Director of Schools - Diocese of Shrewsbury

Director of Schools - Diocese of Shrewsbury - Shropshire

Competitive + Relocation support - Catholic - Head/Principal
Ref: 140 Date Posted: Tuesday 16 Apr 2024

Director of Schools - Diocese of Shrewsbury, Birkenhead

Location: Prenton, Birkenhead
Contract Type: Full Time
Contract Term: Permanent
Start Date: Negotiable

Looking for a fresh challenge and a fulfilling vocation?

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, The Rt. Revd. Mark Davies, is seeking to appoint a Director of Schools as a key member of his senior diocesan leadership team.

The Diocese of Shrewsbury is situated across the regions across Cheshire, Shropshire and parts of Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Derbyshire, serving over 170,000 of the faithful in 89 Parishes.

The Shrewsbury Diocesan Education Service has oversight of 109 schools (87 Primary, 21 Secondary and one Sixth Form College). Bishop Mark has requested that all schools in the Diocese will progress towards forming and joining one of three multi-academy trusts. This work is well underway, with the three regional MATs already up and running.

At a pivotal time in Catholic education within the Diocese, Bishop Mark is calling for a visionary Director of Schools who, along with a capable and committed education team, will help realise the enormous potential within a forward-thinking diocesan family of schools working in solidarity with one another.

As Director of Education, you will:

  • Promote and implement the Bishop’s vision for Catholic education within the Diocese
  • Build capacity, trust and good relationships within the diocesan family of schools; encouraging collaboration to develop and sustain school improvement, and raise aspirations
  • Confidently and enthusiastically articulate the role of Catholic education in the mission of the Church and be an effective witness to it

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Extensive leadership experience in an education context, whether as a senior school leader, or local authority/SIP partner
  • A strong grasp of current educational issues (including MATs’ evolving role within the parish, diocese and local community)
  • Excellent leadership and management skills - the ability to communicate a clear vision, win trust, influence and respect and bring people with you
  • A deep knowledge and understanding of Catholic education as structured in this country

Now is a moment of real opportunity within the educational and Catholic life of the Diocese, which makes this post an extremely attractive and rewarding career opportunity.

A requirement of the post is that applicants must be practising Catholics.

Closing: Monday 13 May at 5pm

Shortlisting: Tuesday 14 May

Interviews: Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 May

For an initial informal chat (in complete confidence) please call Liam Dowds, our Emmaus Advising Consultant, on 01737 652 043 or email him at ldowds@emmausleadership.me for a candidate pack and application form. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY ONLINE.

The Diocese of Shrewsbury is an equal opportunities employer and committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. DBS check required.

"We are delighted with the appointment we made and I have reported to the whole community that we could not have been more thorough in the search or more rigorous in the selection process. Thank you Emmaus Leadership."

Jacqui Feely, Chair at All Hallows Catholic College, Macclesfield

"I’m delighted with the way it went and the successful outcome (third SLT placement now!) helps confirm to Governors that your approach is right for these levels of appointment. It’s difficult to quantify the costs of recruiting and failing to get the right candidate ourselves - we’d only find out the true cost and also lost opportunities if we tried and failed. Altogether better to invest in getting it right first time, so thank you for all your hard work on this. The other side is the perception we leave with all candidates and I think we’ve worked together to do an excellent job (using your Assessment support). The communication, logistics and the care given I think is really important and Emmaus are a big part of that - you work as an extension of the school. I am fairly sure that all of the candidates will go away having had a great experience and that will help our reputation spread in a positive way."

Dave Cobb - School Business & Development Manager, Saint Cecilia's CE School, London

"We tried going it alone to find a CEO for our MAT but had only 2 applicants who didn't meet our requirements. We approached Emmaus and from the start their professionalism was reassuring."

Barry Leyland, Chair - Blessed Edward Bamber Catholic Multi Academy Trust

"Emmaus were instrumental in persuading me to apply for the post of Headteacher. I had seen the school advertising in the past but nothing inspired me to get in touch. Once Emmaus advertised I felt intrigued and keen to learn more about the school. I was supported throughout the whole process, which was a very personal and positive experience. I would highly recommend Emmaus to any school thinking of recruiting, and candidates considering registering. If my new school had not used Emmaus I probably wouldn’t have applied."

Hannah Walters, Headteacher, Platt CE Primary School - Kent

"I approached Emmaus following our unsuccessful attempts to recruit Deputy DDEs for both Dioceses. They went on to source a far greater number of candidates of high calibre. I highly recommend Emmaus!"

Canon Carolyn Lewis, Director of Education - Diocese of Leicester and Diocese of Derby

"I have personal experience of the quality of service Emmaus provides, when I successfully applied for a Headship position through them. I always felt I could call up, get the ‘inside take’ on the school and ask any questions in complete confidence. The support and expert advice I received made the application process far less daunting and I would thoroughly recommend Emmaus to any Church School looking to appoint a key Leadership position."

Dan Pickard, Headteacher, The Bishop’s CE Primary School - Thetford

"Thank you for everything you did to successfully support our recruitment of an outstanding Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. Using Emmaus Leadership to manage the recruitment to the post was much debated and was the subject of intense scrutiny by our Governing Body who were somewhat reluctant to use a leadership recruitment specialist. However, their confidence was reinstated as a result of your professional approach, your insightful knowledge and the resulting candidate pool produced for both appointments. I have no hesitation in recommending Emmaus to other schools."

Annie Sutton - Executive Principal, St Joseph's RC Specialist School and College

"I have no hesitation in commending Emmaus to any school which is seeking to appoint a Christian Head. My only regret is that we did not go to them for the first round of interviews that proved unsuccessful. It is an expensive option, but in the long run they are more than value for money. I am very thankful to God for the ministry of Emmaus, and I warmly commend them to you. In OFSTED terms, they are outstanding."

The Rt Rev Keith Sinclair - Anglican Bishop of Birkenhead

"…we also considered other external recruiters, but Emmaus were clear favourites in terms of their recruitment expertise and in-depth knowledge and appreciation of the catholic school’s sector."

Peter Giorgio, Director of Education, Nottingham Diocese

"We had been cold called by a few other companies but chose Emmaus as it specialised in Church schools. We were impressed by Liam and his team coming to the school and burrowing in to what the school wanted and needed. He asked searching questions and we were satisfied this was the way forward. I had not been a fan of head hunters before, but I have to say this process and its result was a hugely better experience than going out on our own and was totally professional throughout."

Bridget Prentice, Chair of Governors - Trinity School, Lewisham

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