Department: Academic, Pastoral & Administration Affairs

Reports To: School Principal / Senior Management

Collaborates With: Parents Director, Front Office Manager, Class Teachers, Communications Team

Employment Type Full-Time Contract

1. Background and Purpose

Our School is a dynamic, community-rooted school with a bold vision: to nurture curious, confident, and compassionate children who are equipped not just to succeed academically, but to thrive as creative thinkers and active contributors in an ever-changing world. The school is deeply embedded in its community, and every aspect of its educational model is shaped by the belief that children learn best when they feel safe, seen, inspired, and genuinely excited about learning.

To lead this vision into its next chapter of growth, we are establishing the role of Head Teacher as a cornerstone management position. This is not a conventional headteacher role. It is a position designed for a dynamic, forward-thinking educational leader — someone who is energised by innovation, deeply committed to children's holistic development, and capable of seamlessly integrating rigorous academic leadership with genuine pastoral care and creative inspiration.

This Terms of Reference (ToR) consolidates and extends the responsibilities previously held across the Curriculum Director, Parents Director, and Front Office Manager roles as they pertain to academic and pastoral leadership. It sets out the full mandate, responsibilities, authority, and performance expectations for the Head Teacher

2. Purpose of the Role

The Head Teacher is the academic, pastoral, and operational heart of day-to-day school life. The role exists to ensure that every child at experiences an education that is intellectually rigorous, emotionally supportive, creatively enriching, and deeply relevant to their lives and futures.

Working in close partnership with the School Principal, the Parents Director, and the Front Office Manager, the Head Teacher leads the teaching staff, drives curriculum excellence, champions the wellbeing of every learner, and models a school culture where curiosity, creativity, and kindness are celebrated every day. The Head Teacher is also the primary academic intelligence source for the Senior Management Team, providing data-driven insights that enable informed strategic decision-making.

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What Makes This Role Distinctive.

A genuine commitment to creativity — our Head Teacher actively cultivates a learning environment where imagination, exploration, and original thinking are as valued as academic attainment.

Energetic, youth-forward leadership — we are looking for someone who brings fresh perspective, digital fluency, and an instinct for what today's children need to thrive tomorrow.

Community embeddedness — the Head Teacher understands that education does not happen in isolation, and actively bridges school, family, and community to support every learner.

Whole-child focus — academic performance matters deeply, but so does emotional wellbeing, social development, and each child's unique potential.

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3. Scope of the Role

The Head Teacher's mandate covers the following broad domains:

● Curriculum leadership: design, review, pacing, and continuous improvement of all learning programmes

● Instructional leadership: teacher development, classroom quality assurance, and pedagogical innovation

● Pastoral and welfare oversight: academic and emotional wellbeing of every learner

● Student assessment and academic performance analytics

● Creative learning initiatives: project-based learning, arts integration, innovation challenges

● Parent-teacher communication on academic matters

● Staff coordination: task assignment, collaborative planning, and performance guidance

● Termly reports: oversight, quality assurance, and management reporting

● Representation of the academic function in Senior Management forums

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4. Key Responsibilities and Duties

4.1 Curriculum Leadership and Development

● Lead the design, ongoing review, and continuous improvement of curriculum across all year groups, ensuring it is developmentally appropriate, academically rigorous, and creatively enriching.

● Integrate new educational projects, innovation programmes, and interdisciplinary learning themes into the curriculum in a planned, purposeful, and well-communicated manner.

● Review and approve new curriculum materials, tools, and resources, ensuring alignment with the schools' educational philosophy, national standards, and contemporary best practice.

● Develop and maintain a school-wide curriculum calendar that includes term planners, lesson coverage guides, assessment milestones, and creative learning events.

● Champion project-based learning, inquiry-driven teaching, and experiential education as core pedagogical approaches across all classes.

● Continuously assess and refine the scope, sequence, and balance of curriculum content, ensuring that creativity, critical thinking, and life skills are woven into every area of learning — not treated as extras.

