Head
St John's School Leatherhead
Leatherhead
- New
- Salary:
- Competitive
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 2 November 2026
Job overview
St John's is a thriving and ambitious school with a strong sense of purpose and a clear view of what education should offer young people. Its next Head will inherit a flourishing community, strong academic outcomes and a clear direction for the future, together with the opportunity to lead the School through an important phase of its development.
A co-educational day and flexible boarding school for pupils aged 11 to 18, St John's educates just under 950 pupils on a beautiful 50-acre campus in Surrey, within easy reach of London. Recent years have seen continued growth in pupil numbers, alongside strong academic outcomes and investment in the wider pupil experience. More than 250 activities support pupils' interests and talents across sport, the performing arts, adventure and service, while the house system creates a strong sense of belonging in a school that proudly retains a boarding heart.
The School is continuing to strengthen how it prepares young people for life beyond school. The new Sixth Form centre and recently launched Quad Life Skills curriculum reflect a determination to combine academic success with the wider knowledge, skills and confidence pupils will need in an uncertain and changing world.
Following Alex Tate’s appointment to St George’s School, Canada, the Governing Council seeks a successor who will build on the School’s strengths and lead the continued delivery of its agreed strategy. The successful candidate will be an inspiring educational leader with warmth, sound judgement and the financial acumen and commercial understanding to lead a substantial independent school. Working with an experienced Senior Leadership Team, they will sustain high expectations and be a visible and approachable presence in the school community.
This is an opportunity for an experienced Head or an exceptional senior leader ready for a first headship to lead a successful and distinctive school where academic ambition, personal development and community are given equal importance.
RSAcademics is supporting the School with this appointment. For the candidate information pack and details of how to apply, please visit https://www.rsacademics.com/current-vacancies/head-st-johns-school/
Confidential discussions can be arranged with:
Sarah Glencross, Head of Senior School Search - sarahglencross@rsacademics.com
Richard Backhouse, Head of UK Appointments – richardbackhouse@rsacademics.com
The closing date for applications is 10am, Monday 2 November 2026.
St John’s School Leatherhead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The appointment will be subject to satisfactory safeguarding and pre-employment checks.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.
RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in schools.
About St John's School Leatherhead
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Thank you for your interest in St John's. We are proud of the outstanding work that our teaching and support staff do to create the vibrant, inclusive community which characterises our school. Working with us offers an opportunity to teach, grow, contribute and become part of a forward-thinking team. We look forward to welcoming an exceptional candidate to join us. Alex Tate, The Head
St John’s is a co-educational independent school for over 800 boys and girls aged 11 to 18 and predominantly a day school (75% day, 25% boarding) with an innovative boarding offering which includes weekly, flexi or ad hoc options to create the best possible balance between home and school life for busy families.
As soon as you walk through the door into St John's, you sense the warmth and feeling of community that pervades our school. From the historic architecture to the infectious enthusiasm of staff and pupils, this is a welcoming and exciting place in which to belong.
Founded in 1851 to provide education for the sons of the poor clergy, St John’s has always been progressive and has developed significantly over time to meet the changing needs of the pupils we educate. Although we have changed with the times, our core values of courtesy, kindness, respect and tolerance hold true and remain integral to what it means to be part of St John’s.
The School has a reputation for innovation, academic excellence, strong pastoral care and a first class all-round education for every pupil. Interest from prospective families is strong and growing, meaning that we are over-subscribed with five candidates for every Year 7 (11+ Lower Third) place and every Year 9 (13+ Fourth Form) place. Although there are currently over 800 pupils enrolled, our strong staff team enables us to keep class sizes small.
In the first two years of St John’s, Years 7 and 8 (Lower and Upper Third), pupils belong to the Lower School. From Year 9 (Fourth Form) upwards, each pupil joins either a boarding or day house where they are cared for by a team of tutors and domestic staff who are overseen by a Housemaster or Housemistress. The strong pastoral ethos provides a supportive and nurturing environment that centres upon the development of the individual child. Delivering a truly rounded education, with rich co-curricular opportunities and experiences, is at the heart of school life and all pupils participate in the varied array of activities on offer from sport, music and drama to serving the community. The School has a Christian foundation and all pupils attend Chapel once a week.
Set in the beautiful Surrey countryside, the School’s 50-acre campus is a short stroll into Leatherhead town centre and just 45 minutes by train to the cultural attractions of nearby London. It has excellent transport links by road, rail and nearby airports Heathrow and Gatwick. We are fortunate to have an impressive campus with a stunning mix of mid Victorian architecture and purpose-built contemporary additions. Our facilities are excellent and, from the state-of- the-art Sports Centre opened in 2019 to the high quality IT infrastructure which enables our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, we ensure that we create the best possible environment in which to learn and work.
For further information about St John’s School, please visit www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk.
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