Welcome, and thank you for your interest in our Headteacher opportunity

Dear Applicant,

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in our exciting Headteacher opportunity. We hope that the information we have provided encourages you to make an application to our warm and welcoming school.

Imagine the possibilities, believe in our potential, strive for excellence and achieve remarkable outcomes together.

Ralph Butterfield is a vibrant and highly regarded school with a great many strengths. Our Governors, staff, pupils and families share a clear ambition for excellence and work together to ensure that our provision continues to thrive. We are now seeking a Headteacher who will build on these strong foundations, help shape the next phase of our development and guide the school confidently into the future.

As we look ahead to the next chapter for Ralph Butterfield, our new Headteacher will join us at a pivotal moment. The school is in a strong position, but there are important priorities to take forward: guiding the community through a leadership transition, sustaining high academic outcomes, particularly in mathematics, and ensuring assessment practice consistently identifies and addresses pupil misconceptions.

Our inclusive ethos remains a point of pride, and meeting the needs of children with SEND remains at the heart of our plans to continuously strengthen our inclusive provision. Strategic financial planning, maintaining our ambitious and creative curriculum and further developing the school environment will also be key areas of focus. With a highly engaged parent community, strong local partnerships and a committed staff team, we are seeking a leader with vision, resilience, emotional intelligence and the ability to motivate others.  Someone who can balance care and ambition while securing long‑term stability and continuing to nurture the culture of belonging that makes Ralph Butterfield special.

For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please email Ashley Benford, who has been engaged to support us with recruitment, or call on 07814 932 389. We would encourage you to come and visit in advance of your application and see for yourself the enthusiasm that our pupils have for their education. Such a visit is not part of the selection process, and whether applicants have visited will not influence the outcome. We would also encourage applicants to have a look at the school website and newsletters to get a feel for our school.

I hope you find the information provided useful and informative and that it will encourage you to apply. On behalf of the governing body, thank you again for your interest in Ralph Butterfield School.

Yours faithfully,

Philip Newton
Chair of Governors

 

 

 

Learn more about our Headteacher opportunity

Post: Headteacher
Location: Haxby, York
Number on Roll: 323
Commencing: September 2026
Salary: L18 – L24 (£78,702 - £91,158)
Contract Term: Permanent

Our Opportunity:

Ralph Butterfield is a school with significant strengths and a community united by ambition. Together, our governors, staff, pupils and families aim for excellence in every area of school life. Our new Headteacher will play a crucial role in shaping the next phase of our journey and ensuring long‑term stability and improvement.

This is an exciting moment to join us: the school is thriving, with a strong reputation for inclusion, a committed and experienced staff team and a community that cares deeply about its children. We are looking for a leader who can build on our strong foundations, bring their own vision and ideas to lead  the school confidently through the next phase of development. With high levels of parental engagement, dedicated governors and strong local partnerships, the Headteacher will have the opportunity to shape our strategic direction, strengthen our curriculum, and continue nurturing the culture of belonging that is at the heart of Ralph Butterfield.

Above all, this is a chance to make a lasting difference, ensuring the school continues to flourish and that every child leaves us confident, curious and ready for the next stage of their education.

About You:

You will be an experienced senior leader and accomplished teacher with a clear moral purpose and a strong commitment to inclusion, belonging and high expectations for every child. You combine ambition for academic excellence with a warm, relational leadership style, showing resilience, emotional intelligence and calmness under pressure. You will have the presence and credibility to inspire staff, alongside the strategic insight to manage finances, make difficult decisions and lead change with courage and care.

You understand national developments, particularly in SEND, and can identify gaps in provision, challenge constructively and prioritise effectively. Skilled at working independently while building strong partnerships, you will bring a proven track record of improving curriculum consistency, safeguarding practice and maintaining high standards, while championing staff wellbeing.

Most importantly, you will embrace what makes Ralph Butterfield special: consolidating our strengths, shaping the ethos and vision with governors, and leading the design of an exciting, inclusive curriculum that enables every child to flourish and leave our school fully prepared for secondary education.

We can offer you:

  • A warm, welcoming school community with wonderful children who support one another and show real enthusiasm for learning.
  • A culture where staff feel valued, encouraged, and able to grow professionally.
  • The chance to unlock the significant potential within the school and the time to shape Ralph Butterfield Primary into a leading example of excellence in primary education.
  • Strong, proactive support from the Local Authority, a highly committed Governing Board, and a dedicated, passionate staff team.
  • A Governing Body that provides thoughtful, balanced support across all matters— including those that may be challenging—while prioritising the wellbeing of every member of staff.
  • Close links with a local Cluster and schools network, giving you regular opportunities to collaborate with fellow Headteachers, share best practice, and draw on a wider professional community.

For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please call Ashley on 07814 932 389 or email. Ashley has been engaged to support us with recruitment to this exciting opportunity.

Key dates

Visits

We strongly recommend that you visit us so we can share with you why we are so proud of our school, and you will have the opportunity to see what we have to offer.  If you would like the opportunity to visit, please email Ashley.

Please note that while a visit can be helpful for you as an applicant, it is entirely optional and not part of the selection process. Whether or not you visit will have no impact on the outcome of your application.

Dates when we can accommodate visits are detailed below, at 4:30pm.  If these are not possible for you, please contact Ashley, as we may be able to offer alternatives.

Monday 23 March
Tuesday 24 March
Thursday 26 March

Application closing date: Midnight, Sunday 12th April
Shortlisting: Wednesday 15th April
Interviews: Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd April

Information About Our School

Information About Application and Guidance

We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We have a robust child protection and safeguarding policy. and all staff will receive training relevant to their role at induction and throughout employment at the school. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Please note this post is in regulated activity and exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS criminal records and barred list check for work with children. An online search may be undertaken as part of the recruitment process on information available in the public domain. Candidates should disclose anything that may be relevant in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Posted in Current Vacancies, Senior leadership position, Vacancies