● Ensure all curriculum changes are properly documented, clearly communicated to teaching staff, and fully implemented with appropriate support.

4.2 Instructional Leadership and Teacher Development

● Provide active, hands-on instructional leadership — observing classroom delivery regularly, offering constructive feedback, and fostering a culture of continuous professional growth among teaching staff.

● Lead collaborative curriculum planning sessions, teaching briefings, peer learning communities, and regular staff development conversations.

● Assign curriculum-related responsibilities to teachers in a clear, fair, and structured way, ensuring every teacher understands their coverage expectations, reporting obligations, and professional development priorities.

● Introduce and champion innovative, future-focused teaching methodologies including technology integration, flipped learning, student-led inquiry, design thinking, and arts-infused instruction.

● Monitor lesson delivery quality to ensure instructional approaches are creative, inclusive, engaging, and consistent with School's standards.

● Identify teachers who would benefit from mentoring, coaching, or targeted professional development, and facilitate appropriate support in collaboration with the Principal.

● Foster a teaching staff culture that is enthusiastic, collaborative, reflective, and genuinely excited about learning alongside their students.

4.3 Pastoral and Academic Welfare of Learners

● Serve as a key pastoral leader for children's academic and emotional wellbeing, working in close partnership with the Parents Director / Pastoral Principal and the Front Office Manager.

● Maintain regular, attentive awareness of each child's academic progress, emotional state, social development, and any emerging challenges — drawing on input from class teachers, the Parents Director, and the Front Office Manager's morning observations.

● Ensure that children experiencing academic difficulty, emotional distress, or learning challenges receive timely, appropriate, and compassionate support.

● Collaborate with the Parents Director to develop coordinated welfare responses for any child flagged through pastoral or psychological observation processes.

● Cultivate a classroom environment and school culture where every child feels valued, included, safe to take creative risks, and empowered to express their individuality.

● Promote a growth mindset culture across the school — celebrating effort, resilience, and creative problem-solving alongside academic achievement.

● Champion inclusive education practices, ensuring that curriculum and instruction accommodate the diverse learning needs, backgrounds, and abilities of all children enrolled.

4.4 Assessment, Examination Analysis and Performance Reporting

● Oversee the design, administration, and rigorous analysis of all student assessments across classes and year groups.

● Identify performance trends, learning gaps, and areas of excellence at individual, class, grade, and whole-school levels, and present findings clearly to management.

● Provide structured, evidence-based feedback to teachers on assessment outcomes, with practical guidance for instructional improvement.

● Develop and implement targeted post-assessment intervention plans in collaboration with teachers to address identified performance gaps promptly.

● Maintain a comprehensive, longitudinal database of examination results and academic performance analytics for tracking progress over time.

● Prepare and present regular, clear, and actionable academic performance reports to the Senior Management Team, highlighting achievements, concerns, and strategic recommendations.

● Provide data-driven advisory input on curriculum investment, resource priorities, teacher development needs, and school-wide learning initiatives.

4.5 Termly Reports: Coordination and Quality Assurance

● Assume full oversight of the preparation, quality, and timely submission of all termly academic reports for every child.

● Set clear, non-negotiable timelines and standardised templates for report completion, ensuring all teaching staff meet deadlines consistently.

● Review every report for accuracy, genuine insight, constructive tone, and quality before final sign-off and distribution to parents.

● Compile consolidated academic output summaries for management review and institutional records at the end of each term.

● Maintain an organised, accessible archive of all academic reports and related performance documentation.

4.6 Creative Learning and Innovation Leadership

This is a defining dimension of the Head Teacher role — and one of the most exciting.

● Design and champion a vibrant creative learning programme that integrates the arts, technology, entrepreneurship, environmental awareness, and innovation challenges into the academic life of the school.

