Headteacher

Email: lee.stevens@dioceseofnorwich.org 

Website: https://www.heartwood.norfolk.sch.uk 

NOR: 242 inc Nursery   Age Range: 3-11years

• Salary – L12-18
• Permanent
• Full Time
• Required for 1 September 2025

The Role 

We are looking for a special Headteacher to lead and build on the ethos and vision of our Church of England Primary School & Nursery. As the successful applicant you will be dedicated to consistently providing the high standards and breadth of education that every child deserves. 

You will be in tune with the Danish Hygge approach, providing children with a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment and be committed to continuing this nurturing initiative. This is at the very heart of life at Heartwood, a recognition that the quality of a child’s learning experiences underpins supporting every child to achieve their potential.

You will have a deep understanding of outstanding teaching and learning and have the flexibility and drive to successfully manage our developing primary school. You will work collaboratively with the governing body to realise the vision and strategic aims of Heartwood. 

Your confident and inspiring leadership will ensure that Heartwood continues to strive for the best possible outcomes for each and every child.

Immediate key priorities for 2024/25 are: 

• Developing high quality teaching that leads to pupils making exceptional progress towards attaining at least expected progress and levels of attainment in their writing. 
• To build on the successful development of an effective phonics programme through equally rigorous teaching of reading and enjoyment of books.
• To fully implement the PiXL approach to DTTR (diagnostic testing therapies revisit) to raise outcomes for all children.
• To raise fluency of arithmetic to ensure all children can access new age-related learning and apply to problem solving and reasoning with automaticity.
• To further develop the use of the outside environment to extend and enhance pupils’ learning.

The Church of England foundation of Heartwood is integral to the vision, operation and strategic direction of the school. You will, alongside the governing body, build on the strengths, work on any identified weaknesses and strive towards a rich, high quality spiritual and religious learning opportunities that embraces the whole school community. You will also ensure that the close links that Heartwood has with our supporters in the local parish and with the Diocese of Norwich are developed further to support our vision and the Christian values and ethos that our school is built on. 

Educational funding is increasingly challenging so you will have a good understanding of resource management and will work with the governing board and support staff to ensure that the school is run effectively and within budget. You will ensure that there is appropriate deployment of staff to meet children’s needs whilst supporting teaching colleagues in their planning and delivery of lessons alongside the performance management cycle and the provision of quality CPD.  

Heartwood is inclusive and actively engages with all members of the school community. Additionally, your understanding of the primary needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disadvantaged groups, will strengthen provision for all within the school. You will be keen to work with all stakeholders at Heartwood, local schools and cluster, the wider community and educational networks in Norfolk. 

How to Apply

A candidate pack is available from ‘Attachments’.

For this job, when you click on the ‘Apply for Job’ button, you will be directed to complete our online application form. For this you will need to create a ‘Teacher Booker’ account.

Please note that your application will be copied and distributed to the Shortlisting Panel, therefore it is important that any communication is clear and concise.

Closing date:    21 January 2025, 9am

Shortlisting date:    23 January 2025 

Interview dates:   4 and 5 February 2025

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. To this end, you may be required to undergo pre-employment checks.

This post is likely to come under the requirements of the Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations and the successful applicant will be required to complete a declaration form to establish whether they are disqualified under these regulations.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and you will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check or Enhanced DBS check with barred list. If you have information to declare it may be protected under the Exceptions Orders and you may not be required to declare it. You will be asked to make a criminal conviction declaration if you are shortlisted for the post. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.