Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School

Main purpose of the job

The Headteacher of Peasmarsh Church of England Primary School will provide professional leadership to deliver continued success and improvement, by ensuring high quality education for all its pupils. As leader of the school, the Headteacher will embody and promote its Christian ethos, values and culture.

Shaping the future

Working with the Genesis Federation governors, the Headteacher will create and communicate a shared vision, ethos and strategic plan that inspires and motivates all stakeholders and reflects the need of the school and the wider community.

The Headteacher must be able to translate their vision into clear objectives that promote and sustain school improvement, and must also ensure the school develops to the benefit of the pupils, staff and communities.

Qualities and knowledge

1. Hold and articulate a clear Christian vision for the school, ensuring this vision is clearly articulated, shared and acted upon by all.
2. Ensure that Christian values are lived out and reflected in the everyday work and practice across the school community.
3. Demonstrate and develop positive relationships and attitudes towards pupils, staff, parents, governors and members of the local community.
4. Lead by example - with integrity, creativity, resilience, and clarity - drawing on own knowledge, expertise and skills, and that of those around them.
5. Sustain wide, current knowledge and understanding of education and school systems locally, nationally and globally, and pursue continuous professional development.
6. Develop the school’s strategic plan and vision, supported by sound financial planning, in the context of local and national policy.
7. Communicate compellingly the school’s vision and empowering all pupils and staff to excel.

Pupils and staff

1. Demand ambitious standards for all pupils, overcoming disadvantage and advancing equality and inclusion, instilling a strong sense of accountability in staff for the impact of their work on pupils’ outcomes.
2. Secure excellent teaching through an analytical understanding of how pupils learn and of the core features of successful classroom practice and curriculum design, leading to rich curriculum opportunities and pupils’ well-being.
3. Establish an educational culture of ‘open classrooms’ as a basis for sharing best practice within and between schools, drawing on and conducting relevant research and robust data analysis.
4. Create an ethos within which all staff are motivated and supported to develop their own skills and subject knowledge, and to support each other.
5. Identify emerging talents, coaching current and aspiring leaders in a climate where excellence is the standard, leading to clear succession planning.
6. Hold all staff to account for their professional conduct and practice.

Systems and processes

1. Ensure that the school’s systems, organisation and processes are well considered, efficient and fit for purpose, upholding the principles of transparency, integrity and probity.
2. Provide a safe, calm and well-ordered environment for all pupils and staff, focused on safeguarding pupils and developing their exemplary behaviour in school and in wider society.
3. Establish rigorous, fair and transparent systems and measures for managing the performance of all staff, addressing under-performance, supporting staff to improve and valuing excellent practice.
4. Welcome strong governance and actively support the governing board to understand their role and deliver their function effectively, particularly its functions to set school strategy and hold the Headteacher and senior leaders to account for pupil, staff and financial performance.
5. Exercise strategic, curriculum-led financial planning to ensure the equitable deployment of budgets and resources, in the best interests of pupils’ achievements and the sustainability of the school.
6. Distribute leadership across the school, forging teams of colleagues who have distinct roles and responsibilities and hold each other to account for their decision making.

The self-improving school system

1. Create an outward-facing school, working closely within the Genesis Federation as well as other schools and organisations in a climate of mutual endeavour, championing best practice and securing excellent achievements for all pupils.
2. Promote the school and develop effective relationships with the wider community, fellow professionals and colleagues in other public services, including the local church community, to improve social and academic outcomes for all pupils.
3. Develop an organisation in which everyone works collaboratively, shares knowledge and understanding and is confident of collective external and internal accountability for the success of the school.
4. Ensure the quality of teaching is shaped through high quality training and sustained professional development for all staff.
5. Ensure that parents, carers and pupils are well informed about the curriculum, attainment and progress, and about the contribution they can make to the school’s success.
6. Inspire and influence others – within and beyond the school – to believe in the fundamental importance of education in young people’s lives and to promote the value of education.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as required under the Education Act 2002, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

• Work with governors to ensure that all safeguarding duties are complied with under the relevant legislation.
• Work with governors to ensure that policies, procedures and training in the school as set out in the current statutory guidance “Keeping Children Safe in Education”, DfE, September 2025 (or any future editions of this document), and “Working Together to Safeguard Children”, DfE, May 2025 are effective and comply with the law at all times.
• Ensure sufficient resources and time are allocated to enable the designated person and other staff to discharge their responsibilities, including taking part in strategy discussions and other inter-agency meetings, and contributing to the assessment of children.
• Ensure all staff and volunteers feel able to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice in regard to children, and such concerns are addressed sensitively and effectively in a timely manner in accordance with agreed whistle blowing practices

This job description should be read alongside the requirements of the current publication of DfE’s School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document and is based on the National Headteacher Standards (2020) and the National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers published by the Department for Education in January 2015 which sets out in greater detail the general requirements for headteachers and the standard terms of their employment. This job description forms part of the contract of employment of the person appointed to this post. It reflects the position at the present time only and may be reviewed in negotiation with the employee in the future.