Location: Guildford Town, Surrey Contract Type: Full Time Contract Term: Permanent
The Governing Body, parents and children of this happy and welcoming school community are seeking to appoint a dedicated Headteacher who will lead the school into the next chapter of its long and successful story.
Although located in the heart of Guildford town with spectacular views, St Nicolas’ has many traits of a village school with its warm and tight-knit relationship with the local community. The school has been faithfully serving this local community since 1852 and enjoys strong links with St Nicolas’ parish church in the nearby town centre.
In 2018, St Nicolas’ plans to become an Academy, joining The Good Shepherd Trust within the Guildford Diocese, representing a new and exciting phase in its development. Solid finances, well-ordered school buildings, combined with the outstanding pastoral and professional support coming from the diocese – this all represents a genuine platform for continued future success.
You will be working with happy, friendly children who are eager to learn; well-motivated, compassionate staff who work hard to deliver an education which is ‘bringing learning to life’; and dedicated governors committed to ensuring the school continues to progress.
If you are ambitious and enthusiastic, with previous leadership experience as a Key Stage Leader, Assistant Head or Deputy, then we would love to hear from you.
In the first instance please call Liam Dowds, our Emmaus Leadership Advising Consultant who is assisting us with this assignment, in complete confidence on 07961 375 759 or ldowds@emmausleadership.me.
Our school is an equal opportunities employer and committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. DBS check required.
"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 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
"We are delighted with the appointment we made and I have reported to the whole community that we could not have been more thorough in the search or more rigorous in the selection process. Thank you Emmaus Leadership."
Jacqui Feely, Chair at All Hallows Catholic College, Macclesfield
"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
"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
"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 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
"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
"I’m delighted with the way it went and the successful outcome (third SLT placement now!) helps confirm to Governors that your approach is right for these levels of appointment. It’s difficult to quantify the costs of recruiting and failing to get the right candidate ourselves - we’d only find out the true cost and also lost opportunities if we tried and failed. Altogether better to invest in getting it right first time, so thank you for all your hard work on this. The other side is the perception we leave with all candidates and I think we’ve worked together to do an excellent job (using your Assessment support). The communication, logistics and the care given I think is really important and Emmaus are a big part of that - you work as an extension of the school. I am fairly sure that all of the candidates will go away having had a great experience and that will help our reputation spread in a positive way."
Dave Cobb - School Business & Development Manager, Saint Cecilia's CE School, London