Salary - Up to £79,745* | Full-Time
'Pupils and children at Little Heaton Church of England Primary School are happy in school. They get on well together and make lots of friends.
Pupils benefit from positive and supportive relationships with staff who pupils said are kind and helpful.
This helps pupils to feel safe.'
Ofsted 2022, Little Heaton CE Primary School.
'Hello, my grandchildren go here and they come home every day saying that today was ace!
So you should give it a try if there is a free space foe you.'
Google Review, Little Heaton CE Primary School.
We are excited to announce an opportunity for an exceptional School Leader, with the right blend of skills, talents, experience, and values to become Headteacher of Little Heaton CE Primary School in Middleton, Greater Manchester. We are a one-form entry school, with major recent investment in the buildings to provide a nurturing and happy environment for our children.
We provide a happy place to work and to learn. Our staff pride themselves on respectful relationships with students, and each other, and are committed to the best welfare and interests of all. We have a strong and supportive ethos, working hard so that every student becomes everything they can be and are meant to be.
Little Heaton is a one-form entry primary, set in an area of some disadvantage and deprivation. The school has unfortunately had a chequered history, in Ofsted terms, with a series of ‘requires improvement’ judgements and changes in leadership.
In March 2024, the school transferred into The Cranmer Education Trust (CET), and since May, the CET has brought in experienced school leaders who have been working together with school staff to stabilize matters and improve the quality of education across the board, addressing the SEN and behavioural issues with which the school was struggling.
The trust has also made a major investment in the buildings and school environment for the children, providing a stimulating and nurturing setting. Parents are already commenting positively on the changes.
We are now able to appoint a substantive Headteacher who will lead the school’s future development, reinforcing the foundations that have been put in place and continuing the professional development of staff to make the best possible provision for our children, who both need and deserve the very best.
Our new Headteacher will have the whole-hearted and determined support of The Cranmer Education Trust family. There will be an executive leader linked to the school to provide advice and capacity. The headteacher will be a member of the Trust’s Strategic Leadership group which includes all the headteachers who support one another. The school will benefit from the trust’s primary school improvement capacity drawn from our own primary schools with additional consultancy brokered in as necessary.
The Headteacher will also have the support and independent feedback of the trust’s specialist primary School Improvement Partner, a former headteacher of a school in Leeds in a similar context and with similar challenges and complexities.
The role would suit
1. An existing Primary Headteacher looking for a new challenge in a supportive and well-resourced environment.
2. A successful Deputy Headteacher who wants to step up to Headship, and wishes to really make a difference in a school where success in the challenge will transform the life chances of those who need it most.
3. Any successful Primary leader who can draw on the strengths of others and show their positive emotional intelligence to support, guide, coach, improve and achieve the very best.
We are looking for someone who really does want to make a difference, who is tenacious, resilient and ambitious for the children and the staff, who knows that great leadership needs visibility, presence, energy, and high emotional intelligence, to judge and gauge the best response in many different situations. We need someone who can drive an inclusive curriculum and teaching, with trust support, and who understands how to lead a culture combining kindness and clear boundaries, where children feel safe and listened to, where they feel valued and learn to self-regulate and where they learn how to care for themselves and one another.
The headteacher of Little Heaton will see the positive impact, every day, of their leadership in the improvement of the school and what it gives to our children.
The deadline for applications is 10am on Monday 2nd December 2024.
Shortlisting will be later during the same week.
We would like the successful candidate to start as soon as possible, and by Summer Term 2025, but we do realise that notice periods can be variable, and we are prepared to discuss the best start date for the right candidate.
*Salary will be between £68,586 and £79,475(L14-L20) depending upon the successful candidate's experience and current remuneration.
**A Relocation bonus compliant with Inland Revenue guidelines is available if a house move is necessary for the successful candidate to take up the role.
"Pupils, including children in the early years, learn that everyone should be treated with respect regardless of their differences. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), behave well in lessons and around the
school.
Pupils told inspectors that the staff in the school are caring and will help them if they have any worries. Pupils also trust that if they reported any concerns about bullying, that staff would sort it out quickly.'
Ofsted 2022, Little Heaton CE Primary School.
'The Trust has invested in me and encouraged continuing professional development, which has allowed me to develop as a teacher, leader and individual.'
What is it like? Deputy Headteacher discussing her job in a Cranmer Education Trust Primary School.
'I am proud to be part of the Cranmer Education Trust and I believe that every child, in every school, should have the same opportunities and I feel this is strong within the Trust. I was encouraged to take part in the Teaching Leader's Programme (Ambition School Leadership) and have completed my first year (Sept 17 – July 18). This has enabled me to develop as a leader / leader of the future and have the confidence and self-belief I may not have previously had.
I am driven by the team spirit ... and the 'family feel' in school. We work together to achieve.'
What is it like? Head of Key Stage 2 discusses her role in a Cranmer Education Trust Primary School.
The Cranmer Education Trust was founded in 2011 with a mission to be a leader of education and a provider of excellent, nurturing schools, enabling all children and young people to achieve, progress, experience success, and to become good people, good neighbours and good citizens, who we are all proud to know.
Little Heaton CE Primary School is proud to be part of the Cranmer Education Trust which, from April 2025, will include 10 schools across Oldham and Rochdale - 5 secondary and 5 primary - and by which time will be educating more than 8,000 young people, employing more than 900 staff, and will have a revenue exceeding £80m.
The trust continues to grow and by 2029, plans to have increased to 11,000 pupils. Being a part of such a strong trust allows colleagues in all the trust's primary schools to build valuable support networks, access wider learning opportunities and means that we benefit from capital investment we would not otherwise be able to access. Indeed, the new headteacher of Little Heaton CE Primary School will be a member of the trust’s Strategic Leadership group which includes all the headteachers who support one another. The school will benefit from this primary school improvement capacity drawn from our own primary schools with additional consultancy brokered in as necessary.
Full details of of how to apply for the role and other documentation can be found in the Candidate Application Pack which you can download by CLICKING HERE.
The following steps and deadlines will ensure you make a great application, and submit it properly within the timescale required
If you get your application pack now, we'll keep you informed and remind you of the deadline.
Want to talk?
This is a fantastic opportunity for any successful Senior Leader in a Primary School, an existing Head wanting a new challenge, or for those who are in a deputy position to step up to the full Headteacher role.
'I genuinely could not be happier with the school. There is nothing more heart warming than your children coming home happy and talking positively about what they’ve been learning.'
'My child is extremely happy here, I would and have recommended the school to other mums. I feel I have been able to speak with teachers and deputy regarding my child's needs and they have been very open to this, even with little notice.'
'My child has settled in really well, her attitude is so different to life since she's started I'm really pleased with her progress'
Parent View Feedback - Little Heaton CE Primary School.