● Introduce and sustain school-wide creative initiatives such as maker spaces, student innovation showcases, inter-class creative competitions, science and design fairs, drama and storytelling projects, and digital learning experiences.

● Collaborate with the Parents Director to leverage the expertise of parent volunteers, community speakers, and local professionals to bring real-world creative learning into the classroom.

● Explore and implement emerging educational technologies — including age-appropriate digital tools, coding programmes, creative media, and interactive learning platforms — to enhance learning experiences across all year groups.

● Ensure that creative expression, student voice, and original thinking are embedded into daily school life — not reserved for special occasions.

● Lead school-wide themed learning events, cross-curricular projects, and creative challenges that generate excitement, community pride, and meaningful learning outcomes.

● Build relationships with external educational innovators, creative organisations, and learning networks that can bring fresh energy and inspiration.

4.7 Parent Communication on Academic Matters

● Work in close partnership with the Parents Director to ensure parents are consistently and proactively informed about their children's academic progress, achievements, and areas needing support.

● Contribute to monthly parent-teacher check-ins led by the Parents Director, providing academic context, progress summaries, and classroom insights.

● Liaise directly with class teachers to ensure that parent communications accurately reflect each child's current classroom experience and learning trajectory.

● Communicate curriculum updates, new learning initiatives, and creative projects to parents in an engaging, accessible, and enthusiastic manner — helping families understand and celebrate what their children are learning and why it matters.

● Mediate academic concerns raised by parents in a professional, empathetic, and constructive manner, escalating to the Principal where required.

4.8 School Events: Academic and Creative Contributions

● Contribute meaningfully to the planning and delivery of all school events, ensuring that academic achievements, creative outputs, and student talent are beautifully showcased at every occasion.

● Lead the design of academic and creative event elements such as student exhibitions, performance showcases, science fairs, innovation presentations, prize-giving ceremonies, and themed learning days.

● Collaborate with the Parents Director, who holds primary ownership of school events, to ensure events are intellectually enriching, creatively impressive, and genuinely celebratory of the school community.

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5. Authority and Decision-Making

The Head Teacher is granted the following authorities within the scope of this role:

● Authority to approve or reject new curriculum materials, projects, and learning programmes for incorporation into the school's academic offering.

● Authority to assign, re-assign, and follow up on academic tasks and responsibilities with teaching staff.

● Authority to set and enforce deadlines for report submission, curriculum coverage milestones, and assessment administration.

● Authority to initiate and lead curriculum review meetings, teacher briefings, collaborative planning sessions, and academic performance discussions.

● Authority to make real-time instructional and pastoral decisions in the academic life of the school, in the best interests of children's learning and wellbeing.

● Authority to introduce and pilot creative learning initiatives, innovative pedagogical tools, and new educational technologies, subject to consultation with the Principal.

● Advisory authority to recommend performance support or development actions for teaching staff to the Principal, based on classroom observation and academic performance data.

● Authority to escalate urgent academic welfare concerns for any child directly to the Principal.

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6. Key Working Relationships

Stakeholder / Party Nature of Relationship

● Senior Management Direct supervisor; receives academic performance reports, curriculum updates, and strategic advisory input

● Parents Director Close partnership on child welfare, parent communication on academic matters, events, and creative programmes

● Front Office Manager Collaboration on child welfare referrals (from daily arrival observations) and student wellbeing responses

● Class Teachers Primary team; task assignment, instructional guidance, performance feedback, and collaborative curriculum planning

● Parents / Guardians Academic progress communication, curriculum updates, creative learning engagement

● Curriculum Suppliers / Publishers Liaison for curriculum material acquisition, review, and innovation partnerships

● External Creative / Educational Partners Relationship management for innovation initiatives, creative programmes, and learning networks

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7. Required Qualifications and Competencies

7.1 Qualifications

1. A recognised degree in Education, Curriculum Studies, or a closely related field. A postgraduate qualification is a strong advantage. First Class or Second Class Upper is most preferred.

