Salary: £Competitive to attract the right applicant + Relocation support Location: Swindon Contract Type: Full Time Contract Term: Permanent Start Date: Negotiable
St Catherine’s is one form entry primary serving an urban area of Swindon with 210 pupils on roll across the school and nursery, and one of two Catholic primary schools serving the same parish. The proportion of children from ethnic minorities is above average and the school serves a significant number of Polish families. Staff and Governors have a deep dedication to the St Catherine’s, evidenced by the numbers of staff with long associations with the school but also by how proud they are of the school’s history of faithful service to Catholic education in Swindon.
The Christian values which have been carefully articulated within the school community are palpable. There is a strong atmosphere of authentic pastoral care and professional devotion towards achieving everything that is best for each child.
Governors and staff have worked tirelessly to maintain high levels of care and purpose, having successfully led the school community to overcome the twin challenges of COVID and the sudden death of their Executive Headteacher. Now, with a new leadership structure in place, Governors are looking forward to a bright future, with the appointment of a substantive Headteacher to lead St Catherine’s as it enters a new chapter in the rich life of the school.
If you are ambitious and enthusiastic, with previous leadership experience as a Head, Deputy or Assistant Head, then we would love to hear from you.
A requirement of the post is that applicants must be practising Catholics.
We would encourage you to come and visit us and see us at work.
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.
St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure. References will be sought prior to interview and a reference will always be taken up from the most senior person in your place of most recent employment.
"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
"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
"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
"We considered TES, but the critical factor for us was that Emmaus are not only specialists in recruiting Headteachers, they are Christians focused exclusively on recruiting for Church Schools."
Canon Bob Baker, Chair of Governors,The Bishop’s CE School - Thetford
"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 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
"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
"Emmaus brings a level of professionalism, seen in other industry sectors, to church schools’ recruitment."
The Rt Rev Nick Baines - Anglican Bishop of Leeds
"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