Full Time, Permanent

Group 3: L18–L24a, Outer London

Are you ready to lead a joyful, ambitious Catholic school community where children are known, loved and inspired to flourish? The governors of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Upminster, are seeking to appoint an inspirational, practising Catholic Head Teacher to lead our happy and welcoming two-form-entry school from January 2027. Rooted in Gospel values and with Christ at the centre, St Joseph’s is a school with strong foundations, delightful children, dedicated staff, supportive families and an ambitious governing body. This is a wonderful opportunity for a visible, faith-filled and values-led leader to build on all that is already strong, while shaping the next stage of our school’s journey with confidence, warmth and vision. Applications are warmly invited from serving Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers who can demonstrate successful strategic Catholic leadership, with experience in at least two primary phases. St Joseph’s is a joyful community which follows the example of Jesus, helping, accepting and respecting everyone, as we learn and grow together, safe in His love. We are looking for a Head Teacher who will live out this mission every day: through faith, presence, high expectations and a deep commitment to every child. Working with supportive governors and a committed staff team, our new Head Teacher will provide the spiritual, strategic and operational leadership needed to help every child and adult in our community flourish. At St Joseph’s, you will find a school community with heart: children who are eager to learn, staff who care deeply, parents who want the best for their children, and governors who are committed to supporting the next Head Teacher with clarity, trust and ambition. We warmly welcome and encourage applicants to visit our school. Please contact the school by email via to arrange. We will continue to welcome visits after application due to the timeline. Please note we do not accept CVs or applications from agencies. We aim to respond to all candidates who apply via the application form. This is a reserved post and is open to practising Catholics only. Please review the document produced by the Diocese of Brentwood, “Definition of a practising Catholic for a reserved posts” for further information. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the whole school community and expects everyone to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check along with other relevant employment checks. Consistent with our safer recruitment policy, shortlisted candidates will be subject to an online search to identify any public content that may relate to their suitability for the role. Applications must be on a CES application form as provided by the school and sent to the school (applications NOT submitted on the CES application form will not be considered). Any electronic applications will have to be signed by the applicant before the interview.