What skills and experience we're looking for
The Pilgrim Multi Academy Trust is looking to appoint someone with leadership experience to lead our newest school which opened as a 2FE primary school in September 2022. It is growing rapidly and will have all year groups from September 2026 and potentially full from September 2028.
Rochester Riverside has had an exciting and rich first three years, supported by our lead school. It is now ready to fly solo and this appointment will provide the right candidate with the unique opportunity to shape the journey of a new school which has a beautiful, purpose-built environment with passionate pupils and staff.
From a Strategic Perspective:
• Commitment to and understanding of the pursuit of excellence and how to move forward, continually raising standards of achievement, endeavour, behaviour and wellbeing for all stakeholders.
• Through strategic leadership, to maintain and develop further a culture in which all members of the school community are excited, engaged and motivated by learning.
• Experience and understanding of school improvement and the ability to develop and implement this with the effective involvement of all key stakeholders, including governors.
• Demonstrate commitment to ensure the Christian ethos and values of a Church School continue to be promoted and embedded.
• A commitment to the principles of safeguarding; promoting children’s welfare, diversity and inclusion.
• To be able to further develop the school as a hub of the local community.
• Embrace the use of ICT to support strategic school management and curriculum development.
• To engage in meaningful collaborations with colleagues for the benefit of all within the Trust.
From a Leadership and Management Perspective:
• To be able to inspire the school community to achieve the very best provision and outcomes for all pupils.
• To have the ability to develop and maintain a clear and coherent Christian vision for the school and to lead and motivate others to plan for, deliver and ‘live’ it.
• To be able to ensure rigorous and extensive monitoring, searching, analysis and self-challenge that results in exceptionally well-focused and successful school improvement within the school and in collaboration with the MAT schools.
• To have an ability to motivate staff across all experience levels and develop high performing teams, delegating appropriately.
• To have the drive, energy, perseverance and sensitivity to identify, anticipate and deliver required change successfully and to maintain continuous improvement.
• To be experienced in the robust application of performance management, staff professional development and learning improvement programmes.
• To have an understanding of financial management and planning with a proven ability to optimise the use of resources to support learning successfully.
• To have an ability to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning in order to raise standards and maximise pupil progress.
To successfully implement and monitor measures that promote and ensure the safeguarding of children.
What the school offers its staff
The Pilgrim Multi Academy Trust is a small group of Church of England schools who are proud to be 'Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good'. We support each other in order for everyone to flourish.
The successful candidate will join a team of highly skilled professionals who put the child at the core of all decision-making.
They will have the chance to shape the future of a school community in a new development, surrounded by historic Rochester, as it grows into a hub where everyone can 'step boldly into the future whilst learning from the past'.
They will meet pupils who are enthusiastic to learn and proud of their school .
They will meet families who support and encourage the school to achieve highly.
They will be valued by an experienced and strategically place governance structure to ensure well-being and support for the journey ahead.
They will feel welcomed into a small, friendly group of existing Headteachers who along with the CEO will provide the support and supervision that a leader of a school deserves to have in place for them.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.