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.

At Nord Anglia Education, our schools shape a generation of creative and resilient global citizens who leave our schools with everything they need for success whatever they choose to be or do in life. When it comes to creating memorable learning experiences both within and beyond our classrooms, our family of more than 13,000 passionate staff are experts in their academic and commercial professions and play a vital role in the world-class experience our schools provide.

We educate more than 74,000 children in 32 countries, our 84 schools in the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and Asia form our diverse global family, making us the largest provider of premium education in the world.

Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi (NAS Abu Dhabi) lies at the heart of the Emirate, on Al Reem Island. In August 2023, we opened the school's new, purpose-built campus to our first cohort of students and began to do what Nord Anglia does best:
make every moment at school count. Our mission is to help our students prepare for their futures, think creatively outside the box, develop healthy resilience, global awareness, and be team players.

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.

• 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.

• Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum
• Lead the highest standards of teaching and learning by:
  
• Holding responsibility for educational standards across the Secondary School;
• Providing a curriculum which provides exemplary learning opportunities within and beyond the classroom;
• Maintaining exemplary student behaviour that encourages learning within a purposeful and safe environment;
• Developing and maintaining effective systems for the care and guidance of students, from transition from primary through to university;
• Demonstrating wide-ranging knowledge of effective pedagogy and curriculum;
• Ensuring that our curriculum reflects our place in the UAE;
• Ensuring the powerful use of technology to enhance learning and developing STEAM and design thinking;
• Developing and maintaining a rigorous system of school self-evaluation;
• Monitoring, evaluating and improving standards of teaching through the use of lesson observation, work scrutiny and assessment data;
• Recognising and celebrating teaching excellence and challenging poor practice;
• Personally supporting the life of the school beyond the classroom;
• Ensuring that students participate in a rich and varied programme of enrichment activities, trips and residential experiences.
• Having responsibility for the policies and procedures for the Secondary School; (when related to teaching and learning)
• Ensuring that learning and teaching provided by the different teaching teams forms a coordinated, coherent curriculum entitlement for every student.

• Fostering a culture of respect, equity, ambition, leadership, responsibility and integrity;
• Developing and maintaining a community of professional learners;
• Developing everyone's ability to use the performance management system to raise standards and contribute to professional growth;
• Leading, mentoring and managing the performance and professional development of the Secondary School;
• Working with the Principal to recruit and retain the highest quality teachers, including participation in interviews and selection;
• Organising initial and ongoing induction for new teachers;
• Contributing to the professional development of teachers;
• Ensure positive, collaborative relationships between staff, unifying the team, ensuring a low turn-over of staff with all members of the team feeling valued, respected and heard;
• Leading, motivating and managing coordinators, teachers, teaching assistants and support staff;
• Working collaboratively with the Head of Primary to define the right targets at the end of the Primary Years to offer a successful transition to Secondary School for all students;
• Ensuring the .