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
Ralph Butterfield Primary School is in the village of Haxby, north of York, with adjacent villages of Wigginton, Strensall and New Earswick. The catchment is stable, family-oriented housing with relatively low levels of socioeconomic disadvantage due to cost of housing in the area, social housing is limited. The area benefits from strong local amenities and good transport connectivity to York and surrounding villages, supporting accessibility for both staff and pupils. There are plans to reintroduce a station on the York to Scarborough Railway, which will be located not far from the school. Continued residential development in and around Haxby provides potential for sustained pupil numbers, with a new housing estate planned for the catchment.
Although situated in a village, the community feels like a small town and has strong connections to the City of York. The relatively advantaged demographic profile places emphasis on high academic standards, curriculum depth and enrichment, alongside continued focus on inclusion and meeting the needs of all learners.
Our Pupils
Ralph Butterfield has a strong and well embedded behaviour culture, underpinned by consistent routines and positive relationships. Governors regularly observe excellent pupil conduct, reflected in active learning, kindness, care for others and a willingness to contribute to the wider school community. These are all an outcome of strong leadership and consistent practice across all staff. Attendance remains above national averages, with leaders closely monitoring persistent absence and providing targeted support where needed. Going forward, a focus for the next Headteacher will be required around SEND‑related attendance.
Exclusions are extremely rare in our school, with the Governor exclusion panel unused for more than 15 years; on the rare occasions where fixed‑term exclusions are applied, they are short, purposeful, and undertaken with full parental involvement.
Pupils report feeling safe, welcomed, and proud to belong to the Ralph Butterfield community, as seen through their engagement in pupil voice activities and their enthusiastic participation in open days for new families.
Ofsted recognised February 2024:
Pupils are safe, happy and enjoy coming to school. Classrooms are calm and purposeful places. There is clear respect and trust between adults and pupils. Pupils know that if they have a worry, there is always a trusted adult they can talk to.
Our Staffing Team
The substantive posts within the current SLT structure are Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher. The current acting Headteacher leads the school with support from the current acting Deputy Head. The acting Headteacher also acts as the DSL with the acting Deputy as deputy DSL. Currently our acting Head does not have dedicated class time but will step in when needed to support teachers and school budgets. The acting Deputy is a class teacher with 0.6 time out of class to support SLT, inclusive of PPA. The SENDCo is currently 0.6FTE hours and is proactive in working with parents and staff to ensure expert input; staff at all levels receive a high level of external professional development on SEN-related issues.
Our staffing is stable with SLT members of long standing in the school; the departing head was appointed in 2019 and has a cumulative 24 years’ experience at RB. All SLT are experienced teachers. We have UPS teachers leading subjects across the school who support teachers to live the curriculum to increase consistency of quality of education across the school. Although the size of the school means the Headteacher will not hold a regular teaching commitment, we are looking for someone who can step into the classroom when required and who maintains a clear, authentic understanding of day‑to‑day life for teachers and support staff at Ralph Butterfield.
Staff Structure:
SLT x 3
Teaching staff x 15 inc. job shares
HLTA x 3
GTA x 14
Administration x 4 inc. job shares
MSA x 6
Number of classes (11)
EYFS x2
KS1 x3
LKS2 x3
UKS2 x3
External contracts
Caretaker x1 (Dolce)
Catering x 4 (Dolce)
Cleaning x 3 (Synergy Cleaning)
Overview of TA support:
TA and HLTA support are utilised to support learning for all pupils. 1-2-1 support is there for the highest needs and HLTA’s are able to step into teaching the class. We have a dedicated team who are happy to move where they are needed.
Our Governing Body
We benefit from a complete and active Governing Board from a range of backgrounds who bring their skills and knowledge to support the school. The governing body has a range of duties and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement.
Responsibilities include:
- setting and monitoring the strategic direction of the schools
- monitoring finances to ensure they align with the school development
- making sure the curriculum is balanced and broadly based
- performance management of the headteacher
- reviewing staff performance and pay
Our board consists of
- One Local Authority Governor (appointed by the City of York Council)
- One Staff Governor (elected by the staff)
- Eight Co-opted Governors (chosen by other governors)
- One Headteacher
- Four Parent Governors (elected by the parents)
In addition we have associate governors who do not have voting rights but sit on the board for their expertise and knowledge. This includes the SBM and previously one staff member.
