Headteacher

On behalf of TrustEd Schools and Meole Brace’s Local Governing Body, we would like to thank you for your interest in the post of Headteacher at Meole Brace School. This is a very exciting time for Meole Brace School. Our school is very much back on track, as seen in our excellent ‘Good’ Ofsted July 2024 report. There is a great appetite in our school to continue our school improvement journey and make our school truly excellent. The new Headteacher will take over from the outgoing Headteacher Alan Doust, who has led the school through these sustained improvements.  We are looking for an inspiring Headteacher to continue these improvements who can join the school in January 2025 or Easter 2025.

Meole Brace School is part of a family of nine schools, that make up our MAT, TrustEd Schools. Meole Brace joined TrustEd in Summer 2022 and has benefitted from the support the Trust provides. Our Heads contribute freely to each other’s schools according to need, in a collaborative and open way, within a strong Trust structure and Trust processes. We look forward to welcoming a colleague who shares our Trust’s collaborative vision.

Our School is situated in the historic town of Shrewsbury, in the beautiful county of Shropshire, a short distance from the Welsh border and with excellent motorway and rail links to the West Midlands and beyond. Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire and enjoys great facilities and services. Meole Brace School serves the local community on the south side of Shrewsbury. The school has a comprehensive intake, and almost all students walk or cycle to school. There are approximately 1,350 students on roll, and the school is oversubscribed in all year groups.

Our school has been able to set a balanced budget again this year, and we have some reserves.  Our financial planning and processes are supported by the Trust finance team, led by Gwyneth Evans our Director of Finance.

Appointment to this post comes at an exciting time for the school and it is the perfect time for a new Headteacher. The school has had a challenging period, where results dropped, and a poor Ofsted followed. The last two years, however, has seen steady gains in results, alongside significant and sustained improvements in attendance, and behaviour indicators. This has been achieved through determined and targeted work by the leadership team (supported by the Trust), bringing improvements in leadership across all areas, and significant positive developments in classroom practice.

These improvements, carried out across two years, meant that the school was judged ‘Good’ in July this year. The school community is rightly proud of the improvements made and they also know that the school improvement journey for the school continues. There is an appetite to continue to make improvements and a very positive mood in the school. There is a determination that pupils will gain a truly great education, with outcomes that reflect this. The new Headteacher will be able to build on the current trajectory and have a strong foundation to take the school forward further still.   

The successful candidate will work with Sarah Godden our CEO, Jo Evans Director of Education and John Parr Assistant Director (Secondary) along with other Headteachers from our family of schools. They will be supported by a strong central Trust team. Further to this Meole Brace has a strong governing body with good links to the local community, while bring support, stability and appropriate challenge. The Headteacher will also be very well supported by an enthusiastic school body and strong school senior leadership team.

We are looking for a new Headteacher with the ambition, experience and skills to lead our school on its continued journey of school improvement. Candidates who have previously been Headteachers, or Deputy Heads will be warmly welcomed, and we would tailor the level of trust support given by the trust to meet the needs of the successful candidate.

Thank you once again for your interest in our school. We very much welcome enquiries and visits to the school should you be interested in applying. These will be arranged by myself, Sarah Godden CEO, and our team. For more information or an initial informal & confidential conversation, please contact the Trust Central Offices on 01746 760509 to arrange a call /meeting.

 How to apply: 

Please complete the TrustEd Application form and an accompanying letter (no more than 3 sides of A4 at font size 12) to scarlett.beach@trusted-schools.com. In your letter please outline your reasons for applying for the post; your relevant experience and skills; and your ambitions for the school should you be appointed.

Closing Date – Monday 14th October at 10.00am.

Please see applicants pack for further information or visit www.trusted-schools.com

If you have any queries please contact Scarlett Beach - scarlett.beach@trusted-schools.com or 01746 760509