SUCCESSFULLY APPOINTED: Headteacher - St Edward's RC Special School

SUCCESSFULLY APPOINTED: Headteacher - St Edward's RC Special School - Hampshire

£Competitive to attract the right applicant + generous rent free family house - Catholic - Head/Principal
Ref: 94 Date Posted: Wednesday 04 Feb 2026

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A VACANCY EMMAUS HAVE APPOINTED TO.

Headteacher

Salary: £Competitive to attract the right applicant + generous rent free family house
Location: Nr Romsey, Hampshire SO51
Contract Type: Full Time
Contract Term: Permanent
Start Date: Negotiable

This Wonderfully achieving school is looking for an Extraordinary Headteacher.

If you can answer YES to all of the following, we would love to speak with you:

1. Are you a practising Catholic? - or can you recommend someone who is!

2. Are you a proven leader of a School or Department? (currently managing a team)

3. Are you being called to make a life-long difference in young people’s lives?

St Edward's has been consistently rated by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding as to both its care and educational provision over many years. Operating within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton, the school and its wonderful, dedicated staff are there to meet the Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) care and educational needs of boys aged between 9 and 18 years who, because of the challenges they face, have been unable to cope in mainstream schools and other special educational establishments.

The School is housed in an attractive and well-maintained Grade 2 listed building set within 65 acres in the beautiful Hampshire countryside near the historic cities of Salisbury and Southampton.

As Headteacher you will be responsible for leading a highly motivated and caring team of over 70 staff supporting 48 boys (including 8 boarding).

As an ambitious school leader (from either the mainstream or specialist primary or secondary schools’ sector) you will oversee an outstanding range of facilities, with teaching, specialist support and care from a dedicated team of professionals.

SEN experience whilst welcome is not a pre-requisite. Having the heart and the will to succeed, however, is. 

The residential accommodation offered rent free is a large attractive family house with garden within a few hundred yards of the School building.

How to Apply
For more information including an application pack, please contact Liam Dowds, our Emmaus Leadership Advising Consultant who is assisting us with this assignment on 01737 652 043 or ldowds@emmausleadership.me.  

All conversations will be held in the strictest confidence.

The appointment is subject to stringent safer recruitment procedures and a clear Enhanced DBS certificate.

We are committed to promoting a just society that gives everyone an equal chance to learn, work and live free from discrimination and prejudice. Our policy is to support all staff and to eliminate unfair and unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity for all and foster good relations.

 

"This is the second time our Governing Board has used the services of Emmaus Leadership in the successful appointment of a new headteacher and we have no hesitation in recommending them to others."

Rosemary Johnson, Chair of Governors - Lowton CE High School

"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 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

"I have no hesitation in commending Emmaus to any school that is seeking to appoint a Christian Headteacher. In particular, Emmaus’ ability to promote the school, assess the ethos of the school and communicate this within the networks of those who might be considered as possible candidates was invaluable."

Clive Purser, Chair of Governors, St Andrew's CE High School for Boys, Worthing

"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 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

"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

"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

"Emmaus brings a level of professionalism, seen in other industry sectors, to church schools’ recruitment."

The Rt Rev Nick Baines - Anglican Bishop of Leeds

"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

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