We operate two well-attended sub-committees; Finance, Staffing and Premises, and Curriculum and Standards, with dedicated sub-chairs. Governors are also appointed to focused roles which include H&S, Communication, Wellbeing and Inclusion. As well as being linked to a phase, governors also have a curriculum focus.
Our shared vision is Ralph Butterfield Primary School as an environment in which learning is irresistible:
- A school where every member of the community has the passion and innate drive to be their best self, with positive relationships and a culture of care and wellbeing at its heart.
- A school with an ambitious and engaging curriculum, where children’s learning is cohesive and builds progressively, within each year and across all years, enabling children to know more and remember more.
- A school where safety, positive relationships and high quality teaching ensures all learners are effectively supported to access the curriculum, make excellent progress and attain as highly as possible.
- A school that is inclusive and welcoming, actively promoting and celebrating diversity and inclusion, with individual needs and potential appropriately supported for all.
- A school where children are equipped with the knowledge, cultural capital and resilience needed for a positive sense of wellbeing and ability to cope and succeed, in each stage of education and in later life.
- A school where parent/carer and community engagement is high-profile; families feel welcomed, well informed, supported and involved in their children’s education and development. School and home work together proactively, within a culture of openness and transparency.
- A school that is outward facing, values all feedback from the community and beyond and is rigorously self-reflective in order to continuously improve.
Ofsted recognised February 2024:
Children get off to a flying start in the early years. The well-thought-out provision promotes effective learning through a hive of activity. The environment is welcoming. Adults create rich and varied learning opportunities that enable children to learn about the world around them.
Learning at Ralph Butterfield School
Ralph Butterfield is a vibrant, welcoming school with a great deal to be proud of. Governors, staff, pupils and parents share a clear ambition for the very best in everything we do. We are now looking for a Headteacher who will help us build on these strengths and lead the school confidently into the future.
Learning at Ralph Butterfield Primary School is shaped by a creative, ambitious and inclusive curriculum designed to secure strong outcomes for all pupils. We hold high expectations for every learner and ensure that all children, including those with SEND, can access a broad and balanced curriculum without unnecessary narrowing. Through thoughtful adaptations and targeted support, pupils with additional needs successfully engage with the same learning as their peers and achieve well as a result. Our curriculum is brought to life through consistently high standards, strong relationships and a caring, purposeful environment in which pupils flourish. Staff benefit from high‑quality professional development and our subject leaders are recognised across the city for their expertise. Personal development is woven throughout, with rich opportunities for leadership, enrichment and character-building that promote confidence, resilience and a strong understanding of equality and British values. We are particularly proud of our work on diversity, ensuring pupils are taught to celebrate difference and contribute positively to a cohesive and inclusive community.
We are focusing on tackling a number of key challenges that currently limit the pace and consistency of progress. These include KS2 Maths as a focus, as well as closing attainment gaps for disadvantaged pupils.
Assessment supports inclusion and challenge, ensuring pupils are appropriately supported while maintaining ambition. Leaders and governors maintain a strong focus on performance and continuous improvement, ensuring that curriculum impact remains central to the school’s strategic priorities. Looking ahead, planning for curriculum reform beyond 2027 will be an important focus for our new Headteacher, ensuring the school remains well‑positioned for future developments.
Ofsted recognised February 2024:
In lessons, pupils are eager to participate. Children in early years show an enthusiasm for learning from the outset. This allows them to thrive, flourish and succeed. Pupils are supportive of one another.
Learn more about our learning at our school.
Wellbeing of Staff and Pupils
As a large school, we pride ourselves on working cohesively towards shared goals while valuing the diverse working styles and personalities within our team. Leaders place great emphasis on ensuring staff are well trained, understand the needs of the school and feel recognised for their successes, all while maintaining high standards of teaching and learning. Like all schools, staff wellbeing can be challenged by the demands of the role; however, at Ralph Butterfield we foster a caring and empathetic leadership approach that always puts the needs of pupils at the heart of our decision‑making. Our strong sense of community is reflected in the loyalty and commitment of our staff team, with many long‑standing colleagues, including our previous Headteacher, who began their journey here as a teacher 23 years ago. We are looking for our next Headteacher to be sensitive to the wellbeing of staff and be able to provide strong, careful and supportive guidance due to the circumstances of leadership change.
