St. Swithun’s is a well-established and nurturing Catholic primary school and nursery of (NOR) 346 pupils, serving the Southsea area of the City of Portsmouth – with easy access to the coast, beautiful rural settings and excellent A3(M)/M27 road links.
Southsea is a popular area of the city with young families with a rich multi-cultural diversity – 46% of the pupils have English as an additional language. The school sits within a thriving parish community and a committed Parish Priest, with St Swithun’s Church only a few minutes’ walk away.
The school is popular with parents and is blessed with a significant number of staff with deep and long connections to the school. Governors are also deeply committed - and together with a recently appointed Chair with a strong educational background - they are available as necessary to offer their loyal support.
We are interested in having preliminary, confidential conversations with Catholic school leaders who have the gift for leadership and believe profoundly in the transformative role of Catholic education to improve the lives of others and how to make that a reality.
For a Head/Deputy Head within a small or similar school environment, this could be your next challenge… equally, for a capable and experienced Assistant Head with still yet untapped potential, this might be the right opportunity for you.
A requirement of the post is that applicants must be practising Catholics.
If you believe you can offer the leadership qualities which inspires and motivates others towards excellence and which will ensure the very best education for our children, then we would love to hear from you.
For further details or to have an informal discussion, please contact Liam Dowds, our Emmaus Leadership Advising Consultant who is assisting us with this assignment, in complete confidence, on 01737 652 043 or ldowds@emmausleadership.me BEFORE applying.
We would encourage you to come and visit us and see us at work.
Our school is an equal opportunities employer and committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. DBS check required.
"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
"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 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
"Having previously struggled to recruit two Headteachers - for both a Primary and a Secondary school - Emmaus came to the rescue. Their expert advice and deep understanding of recruiting Headship positions in Catholic schools is invaluable, and I have no hesitation in recommending their knowhow and their values."
Fr David Gibbons, Chair of Governors & Parish Priest, Archdiocese of Southwark
"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
"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 cannot imagine a better service to fulfil the requirement of helping a Catholic school find a Head. I was impressed with the number and high quality of candidates sourced by Emmaus Leadership."
Marjorie Bannister, Chair - St Michael's Catholic College, 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
"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 came across Emmaus by accident after our own attempts to recruit a Headteacher failed. We would not hesitate to engage them again to find a suitable candidate for a leadership position."
Michael Tennant - Chairman of the Board, St Edward's School