2. A valid teaching qualification and demonstrated classroom or instructional leadership experience.

3. Knowledge of curriculum frameworks, learning standards, and assessment methodologies relevant to the Kenyan national education context.

4. Certification or training in creative pedagogy, design thinking, educational technology, or project-based learning is highly desirable.

5. Training or exposure to child safeguarding, pastoral care, or trauma-informed educational practice is an asset.

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7.2 Experience

1. Minimum of 5–10 years of teaching experience, with at least 3 years in a curriculum coordination, instructional leadership, or school management role.

2. Demonstrated experience in curriculum design, review, and implementation.

3. Proven experience in data analysis and interpretation of academic performance metrics.

4. Demonstrable track record of introducing creative, innovative, or technology-enhanced learning experiences in a school environment.

5. Experience working collaboratively with parents, community stakeholders, and multi-disciplinary school teams.

7.3 Key Competencies

The Profile We Are Looking For

● Young and energetic — you bring vitality, fresh ideas, and an infectious enthusiasm for learning that children and teachers feel every day.

● Futuristic thinker — you are genuinely excited about what education can become, and you actively equip children with the skills, mindsets, and creativity they will need in a rapidly changing world.

● Creative champion — you believe that art, imagination, and innovation are not luxuries but essentials, and you design learning environments that prove it.

● Data-intelligent — you use evidence and performance data to make smart, timely decisions, while never reducing a child to a number.

● Empathetic leader — you lead teachers with encouragement and clear expectations, and you see every child with warmth, curiosity, and genuine belief in their potential.

● Community-connected — you understand that is more than a school; it is a community institution, and you show up for that community with energy and care.

● Organised and reliable — you manage multiple priorities simultaneously without losing attention to detail, quality, or people.

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8. Key Performance Indicators

The performance of the Head Teacher will be assessed against the following indicators:

● Measurable improvement in student academic outcomes as reflected in assessment and examination data across all year groups.

● Timely, accurate, and high-quality submission of all termly academic reports, performance summaries, and management reporting.

● Effective, on-schedule delivery of curriculum content across all classes, with well-managed pacing and no significant coverage gaps.

● Quality, clarity, and strategic usefulness of academic performance reports presented to Senior Management.

● Teacher satisfaction, clarity, and confidence regarding task assignments, curriculum direction, and professional development support.

● Successful incorporation and implementation of new curriculum projects, creative learning initiatives, and innovative pedagogical tools.

● Responsiveness to academic performance issues and the measurable effectiveness of post-assessment intervention plans.

● Quality and frequency of creative learning events, innovation showcases, and cross-curricular projects delivered across the academic year.

● Positive parent feedback on academic communication, report quality, and their understanding of their child's learning progress.

● Evidence of a school culture — as observed by staff, children, and parents — that is intellectually vibrant, creatively stimulating, and emotionally safe.

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9. Ethical Standards, Professional Conduct and Safeguarding

● The Head Teacher holds a position of profound influence with children, families, teachers, and the broader community. The highest standards of professional conduct, integrity, and ethical behaviour are non-negotiable.

● The Head Teacher must fully adhere to the School's child safeguarding policy at all times, reporting any concerns about a child's safety or welfare through the correct channels without delay or exception.

● All matters relating to individual children's academic performance, welfare circumstances, or family situations must be handled with strict confidentiality and professional discretion.

● The Head Teacher must model the values, behaviours, and aspirations of the school in every interaction with children, staff, parents, and community members.

● All decisions and recommendations must be made with honesty, transparency, and the genuine best interests of children as the guiding principle.

● The Head Teacher must not enter into personal business arrangements with parents, community partners, or suppliers that could create actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Any potential conflict must be declared to the School Principal immediately.

● The Head Teacher must engage all families, teachers, and community members with cultural sensitivity, deep respect for diversity, and an unwavering commitment to inclusion.