School / MAT Leader Recruitment

SDBE Guidance for the appointment for new School / MAT leaders - Please contact us as soon as a written resignation is received for your School / MAT leader. 

Wise, inspirational and highly effective headteachers are more important than ever, their leadership is a significant factor in ensuring the church school embraces excellence and academic rigour, but sets them in a wider framework of holistic human flourishing.

The SDBE guidance starts from the premise that appointing a new headteacher is one of the most important tasks undertaken by school leaders and managers. Within a Church school, the headteacher is the lay spiritual leader of the school and their role is integral to sustaining and developing the Christian Character of the school as set out in the school’s Trust deed. Governors must satisfy themselves that the headteacher can provide Christian Leadership within the school and a commitment to these beliefs and practices.

The SDBE gifts adviser time to support every governing body through every step of the process. The SDBE commits to walk alongside the governing body:

• Supporting the initial contact with the Chair of Governors;
• Guiding and providing advise at the preliminary meeting of the recruitment panel;
• Aiding the production of a recruitment pack;
• Guidance at shortlisting;
• Planning the interview process;
• Advising into the interview process and practicalities of the interview day;
• Guiding the post-interview processes.

The transition to the Programme for Church School Flourishing and trust led recruitment may result in trusts offering their own SDBE assured guidance and support to schools. If your trust has engaged with the Programme for Church School Flourishing the SDBE trained Champion for Church School Recruitment will be able to advise on the internal support available.

At all times through the process the SDBE adviser will champion the Christian distinctiveness of the church school, grounding the work in the Church of England vision for education and maintaining a mindset of hope so that the future flourishing of the church school is secured.

Let us not focus on what we are missing;

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
Philippians 4:8