Assistant Headteacher - Raising Standards and Attendance

• Meopham School
• L10 – L14 (£62,202 – £68,586)
• April 2025 start

Meopham School is seeking to appoint two exceptional Assistant Headteachers who are keen to take their next step in senior leadership.

If you are an innovator - someone with energy, drive, passion - keen to embrace new ideas and challenge conventional thinking, then we want to hear from you. We need Assistant Headteachers with the tenacity and drive to be a catalyst of change within this school community.

We are recruiting two new Assistant Headteachers in two key areas of school life: Behaviour and Welfare and Raising Standards and Attendance.

As part of our new leadership team, the Assistant Headteacher for Raising Standards and Attendance, is one we are really excited about. In an innovative new approach, we have combined these two responsibilities as we feel it better reflects the reality of our students’ educational experience. To deliver the highest results possible for our students, we need an excellent practitioner to oversee all of our staff in delivering the best possible academic support, and an energetic leader that can motivate and inspire our young people. However, academic success doesn’t just happen in the classroom. Our new Assistant Headteacher will also be supporting those students whose attendance needs to improve, because excellent attendance is inextricably linked to excellent outcomes. To be the very best they can be, our students need to be in school, benefitting from the excellent education we are able to provide, as often as possible. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced or burgeoning senior leader who wants further experience in both the academic and pastoral elements of leadership. Previous experience with Raising Standards would be an advantage, but it isn’t a prerequisite. I will be personally supporting the successful candidate for this role to ensure they have all the support and training they require. The most important thing is that we appoint an innovative thinker with the tenacity and enthusiasm to drive the school forward even further.

Our second available role, Assistant Headteacher for Behaviour and Welfare will work alongside another member of the leadership team to ensure all of our students feel safe, secure, supported and valued. You will be one of the key figureheads within our school community, acting as a role model for staff and students alike on the importance of having the highest of expectations of everyone and doing so in a calm and friendly manner. School is about providing children with a fantastic education but it is also more than that. It’s about developing them into decent, caring individuals who go on to make a positive difference in the world. This role more than any other helps our young people to achieve this, and it is an exciting time to join our team as we begin to implement the Meopham Fundamentals: the expectations we have agreed, as a community, that all of our members - staff, students, parents, carers - are committed to promoting throughout school life. We have a fantastic, motivated team who do an excellent job of supporting our young people, and we are now looking for another inspirational leader to help shape the future direction of our school.

We are an 11-18 school located in the beautiful village of Meopham, taking students from the surrounding villages and also from Gravesend, which is close by via public transport. We are very proud to be able to offer these young people a dynamic and forward-thinking school that embraces modernity, whilst also providing the tranquility and natural beauty of a traditional village setting. We believe that all young people - regardless of background - should be able to benefit from an education in such a setting.

As part of Swale Academies Trust, we benefit from a collaborative network of nine secondary schools in Kent and East Sussex, and as such, there are a range of professional development and further career progression opportunities available. If you have ambitions to move into senior leadership, these two Assistant Head positions are excellent opportunities to develop senior leadership experience within a trust that is committed to developing its leaders. We would happily facilitate our Assistant Heads completing either the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL) or Headship (NPQH).

We’re a supportive, friendly, approachable team who all work together because we all believe in the same thing: that our job, as educators, is to make the world - and its future - a better place. If you believe in the same thing too, then we warmly welcome you to come and take a look at what our school has to offer. To arrange a visit, feel free to contact the Headteacher directly at ethan.roberts@swale.at. We’d love to hear from you.

Join us to benefit from:

• Teacher Pension Scheme – with a generous employer contribution
• Employee Referral Recruitment Incentive
• Enhanced Maternity Pay
• Access to training and development
• On-site Parking
• Employee Assistance Programme – Wellbeing and advice
• Discounts with local and national retailers, cinemas and restaurants
• Cycle to Work scheme 

Full details of the requirements of the post can be found in the accompanying recruitment pack.

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Ethan Roberts, Headteacher at ethan.roberts@swale.at or 01474 814646.

Applications should be made via TES, or by submitting a completed application form to ethan.roberts@swale.at. Please note, we cannot accept CVs. 

If you experience any difficulty in completing the application form, please contact recruitment@swale.at or 01795 905989 (option 2)

We are happy to discuss any support you may need during your application process as part of our reasonable adjustment approach.

In accordance with current GDPR compliance we will not keep any details / application forms on file once the position is filled.

Interview Dates: 26/02/2025 & 27/02/2025

Swale Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from ROA and will require an enhanced DBS disclosure

Swale Academies Trust schools will conduct an online check of shortlisted candidates in line with the Keeping Children Safe In Education guidelines.