SEND & Inclusion:
Our school is known as a safe and caring environment for SEN children where their learning is not narrowed but adapted to ensure every child is challenged to be the best they can be. Parents and Carers of SEN young people actively choose Ralph Butterfield as they know their child will thrive in this nurturing atmosphere where every child is treated as an individual.
We currently have 12 pupils with an EHCP and 28 with additional support. We have 33 children in receipt of Pupil Premium funding for the current financial year, including 2 LAC and 6 PLAC with 10 children from armed forces families. We have 20 pupils with EAL.
Although we ensure all pupils are integrated into the wider school community we have developed the Nest where young people can learn in an environment that particularly supports their needs alongside TA guidance. Children are achieving well within this space but we want to upgrade the facility to further support their learning.
The focus on inclusion and SEN means there is a need to strengthen facilities for our SEND pupils; as a result of our reputation we are a school of choice for SEN parents which requires us to be creative in ensuring we have adequate provision in both facilities and staffing to meet our children’s needs. This means the next Headteacher will need to work closely with staff, governors and external partners to secure the right resources, develop provision and maintain our reputation as an inclusive, nurturing school.
Relationships with parents, carers and the local community
We have high parental engagement and strong community partnerships including renting space to the local nursery onsite. This creates an opportunity for collaborative partnership working, but also requires confident, visible leadership able to maintain trust and respond to informed stakeholder scrutiny.
Our previous Head made it a priority to engage with our parents and carers and be open and transparent about how we manage the school and encourage involvement in it. We want to continue this open communication with our community and ensure they are involved and consulted with appropriate decision making. To ensure our school is the best it can be for every pupil, we all need to be working together.
Here are some quotes from a recent survey.
"A brilliant school that couldn’t do much more"
"I think Ralph Butterfield Primary school understands and supports children's wellbeing; it is a wonderful, caring school."
"Ralph Butterfield Primary truly is a very special school and we feel so lucky that it is our school."
"Thank you for all the hard work you all put in, our daughter settled into the school really well and we know that’s down to you all."
"I am so proud my child attends this school."
"The support our child got from the school during this year has been phenomenal! Thank you, to such a wonderful caring team at Ralph Butterfield Primary School. Your communication is truly commendable."
"As a family, we have enjoyed becoming part of the RB school community. Thank you"
We are fortunate to have an active PTA, who achieve a huge amount for our school, raising funds to strengthen our learning environment in line with our vision and ethos and creatively developing successful events and activities connected to our curriculum.
Cultural Capital is core to our curriculum and we ensure our pupils and wider community engage with performances, music, art and history though educational visits as well as entertainment and enrichment activities. We have strong links with the local churches, care home and community centres and ensure we connect with diverse communities in Haxby and further afield.
Ofsted recognised February 2024:
Leaders have developed positive relationships with parents and carers. One parent stated, ‘The staff make a difference. They look after our children.
Relationship with LA
As a maintained school, we enjoy a strong and productive partnership with the Local Authority, City of York Council (CYC). The Headteacher meets regularly with our allocated support link, who also plays an active role in key processes such as recruitment. Our SLT participate fully in CYC‑led professional forums, including ‘Heads’ Breakfasts’ and leadership conferences.
We are an active member of the York maintained schools group, contributing to and benefiting from shared expertise, collaborative problem‑solving, and joint CPD and workshop opportunities. This collective approach not only enhances professional development but also supports cost‑effective practice across the group.
Wider networks
Ralph Butterfield benefits from strong collaborative relationships across the local area. Our Headteacher works closely with the Heads of the other two schools in the Haxby and Wigginton area, and the school is an active member of a well‑established network of maintained schools, supported by CYC, which provides conferences, professional development and day‑to‑day colleague support. We also work collaboratively through the Neighbourhood Cluster model and the Team Around the Cluster, ensuring joined‑up approaches to meeting pupils’ needs. Strong multi‑agency systems, underpinned by the Children’s Safeguarding Partnership, further enhance our support for children and families. We hope our next Headteacher will play a proactive role in these partnerships, contributing to and benefiting from this rich professional network.
