Head of School

Your career #EMATters! East Midlands Academy Trust is seeking an exceptional and ambitious Head of School to lead Orchard Academy into its next phase of development.

As Head of School, you will play a pivotal role in driving forward our vision, nurturing a culture of excellence, and ensuring that Orchard Academy continues to be a place where children thrive, staff flourish, and the community feels proud.

We are looking for a leader who thinks beyond the classroom, someone who understands that exceptional primary education transforms lives. At EMAT, we recognise and value our diverse workforce and are proud to be a trust where innovation, inclusivity and impact sit at the heart of everything we do.

EMAT is an exciting, innovative and growing organisation where we strive to do things differently, aligned with our core values and purpose: that every child deserves to be the best they can be.

Our Trust was incorporated in July 2012 to establish, maintain, manage and develop academies and free schools as world‑class centres of excellence. We are a collaborative partnership that currently includes an all‑through school in Northampton, a secondary school in Oundle, and five primary schools across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.

By joining EMAT, you will benefit from a wealth of professional development opportunities and employee benefits, including:

• Continuous professional development and training
• Career and leadership opportunities within our growing family of schools
• A confidential 24‑hour Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme
• Flu jabs for all staff
• Cycle to work scheme
• Health and wellbeing benefits, including access to an online GP
• An employee lifestyle savings platform
• Generous family leave

Orchard Academy is a three‑form entry junior school located on the Springfield Estate in Milton Keynes, with capacity for 360 pupils across Key Stage 2. The school also includes a twenty‑place Social Communication Department supporting pupils from both Orchard and Shepherdswell.

At Orchard Academy, children are at the centre of everything we do. Our strong inclusive ethos makes our school a place where everyone belongs. Our pupils are eager to learn and we promote positive learning behaviours to ensure all succeed.

Through high‑quality teaching and a rich, relevant and ambitious curriculum, our dedicated staff support every child to learn, grow and achieve. We are seeking a Head of School who shares our vision and values, will advocate passionately for our children and families, work collaboratively with colleagues, and adapt provision to meet the needs of all pupils.

As Head of School, you will provide clear, confident and compassionate leadership, working closely with and under the direction of the Executive Headteacher to secure continued success and improvement.

You will:

• Provide vision and strategic leadership aligned with Trust values and academy improvement priorities
• Lead the day‑to‑day management and organisation of the academy
• Secure high standards in teaching, learning, behaviour and curriculum design
• Hold staff to account for standards and quality
• Lead performance management for teaching staff
• Oversee curriculum organisation, including timetabling
• Use assessment effectively to track pupil achievement and drive improvement
• Lead defined whole‑academy responsibilities and contribute to academy improvement planning
• Work collaboratively with the Executive Director of Primary Education and EMAT’s central team

The essential quality of the Head of School is the ability to model an unwavering commitment to the highest possible standards, sustaining improvement and securing strong outcomes for all pupils.

As a leader within EMAT, you will also contribute to trust‑wide initiatives, professional networks and collaborative improvement strategies.

For more information or an informal conversation

Please contact: han

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