Job Description
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The Interim Executive Board and the Diocese are seeking to appoint an inspirational leader to guide St Michael's into an exciting new chapter.
St Michael's is a two form entry (VA) Primary School situated in Braintree at the heart of Essex with easy access to London, Stansted Airport, the coast and countryside. Our Christian distinctiveness is central to our work, and we are seeking a leader who will continue to nurture and grow this ethos.
Following a period of turbulence, under highly effective interim leadership, the school has undergone rapid and sustained improvement. Significant progress has been made in addressing the areas identified for development during our Ofsted inspection in April 2025. The interim leadership arrangements will come to an end on 31st August 2026 and they will be returning to their school.
St Michael's school is now well-placed to appoint a substantive Headteacher from September 2026, after which a new Governing Body will be introduced. The successful candidate will be passionate about continuing to drive our school forward and build on existing achievement.
The successful candidate will:
- Strive to achieve the best for our pupils and school;
- Demonstrate our Christian values of love, integrity, creativity and resilience in the qualities they bring to their working life;
- Have the leadership and management skills to enable our school to continue to thrive and develop;
- Have experience of robust assessment and monitoring across whole school leading to effective analysis to raise standards for all children including more able and disadvantaged children;
- Be committed to inclusion and exemplify inclusive practice;
- Have a good understanding of managing financial resources whilst still raising standards;
- Have the ability to create effective, positive relationships with all members of the school community and beyond;
- Continue to develop and encourage staff development.
We will offer you:
- A school of talented and friendly children who are looking forward to meeting you;
- A dedicated, committed and hardworking staff team who are motivated and passionate about nurturing and educating our children;
- Parents who appreciate and support the school;
- Strong supportive links with the church and Diocese Board of Education.
Prospective candidates are warmly encouraged to arrange a visit and tour the school with our current Interim Executive Headteacher, Chris Speller, who can share more about St Michael's recent journey. To arrange a visit, please contact him directly at cspeller@stmichaelscofe.com.
We look forward to receiving your application; please do not hesitate to contact Liz Whitelock on 03330130777 if you have any queries.
Information about the School
At St Michael’s C of E Primary School, we recognise the vital role that we have to help shape the lives of the children we are privileged to work with. Following Jesus’ example, we put the children at the heart of all we do, knowing that they are our future. Through both explicit and implicit teaching and modelling of our school vision and by living it out in practice through our four Christian Values of Love, Integrity, Creativity and Resilience” we aim to create a community within our school and beyond, which is principled and start these children off on a journey in which they will always know that Christ will be with them.
We aim to inspire children to do their best in all aspects of their lives and celebrate all their successes.