Ofsted
Our most recent Ofsted inspection (February 2024) confirmed Ralph Butterfield as a strong and thriving school, graded Good with effective safeguarding. Inspectors recognised our ambitious leadership, the embedded nature of our “Imagine, Believe, Strive and Achieve” vision and the safe, calm and purposeful environment in which pupils flourish. From Early Years onwards, children benefit from a well‑planned, engaging curriculum, a strong culture of reading, inclusive practice for pupils with SEND, and a rich personal development offer. Positive relationships with families, high staff morale and a committed governing body further support our culture of continuous improvement. Since the inspection, we have continued to strengthen our curriculum, environment and ethos, ensuring that pupils’ experiences remain joyful, ambitious and values‑led. Although the school is not currently nearing an Ofsted window, our next Headteacher will need to be mindful of the new inspection framework and ensure it is embedded effectively so the school is well‑positioned for future inspection
Key Findings from Most Recent Ofsted Report (February 2024)
Overall Effectiveness: Good
Safeguarding: Effective
What is it like to attend this school?
- School vision (“Imagine, Believe, Strive and Achieve”) is embedded and lived.
- Leaders have high ambition for pupils’ learning and behaviour.
- Pupils are safe, happy and enjoy school.
- Classrooms are calm, purposeful and respectful.
- Strong relationships between adults and pupils.
- Pupils show high levels of self-control and engagement.
- Early years children demonstrate enthusiasm and confidence from the outset.
- Positive parental relationships and high levels of trust.
Actions taken since inspection:
- Continued to consolidate and strengthen our vision and ethos
- Ensuring that learning is enjoyable and individual focused
What does the school do well?
Early Years
- Strong start to education with well-planned provision.
- Rich learning environment promoting discussion and challenge.
- Effective preparation for transition into Year 1.
Actions taken since inspection:
- Refurbishment of EYFS
- Strengthening phonics
Reading
- Clear culture where reading is prioritised and celebrated.
- Structured, well-sequenced phonics programme.
- Books carefully matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge.
- Rapid support for pupils who fall behind.
- Pupils develop into confident, fluent readers.
Actions taken since inspection:
- Strengthening Phonics throughout EFYS and KS1
Curriculum
- Ambitious curriculum designed from Early Years onwards.
- Clear identification of essential knowledge and vocabulary.
- Values woven throughout the curriculum.
- Pupils build knowledge well where curriculum is implemented strongly.
Actions taken since inspection:
- Ensuring every part of the curriculum is ambitious and values led
- Expanding creativity in the curriculum with enrichment and diversity
Inclusion & SEND
- Inclusive ethos.
- Strong support for pupils with SEND.
- Curriculum not narrowed for SEND pupils.
- High expectations for all learners.
Actions taken since inspection:
- Development of Nest and changing space room
Personal Development
- Strong personal development offer.
- Wide range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities.
- Secure understanding of British values and protected characteristics.
- Strong sense of equality and belonging.
- Strong emphasis of CPD for teachers and staff
Actions taken since inspection:
- Going further with developing more opportunities for children to experience
Leadership & Governance
- Strong culture of continuous improvement.
- Governors provide effective support and challenge.
- Extensive staff training opportunities.
- Strong staff wellbeing focus.
- Positive staff morale.
Actions taken since inspection:
- Governors engaging more with pupils, staff, parents/carers and wider community
Key Area for Development
- In some subjects (including mathematics and history), teachers do not always identify and address misconceptions quickly enough.
- Assessment within lessons is not yet consistently strong in identifying and correcting errors.
- Some pupils’ mistakes go unchecked, limiting learning depth.
- Developing all teachers confidence as teachers of SEND
Actions taken since inspection:
- SLT and subject leaders developing teachers and monitoring learning
Pupil achievement, attainment and progress
Pupils at Ralph Butterfield achieve well, with KS2 outcomes above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and strong performance at greater depth. This success is built on a secure foundation in Early Years, where children benefit from a rich and well‑planned start to their learning.
