position and contribution to a successful school inspection such as DSIB/BSO.
• Demonstrable success in leading teams with positive impact under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Charisma, gravitas and professional credibility with a proven track record of leading high performing teams

Desirable

• Experience in a senior leadership role such as an Associate Assistant Head or Assistant Head
• Experience in coaching and the development of school culture
• Experience in implementing and adapting aspects of an enriched curriculum
• Experience of research-based initiatives with positive impact on teaching and learning

Key Responsibilities:

Please note that this is a broad oversight of the main responsibilities and the full job description will include additional details.

• Contribute to the day to day running of all aspects of the primary school.
• Remain accountable for student achievement and outcomes
• Lead in Curriculum Design, Development and Innovation
• Establish and maintain strong, positive and professional relationships through communicating openly and frequently with all stakeholders
• To uphold expectations by knowing, reviewing and implementing all relevant school policies- particularly those pertinent to the academic life of the school
• To contribute to a relevant, engaging and research led CPD programme for the primary school
• To contribute to school self-evaluation processes, as well as inspection and accreditation preparations
• Establish and sustain high-quality teaching across subjects and phases, based on cutting edge educational research
• Ensure the teaching of a broad, structured and coherent curriculum which delivers world-class opportunities for the students
• Create a culture where students and staff experience a positive and enriching school life
• Uphold educational standards in order to prepare students from all backgrounds for their next phase of education and life
• Ensure a culture of staff professionalism and continuous professional development
• Encourage high standards of teaching and learning across the primary school
• Lead teams such as core/curriculum enrichment subject leads, year leadership team and key stage teams.
• Support and implement whole-school systems for quality assurance
• Analyse data to measure the impact of challenge and interventions and to guide school policy and action 
• Promote and evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s teaching and learning policies and strategies
• Remain informed of current developments in teaching and learning
• To make a significant contribution to the wider life of the school including the induction of new staff and commit to supporting events, activities and celebrations beyond the normal school day when required.
• To be supportive of UAE initiatives and cultural expectations.

There will be initial longlist interviews followed by an interview process which will allow all shortlisted candidates to demonstrate their leadership capability, vision for curriculum design and development and knowledge of how to enhance teaching, learning and standards.

Application Process:

Please complete the application form and submit your Cover Letter and CV, outlining your expertise and vision for the role as attachments in the supporting documents section.

Arcadia Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced background checks according to our safer recruitment policy available on the school's website.

To know more about the school please visit our website https://arcadia.sch.ae