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 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
"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
"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
"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 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
"Could we afford it? My belief, as Chair was that we couldn’t afford not to. We needed strong school leaders to be drawn to apply. Our success was down to using Emmaus and definitely money well spent."
Carry Lynott - Chair of Governors, Our Lady and St Brendan's Catholic Primary School, Bradford
"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
"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
"…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