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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.

Our mission is simple and deeply held:

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.

Why St Joseph’s?

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.

The successful candidate will:

Be a practising Catholic in good standing with the Church, able to lead the Catholic life of the school with authenticity, joy and conviction.
Value the school’s place at the heart of the local Catholic community, strengthening links with families, parish and the Diocese of Brentwood.
Be a visible, approachable and values-led leader who builds trust with children, staff, parents, governors and the parish community
Be passionate in promoting a clear child-centred vision.
Be kind, inclusive, aspirational and ambitious for all our children, staff and wider community.

Governors are seeking someone who will :

Lead with high expectations for behaviour, achievement and personal development, ensuring that every child is supported to flourish spiritually, academically, socially and emotionally.
Champion and further strengthen a broad, ambitious and engaging curriculum that staff are excited to teach and children are inspired to learn.
Be able to demonstrate a proven track record of providing inspirational, strategic and professional leadership.
Be passionately committed to safeguarding and the welfare and wellbeing of children and staff.
Be a team leader with experience of coaching and mentoring.
Be an excellent communicator with a strong commitment to working in partnership with parents and the parish community.
Have a positive, optimistic and nurturing approach; be proactive and confident.

We can offer the successful candidate:

Delightful children who are proud of their school and eager to learn.
A professional, caring and dedicated staff team who want every child to succeed.
A commitment to ongoing professional development for the Head Teacher and staff team.
Enthusiastic and aspirational senior leaders.
A well-established two-form-entry school with strong foundations and clear opportunities for further development.
A supportive, collaborative and ambitious governing body committed to working in partnership with the new Head Teacher.
An accessible and central school location with excellent transport links to Essex, London and the South East.
Ofsted rated “Good” (2022: Section 8)
Diocese of Brentwood rated “Outstanding” (2022).

We warmly welcome and encourage applicants to visit our school. Please contact the school by email via personnel@st-josephs.havering.sch.uk to arrange. We will continue to welcome visits after application due to the timeline.

How to apply

Further information and an application pack are available from the school website: https://st-josephs-upminster.net

Closing date: 5pm on 2nd September 2026
Shortlisting: 9th September 2026
Provisional interview date: 16th September 2026

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.

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.

Supporting Documents

Consent to obtain references (from Parish Priest and Professional Referees)
Head Teacher Person Specification
Job Description
Chair’s welcome letter to applicants
CES Model Application Forms and Supplementary Forms - Notes to applicant
Recruitment monitoring form

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.