Head of Sherborne School

Head – Sherborne School

The Governors of Sherborne Schools Group seek a new Head for Sherborne School to succeed Dominic Luckett, who steps down in July 2025 after ten years of distinguished service.

This is a tremendous opportunity for an experienced, dynamic, imaginative and robust leader to join the new Sherborne Schools Group, formed from the recent merger between Sherborne Girls’ School and Sherborne School. Through the creation of a strong, resilient and well-resourced group of schools, the Sherborne Schools Group will remain synonymous with the country’s best schooling, representing a unique and exciting educational offering in the UK for pupils aged 3 to 19. Whilst the two schools will remain separate, they are very much working together to provide a well-resourced Schools Group with economies of scale but every opportunity for the best of collaboration.

The successful candidate will become Head of Sherborne School and Sherborne International, and will line manage the Head of Sherborne Prep School. The successful candidate will also be a member of the Executive Committee of the new Group, working with the Head of Sherborne Girls’ School and the COO, and reporting to an Executive Chair and a new Board of Governors. A priority for the new Head will be to review the strategies of Sherborne and Sherborne Prep, along with Sherborne International, and to contribute to the strategy of the whole Sherborne Schools Group.

Sherborne is an historic school founded by King Edward VI in 1550: the school is immensely proud of its heritage and of its beautiful location, in the centre of the town, close to the Abbey. This very successful and much-admired boarding school accommodates close to 600 boys; Sherborne Prep, which is co-educational, accommodates a further 200 pupils. Sherborne provides a holistic and broad-based education with high academic standards, as evidenced in the recent excellent ISI report, running in parallel with a rich and varied co-curricular programme. The quality of the pastoral care is outstanding, and the school embraces the best aspects of both single-sex and co-education through the close collaboration with Sherborne Girls’ School.

The Governors are seeking a Head who is a strategic thinker, who is forward-looking with a clear vision and sense of purpose, and who will build on the strengths of the school and take it forward with the best interests of pupils at the heart of every decision. The successful candidate will be a current Head or an experienced Deputy Head, a strong, empathetic leader and a visible presence who engages with all members of the school community. A commitment to the boarding ethos of the school is essential, as is a commitment to contributing to the success of the whole Group.

The candidate brief provides further information about the school and the role. Potential applicants who would like to find out more about this exceptional opportunity should contact one of the RSAcademics team working on this project:

Michael Stephens, Head of Senior School Search michaelstephens@rsacademics.com

or

Michael Spens, Senior Advisor michaelspens@rsacademics.com

Further, detailed candidate information about the role, including information on how to apply, is available at www.rsacademics.com

The deadline for receipt of applications is Tuesday 6 August 2024 at 10:00am (UK time).

Sherborne School is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children; applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

The safeguarding responsibilities of this post are detailed in the candidate information brochure.

RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity and inclusion in schools.