Head Teacher

Head Teacher for The London Acorn School – A unique opportunity for you to lead a pioneering alternative school in a beautiful National Trust park.

We are looking for a dynamic Head Teacher who will bring their own passion and experience to the role, and grow our unique school in harmony with our trailblazing pedagogic vision and our progressive principles. This is rare opportunity for you to lead and grow an institution at the cutting edge of pedagogic practice.

We are seeking a successor to our relocating Head Teacher who will lead a dedicated team of teachers and support staff, working closely with our vibrant and committed community of pupils, parents and carers, and build on our growing reputation as a leading light in the progressive education sector. You will have the passion and experience to expand and grow our currently flourishing Primary School.  

This exciting and rare opportunity is for you if you have Primary School Leadership experience, experience/knowledge of alternative and/or holistically orientated mainstream settings, and you understand the importance of a creative, low-tech developmental model to drive academic excellence in an unhurried child-orientated learning environment.

Rather than limiting ourselves to a single philosophy or approach, at the London Acorn School we stand on the shoulders of the educational giants that came before. Our curriculum is primarily shaped by the Steiner Waldorf and Acorn philosophies blended thoughtfully with elements of Montessori, forest school, traditional cultures, Scandinavian and mainstream education that align with our values. Core to our values and underlying our goals of holistic education and academic excellence is a real partnership between staff and families, with children’s happiness and well-being at the center of that partnership. We are a close community, with lovely children and parents who are actively engaged in supporting the school.

The post holder will be accountable to and supported by the School Governance Council.

Key areas of responsibility are detailed further in the job description and the key skills in the person specification.

Our new Head Teacher will:

• Share, drive, and actively demonstrate our School vision
• Share our passion for academic excellence while appreciating the importance of supporting each individual child’s emotional, physical, creative, technical and spiritual development. Is firmly committed to a holistic pedagogic approach, which equips children for life, not just for exams
• Lead the School collaboratively and effectively though institutional change, effectively utilizing interpersonal skills to work in partnership with the teaching faculty and pull all the different threads of our school together and drive our blended pedagogic vision forward
• Have experience of, or at least strong interest in, alternative educational approaches
• Ensure the good financial management of the school and take a leading role in shaping our marketing strategy to ensure long term business resilience

Some facts about our school

• Our school was founded in 2013
• Our school is in a cottage amidst 125 acres of beautiful National Trust parkland in Morden, South London. It is accessible by tram, underground, bike, bus and car
• We currently run a Kindergarten with entry from age 3, and Lower/Middle School with entry from age 6.
• Our faculty of 17 members combines staff with backgrounds drawn from both mainstream and Steiner educational traditions
• The London Acorn School is a not-for-profit community interest company
• Further information on The London Acorn School can be found at www.thelondonacornschool.co.uk

Next steps

A candidate brief for this post is available together with an application form which should be returned to our school office in order to be considered for interview;

Application Deadline: 10th February 2022.

Interviews for this post are currently scheduled to take place in February 2023.

Visits to the school are encouraged and warmly welcomed prior to application submission.

To arrange a visit, for further information, or for an informal conversation

about the role please contact the School Business Manager, Emily Maskell by email at emily@thelondonacornschool.co.uk.

Please note that all applicants for this post will be required to undertake appropriate safer recruitment checks and safeguarding controls including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and screening and checks with past employers. We expect candidates to demonstrate that they share our commitment to the wellbeing and safeguarding of children.

In addition candidates invited to interview will be required to provide proof of qualifications.

The London Acorn School is an equal opportunities employer.