Head of School

The school reserves the right to close this advert early and interviews may take place before the advertised closing date. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early for this role to avoid disappointment.

Ark Greenwich (AGFS)

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We are recruiting a Head of School to oversee the day-to-day management and leadership of Ark Greenwich Free School. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to work at one of the highest performing schools in the country (Progress 8: +1.14). If you want to develop as a Head of School under the leadership of an Executive Principal and have the opportunity to work in an ambitious and high-performing school with traditional values, this could be the perfect position for you. 

As Head of School, you will lead and oversee all aspects of school management, including line management of the senior team and staff. You will report directly to the Executive Principal and support them in their vision for school improvement. This is an ideal opportunity for an ambitious secondary school Vice Principal seeking to take a step towards headship.

Ark Greenwich is a new, ambitious school model based on what we know excellent schools do. We have created a highly respectful and disciplined environment where our staff and scholars can fulfil their potential. We are one of the highest performing schools in the UK. Progress 8: +1.14, Attainment 8: 6.3, EM5 +: 81%, EBacc entry rate: 90% (2022). 

Ark Greenwich exists to empower young people, regardless of socio-economic background, to grow and be successful. This is a forward-thinking school that encourages innovation and values its staff. We are proud of our highly respectful and disciplined community and of the outstanding academic outcomes achieved by our scholars. Expectations for all members of our community are unashamedly sky high. We work hard to impact the lives of the young people we serve. We also place a primacy on our industry leading extra-curricular and character education programmes. 

How is Ark Greenwich different?

•        We are part of the Ark family of schools and benefit accordingly from outstanding networking and career opportunities and first-class CPD. 

•        Staff wellbeing is one of our main priorities. We provide breakfast for staff each morning, lunch for early careers staff and have a 6pm/weekend work-related communication cut off. We do not do knee jerk reactions, fads or last-minute deadlines. Our systems and processes for communication, marking and feedback and assessment are streamlined and the approaches we take are research led and based on our local context. Our full approach to staff wellbeing/workload can be found here. 

•        This is a small school model (600 scholars aged 11-16) because we believe that our close-knit family community provides the optimum conditions for success.  

•        Scholar behaviour is exceptional with clearly defined and embedded routines. This means our teachers can focus their time on the things that matter – planning and delivering brilliant lessons for our scholars. 

•        This is a strict no excuses, no mobile phone school. Phones are not permitted onsite at all. Scholars wear business dress to prepare them for a professional career. 

•        Our curriculum is traditional and academic, and we do not take shortcuts to seek to boost our position in school league tables – we do not, for example, offer equivalencies such as Btecs or Vcerts. >90% Ebacc entry rate.   

•        We put high-quality teaching at the heart of what we do. We are committed to providing staff with weekly high-quality training. We run coaching for staff who want to see rapid progress in their discipline. Live coaching and current best practice in the field of education is central to our approach. 

•        We don’t grade individual lessons or ask for lesson plans but we do place a primacy on curriculum design, independent learning and formative assessment.

•        Our scholars enjoy a compulsory co-curricular program on a Wednesday afternoon which includes a strong focus on community volunteering and we facilitate 12 drop-down days per academic year ensuring scholars benefit from a range of life-enriching experiences. 

Alignment with the school’s vision, values and approach to education is essential. 

What we offer: 

·        Influence across network-wide issues through our Principal meetings and regional collaboration   

·        Support from an experienced Executive Principal 

·        On-hand expertise from our dedicated network education and operations teams who are ready to support you and your school   

·        Bespoke teacher development programmes supported by the Great Teacher Rubric  

·        Excellent career development opportunities across both the region and wider Ark network  

How to apply: 

To apply, please complete the application form by 9am on Wednesday 24th April 2024. If you have any questions, concerns or time constraints with this deadline please contact us directly.

We welcome conversations about the role and visits to our school. If you would like to be in touch for an informal and confidential conversation please contact Leann Cripps, Principal’s Personal Assistant, on LCripps@arkgreenwich.org