We are proud of these strengths, while remaining focused on key priorities that will further accelerate progress. Improving consistency in KS2 mathematics and closing attainment gaps for disadvantaged pupils remain important areas of work. Inspectors also highlighted the need for teachers to identify and address misconceptions more swiftly. Since the inspection senior and subject leaders have supported staff to strengthen assessment and teaching practice.
Our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive and designed from Early Years upwards to ensure all pupils, including those with SEND, access a broad, balanced and engaging education. Looking ahead, we are seeking a Headteacher who will build on this strong foundation, shaping a vibrant curriculum and ensuring every child leaves Ralph Butterfield fully prepared for the next stage of their education.
Budget position
Ralph Butterfield benefits from a healthy brought‑forward reserve which, supported by a strong carry‑forward position, enables the school to maintain a balanced cumulative budget over the next three years. This provides a secure financial foundation in the short term. Like many schools, however, we are experiencing increased cost pressures linked to rising SEND needs, particularly the requirement for additional classroom support and alternative provision. The school is proactively seeking further EHCP funding and implementing sensible efficiencies, but forward projections highlight the possibility of financial pressure in future years if funding remains static and SEND demand continues to grow. Due to this we are looking for our next Headteacher to have strong financial awareness, including the ability to take manageable risks and make difficult decisions in a constrained funding environment.
Local demographic indicators remain very positive. Population trends, ongoing housing developments, and the strong work of the SLT, staff, and Governors at open events give us confidence in sustaining full PAN in the years ahead.
Short and Mid-term Priorities
0-6months
- Supporting staff through change and consolidating relationships and securing stability
- To continue the development of high quality, whole school, outdoor play provision that supports exciting, creative and imaginative play, whilst also supporting children’s physical, social and emotional development.
- Continue to review and improve strategies in the teaching and learning of maths, including further development in the smaller steps of progression within planning.
- Continue to develop the high quality of teaching and learning through evidence-based approaches
6-18months
- Robust financial and budget maintenance, reducing deficit and looking at ways to generate income from grants, foundations and donations
- Affective preparation for Ofsted assessment (Feb 2024 last assessment)
- Revitalised staff who are supported and know the trajectory of the school
Strategic Priorities
As a ‘Good’ school with an excellent relationship with the LA and other nearby maintained schools, governors have no desire to join an Academy Trust in the near future. We are aware of LA interest in promoting more collaboration with other maintained schools through formal and informal means, and the SLT and governing body will need to consider in the coming year which of these, if any, RB should explore. We have successfully filled our PAN for 26/27 and have a waiting list. This is down to the openness and dedication of SLT, SBM, staff and governors in welcoming prospective families.
Additional Priorities
Our building is mid-century and although it has had major refurbishment on the roof, electrics and some internal changes, the overall look and feel needs to be addressed holistically.
Budgets are as stable as possible but worst-case scenario projection is to be in deficit within three years if funding does not change. Governors have a working party established to address cost savings but a strategic financial future plan needs to be tackled by the Head.
Long term Ambitions
- Ensuring pupil intake is sustained at PAN through engagement and strong quality of learning
- Refresh the school and ensuring the environment supports learning and inclusion
- Financial situation is stable with a clear protected reserve
York
Haxby is closely located to the beautiful and historic city of York. York is England’s most visited city outside London and is situated in the north east of the country, in the stunning county of Yorkshire, by the River Ouse.
With its many tourist attractions: impressive architecture, museums, riverside walks, cafes and restaurants, York is an ideal place to live and work. The city has the good fortune to be situated approximately two hours by train from London and Edinburgh with frequent direct train services. Once the capital city of England, York is a much-loved destination, offering a mix of a modern, cosmopolitan city in an ancient setting.
The history of York is said to be the history of England. It is an ancient city with Roman walls and Viking remains, and the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe towers over the Medieval streets. Museums illustrate this history. A major tourist destination, York hosts events and festivals all year round, showcasing different types of music, theatre, culture, food and drink.
