Date: 22 Jan 2025
Location:Abu Dhabi, AE
Job ID: 4351
School: NAS Abu Dhabi School
Company: Nord Anglia Education

FOUNDING HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL

Nord Anglia International School, Abu Dhabi is seeking to appoint a passionate, child centred, inspirational, and forward-thinking Founding Head of Secondary School to join at a pivotal stage in the school’s growth and development, commencing August 2025. The role is perfect for a leader who has the drive and ambition to lead the way in education.
The Founding Head of School will be part of the Core Leadership Team consisting of the Head of HR for Abu Dhabi, Head of Operations, Director of Admissions & Marketing, Head of Finance UAE and Head of IT UAE.
The role will require the Head of School to ensure the highest standards of pastoral care, learning and achievement. The school is at an exciting stage to lead us through our first ADEK inspection visit, our first full set of GCSE exams and drive our founding post 16 programme. Not only would we expect the candidate to lead, inspire and guide the teaching staff, support staff and young people but also enrich our community ethos.

1. CORE REQUIREMENTS

The Founding Head of Secondary School will lead the creation and development of an exceptional educational institution, overseeing every aspect of the school’s establishment and growth. A critical responsibility will be the successful introduction of the founding A-Level cohort, ensuring the delivery of world-class academic standards and preparing students for prestigious global university placements.
The Founding Head will serve as the driving force in building the school’s reputation for academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement while fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment for students and staff alike.

In fulfilling the requirements of the post, the Founding Head of Secondary will demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism and will, in particular:

• Drive NAS Abu Dhabi to be a global leader in education, growing the school to be a leading international school locally and globally;
• Embody the school’s values in word and action;
• Gain and maintain the trust and confidence of students, colleagues and parents;
• Be accountable for all aspects of standards in the Secondary School;
• Motivate students and staff to aspire to excellence in all that they do;
• Build strong, high-performing teams;
• Create the conditions for staff to continue to learn;
• Be responsible for safeguarding students and leading pastoral care with oversight of the behaviour and welfare of all students;
• Deploy resources with due diligence, with efficiency and effectiveness;
• Plan strategically for the continual improvement and growth of the Secondary School;
• Take on any other duties required by the Principal;
• Create a culture where excellence is celebrated;
• Developing a culture of high attendance and high achievement;
• Lead the school through the first inspection;
• Have an authentic drive to win it for young people;
• Recruit and build a high calibre team of leaders, educators and support staff who embody the school’s mission and values;
• Create a culture of collaboration, continuous professional development, and shared accountability;
• Provide visionary leadership to inspire staff, students, and parents to achieve shared goals.

QUALIFICATIONS/TRAINING

• Qualified to degree level or above - Essential
• Qualified Teacher Status - Essential
• Post-graduate qualification at Master’s level or above. - Desirable
• School leadership programme attendance or qualification. - Desirable
• Strong, recent track record of professional development. - Essential

EXPERIENCE

• Proven track record with at least 7 years’ teaching experience. - Essential
• Experience of being part of a highly successful senior team at Deputy level or above. - Desirable
• Direct involvement in raising standards and driving improvement at school level. - Essential
• Experience of the English National Curriculum, (I)GCSE, A-Level and IB Diploma Programme level or equivalent.- Essential
• Evidence of working with parents.- Essential
• Experience of working with groups of students with diverse additional educational
• needs and for whom English is an additional language. - Desirable
• Experience of school accreditation or inspection. - Desirable
• Track record of leading or contributing to professional development of teachers. - Desirable

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Outstanding oral and written communication. - Essential
• Ability to engage and motivate people to enable them to perform highly. - Essential
• Strong organisational skills and personal time management. - Essential
• Ability to work in a team. - Essential
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines. - Essential
• Good working knowledge of school self-evaluation. - Essential
• Facility with baseline assessment, tracking, target setting and value-added systems. - Desirable
• Working knowledge of management information systems (e.g. SIMS, iSAMS). - Desirable
• High level of IT competency. - Essential