Head of Primary

Coeducational | Day/Boarding | British Curriculum
Students aged 1-18 | 1140 Students

The Lady Elizabeth School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Aligned with the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection, we hold ourselves to a higher standard of effective recruiting practices with specific attention to child protection. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years employment history.

OVERVIEW

The Lady Elizabeth School (LES) is ranked as one of Spain’s best International Schools, offering an outstanding British-style education to its students. The School is located in the beautiful region of Alicante and is set on the Cumbre del Sol of Benitachell (Alicante) with stunning views of the Mediterranean at its doorstep.

LES ranks amongst the top private schools in the country with students progressing to the best universities in the United Kingdom, Spain and around the world. The school has a proud and rich history.  From its humble beginnings with just a handful of pupils learning in a makeshift classroom on the porch of an old farmhouse in nearby Javea in 1986, the school has rapidly matured into a world-class learning community with 1140 pupils and nearly 200 staff members to support them, outstanding facilities and rich and varied programming to suit a wide variety of learners and student interest.  While larger in size, the school maintains its family feel where each learner and staff member is valued and appreciated for their individual needs, talents and passions. Moreover, parents are viewed as key partners in the education of their children, and are often directly involved in learning projects at the school.

At this time the Lady Elizabeth School seeks to appoint a new Head of Primary to commence in August of 2020.  The current Head of Primary, Mrs. Caroline Smith, has admirably led the Primary Division over a long and highly successful period and is now moving on to her next chapter, relocating with her family. Thus the school seeks a new leader to carry on the excellent work already in place at the school, and to continue to lead innovations in the program and further develop the Primary School as LES continues to grow in size and complexity.

THE SCHOOL

The Primary School division learns and grows in excellent, modern and well-resourced facilities. There are currently 550 pupils in the Primary School, 110 in the Early Years Foundation Stage and 440 in Year 1 through to Year 6.  Beyond Early Years there is a 3-form entry expanding to 4-form entry as demand for the school continues to grow. Currently one of every three year levels is at capacity and there are waiting lists for places in the school. Roughly 35% of the pupils are Spanish nationals and 30% British, with the remainder coming from over 50 nationalities. The school follows the Early Years Framework and the International Primary Curriculum in the Primary School, leading on to IGCSEs/GCSEs and A-Levels in the Secondary School.

The Lady Elizabeth School Primary School is a place where children discover an early love of learning and take important steps in an education for life. The school aims to develop each child’s personal qualities, providing a sound foundation for the future, focusing on the individual, nurturing their interests and talents, and ensuring they successfully move on to the Secondary School recognising themselves as lifelong learners.

The school has developed enviable traditions and a reputation in the fields of sports, music, speech, dance and drama. A wide range of ¨Plus Club¨ opportunities are provided for the pupils to take part in activities in sport, the arts, service learning and academic clubs. Importantly, the School enjoys the loyalty of a highly professional and committed group of staff who have a great deal of experience working within the international environment that exists. One of the hallmarks of the school is the warm and caring relationships between pupils and their teachers, and the high levels of collaboration and professionalism of the team of educators.

THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP

The Lady Elizabeth School is a part of the International Schools Partnership (ISP), a collection of 42 outstanding ¨schools of choice¨ in their communities, in ten different countries across the globe. More information on ISP can be found on their website. ISP’s support and network nourishes LES with incredible opportunities for student engagement, faculty professional support and the vision and practical support in financial, facility and program planning at a leading world-class standard. ISP schools nurture the learning of over 40,000 students and are energized by 6,000 faculty, world-wide.

DESIRED QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Pupil-focused mentality and commitment: #LESWhatsBestForKids;Warm, collaborative leadership style, with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Approachable, visible and accessible.  Can connect with all community stakeholders;Demonstrable track record of providing outstanding school leadership over several years at the Primary level, preferably with experience in an international school setting;Flexible and adaptable to change, growth and development, yet consistent in the application of agreements and non-negotiables;Ambitious, hard-working, motivated and a strong role model who leads by example;Cultural Fluency – sensitive to other cultures;Strong understanding not only of how to effectively lead a highly successful and thriving school, but also of how to contribute and work collaboratively with a wider family of schools in the ISP network; Recognizes when colleagues go the extra mile; models gratefulness and encourages a culture of positive praise;Understands the faculty and staff are the heart and lungs of the Primary school and acts proactively to support their strengths and needs;Bachelor’s degree and Qualified Teacher Status;  Minimum 7 years teaching experience as an outstanding teacher preferably across a variety of EYFS/Primary age ranges;  Master’s degree in Education (preferred but not essential);Fluent in English, both written and spoken;Conversational Spanish skills or strong willingness and commitment to learning the language within the first months on the job;Up to date knowledge and experience of the British national curriculum, preferably also with experience of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC);Evidence of relevant Continuous Professional Development;Willingness to make a long-term commitment; to be able to get to know the school´s strengths, plan for change and to see it through to execution (minimum 5 years, hopefully longer).

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Opportunities for the next LES Head of Primary include:

Building on the foundation of its recent dramatic growth and improvement to solidify a strong and enduring school. Leading a truly international school with a strong community spirit and a genuine commitment to the well-being of students. Working with a strong, stable, and committed SSLT and ISP European leadership team. Partnering with an excellent Primary leadership team (PSLT) and a fine faculty to define and achieve the school’s future goals and objectives. Living and working in an amazingly beautiful, culturally rich, warm and outdoorsy part of the world, with an average of 320 days of sunshine!

Challenges for the next LES Head of Primary include:

Consolidating and reinforcing the impressive growth made in recent years. Leading curriculum innovation, with attentiveness to assessment of student progress and awareness of the changes in demographics of the school where more learners are learning in English for the first time.Developing and maturing practices that reinforce the ¨whole school¨ model bridging Primary and Secondary schools.Developing the Plus Club program opportunities and leveraging the school´s enviable location for further explorations beyond the classroom.Raising standards for student performance within context of increasing diversity of EAL and SEN populations, as well as recent joining pupils coming from varied educational backgrounds.Ensuring essential agreements in approaches to teaching and learning as well as school operations are clear and in place, while sponsoring a culture of innovation and receptiveness to getting better.

REMUNERATION PACKAGE A

Competitive salary will be offered, along with free school tuition for school-age dependents. In addition, the successful candidate will have access to ample Professional Development opportunities. Mobile technology and a school phone will be provided.

HOW TO APPLY 

Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials:

A cover letter expressing your interest in this particular position and why you feel your background and accomplishments make you an outstanding candidate;A current re´sume´;A one-page statement of educational philosophy and practice;A list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission)

To

Chris Akin,
Head of School
Lady Elizabeth School
c.akin@laudeladyelizabeth.com

and

Lola Guillén,
Head of HR
International Schools Partnership (Europe)
lguillen@ispschools.com

TIMELINE:

Feb 2nd - 24th: Search Committee will receive applications
Feb 25th - 29th:  Skype interviews with long-listed candidates
March 9-13:  Finalist Candidates on site visit to LES
March 17th:  Successful candidate announced

aw-education.org.uk