You can find out more here
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is England's largest county and one of the most rural. The area comprises the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a stunning coastline around Scarborough and Whitby. There are ruined castles and abbeys, serene gardens, unique breweries, thrilling rides and industrial heritage. The area hosted the phenomenal Tour de France ‘Grand Depart’ in 2014 and has since created the Tour de Yorkshire, an annual event with global recognition. Our success in supporting these events led to Harrogate hosting the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2019.
North Yorkshire has plenty to offer the outdoor enthusiast. From the hard gritstone of Almscliff and Brimham rocks to the limestone of Malham, Gordale and Kilnsey climbing venues are in abundance. The Yorkshire Dales is the premier area for caving and for mountain biking; there are the bridleways of the Dales and North York Moors as well as the renowned trail centre at Dalby Forest. There are a small number of sailing clubs on reservoirs around the county and fantastic surfsport venues and sea kayaking on the east coast.
While the county is rightly known for its wide open spaces, it also incorporates attractive market towns including Pickering and Helmsley, traditional seaside towns, the Spa town of Harrogate and the ancient city of York - the most visited city outside of London. There are a wide range of shopping, leisure and cultural facilities as well as excellent schools, universities, road and rail links, there really is everything to offer you and your family as a place to work, live and enjoy!

Travelling further afield we have convenient connectivity, with close proximity to metropolitan cities of Leeds and Newcastle, with little over two hours commute on the main train line to London. We border the Lake District, Lancashire, County Durham, and Yorkshire & Humber regions with all they have to offer.
You can find out more about what North Yorkshire has to offer on the Visit North Yorkshire website.
Living in York (Huby is 10 miles north of York)
The ancient city of York is a beautiful, thriving city with low unemployment and highly performing tourism, cultural and entertainments industries. York was voted the 'Best Place to Live' by the Sunday Times, in 2018. It’s rich in culture and heritage, a vibrant modern city still making history. It’s a city renowned for beautiful period buildings, historical city walls and the iconic Minster; but also for its cool cafes, destination restaurants, innovative businesses and the fastest internet in Britain. It’s a destination visited by 7 million people every year and is recognised on a regional, national and international stage.
York is a wonderfully compact city with all the amenities one could need whilst also having on its doorstep National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, quaint villages and market towns, and the Yorkshire coast.
You can find out more here.
North Yorkshire Local Authority
North Yorkshire Council has a strong reputation for delivering high-quality services. Our Children’s Services are nationally recognised for excellence and routinely share best practice across the sector. Our teams are proud of what has been achieved and are committed to continuous improvement, ensuring services deliver real impact for children, young people and families while making effective use of public money. North Yorkshire serves a diverse and dispersed population of around 615,400 people, including 151,000 children, across more than 8,000 square kilometres. Our relationship-based “Strength in Relationships” practice model is embedded across the workforce, underpinned by strong partnership working at all levels.
We are deeply committed to ensuring children and young people are safe, happy, healthy and able to achieve within inclusive, high-quality services that value diversity and individuality. This vision is shaped by children and young people themselves, who told us that what matters most to them can be summed up in one word: Opportunity. We want life chances to be shaped by aspiration and potential, not circumstance or geography.
As the Headteacher of a North Yorkshire Local Authority (LA) maintained school, you will benefit from a comprehensive school improvement offer from the CYPS Education Standards and Inclusion team and access to a wide range of traded services designed to support you in your role. This includes:
- Participation in our ‘Welcome to North Yorkshire’ programme for new headteachers and those new to North Yorkshire, led by the School Improvement Team. The welcome team will ensure you have a clear understanding of working as a headteacher within North Yorkshire and will guide you through key aspects of headship, including Human Resources, School Finance, Governance, Health and Safety, SEND and inclusion, and safeguarding.
- Support from an experienced mentor headteacher who will work alongside you as you establish yourself into your role.
- A named Senior Education Adviser (SEA) from the School Improvement Team, who will support your school improvement journey through our core and enhanced offer. Your SEA will act as your first point of contact, helping you navigate and access wider services as needed.
- Access to specialist school improvement advisers, including experts in Safeguarding, Early Years, Religious Education, Health and Wellbeing and Governance.
- A wide range of specialist teams, traded services, training courses and resources available through North Yorkshire Education Services (NYES), including our recently launched Inclusive Mainstream Toolkit.
- Participation in termly CYPS briefings, offering opportunities to network with colleagues across both LA-maintained and academy sectors in North Yorkshire.
- Weekly LA updates via our ‘redbag’ communications, alongside comprehensive guidance available on the CYPS-info website.
- Access to the biennial Growing Up in North Yorkshire (GUNY) survey, enabling your school to gather valuable pupil voice on health, wellbeing, and educational experiences.
- Opportunities to participate in our Healthy Schools programme, supported by specialist advisers.
Information About Application and Guidance
When applying please consider the following supporting documents:
Download Person Specification - Headteacher (.docx) (opens in a new tab)
Download Job Description - Headteacher (.docx) (opens in a new tab)
Application guidance, including policy statement on the recruitment of ex-offenders
The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet the requirements we have outlined in the person specification. This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested.
References
When completing your application, please provide two employment referees. One of these must be from your most recent employer.
Your application plays an important part in your selection. As part of the application process, you may have been asked to demonstrate within this application form how you meet some or all of the criteria or key competencies outlined in the person specification. The supporting information section of your application should clearly evidence your ability to meet these requirements. This will be used to shortlist applicants for this role and therefore it is imperative that you provide evidence as requested. Rather than simply repeating your career history, look at the skills and experience required by the job and provide evidence that you possess them by giving specific and detailed examples which include a focus on outcomes and on your own contribution to the scenario. Try to use different and varied examples wherever possible.
When completing these sections, do not forget the skills and experience you have gained outside full-time work. Outlining your previous work experience or other responsibilities may help you to uncover skills which you have taken for granted and which are clear signs of your ability to do the job.
Should you require the application form in a different format, please contact Resourcing Solutions.
Canvassing
Should your application be for a local authority school, you must not try to influence an elected Council Member, any council employee or a member of the school governing body, to act in your favour, as this will disqualify you. If you are related to a Councillor, a Council employee or a governor you must indicate this in the relevant section of the application form.
Data Protection
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies and process applications on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Further information on how we process your data can be found by reading our privacy notice.
Rehabilitation of Offenders
The post you are applying for requires you to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service criminal records check for work with children, with a barred list check if you work in regulated activity. This check for disclosure of criminal history will include spent convictions, pending prosecutions / current court proceeding and police enquiries.
Should you be shortlisted, you will be asked to disclose full details of your criminal history prior to your interview. This includes any information deemed relevant as part of Keeping Children Safe in Education which may arise in an online search undertaken on shortlisted candidates. This information may be discussed with you at your interview in order to assess job related risks, but we emphasise that your application will be considered on merit and ability and you will not be discriminated against unfairly. Failure to disclose this information will result in any offer of employment being withdrawn.
Please also see the policy statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders below.
Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders (Source www.gov.uk)
- As an organisation assessing applicants’ suitability for positions which are included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order using criminal record checks processed through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), this school complies fully with the DBS code of practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly.
- This school undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a criminal record check on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed.
- This school can only ask an individual to provide details of convictions and cautions that it is legally entitled to know about. Where a DBS certificate can legally be requested (where the position is one that is included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 as amended, and where appropriate Policy Act Regulations as amended) this school can only ask an individual about convictions and cautions that are not protected.
- This school is committed to the fair treatment of its staff and potential staff, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependents, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.
- This school has this written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, which is made available to all DBS applicants at the start of the recruitment process.
- This school actively promotes equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. Candidates are selected for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience and criminal record information is only requested from short-listed candidates.
- A disclosure is only requested from the DBS after a thorough risk assessment has indicated that one is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned. For those positions where a criminal record check is identified as necessary, all application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a DBS certificate will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.
- This school ensures that all those who are involved in the recruitment process have been suitably trained to identify and assess the relevance and circumstances of offences.
- This school also ensures that they have received appropriate guidance and training in the relevant legislation relating to the employment of ex-offenders, e.g. the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
- At interview, or in a separate discussion, this school ensures that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.
- This school makes every subject of a criminal record check submitted to DBS aware of the existence of the code of practice and makes a copy available on request.
- This school undertakes to discuss any matter revealed on a DBS certificate with the individual seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.
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.