INTRODUCTION

Are you ready to lead Hatherop Castle School through an exciting phase of growth and development? Set in one of the most spectacular locations in the heart of the Cotswolds, Hatherop is poised for ever greater success. This is a school on the rise, with a clear and differentiated position, solid financial foundations and the support of a vibrant and entrepreneurial group. This is an opportunity for a dynamic, experienced, inspirational leader to really make their mark.

We’re looking for someone with:

• A clear educational vision consistent with the Adventure of Childhood;
• High standards and expectations of colleagues and pupils
• A clear understanding of customer service and exceeding parent expectations;
• Experience of embedding a culture of excellence;
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and team-building skills;
• A natural leader, who can engage and motivate the whole school community;
• Strong commercial instincts, to lead the further growth and development of the school; and
• Resilience, adaptability and a good sense of humour.

Sounds like you? Read on!

 

THE SCHOOL

Hatherop Castle School is a co-educational day and boarding prep school for pupils aged 2 to 13, located in one of the most beautiful environments in the country – a stunning rural setting in the heart of the Cotswolds a short drive from Cirencester. Set in 21 acres of landscaped grounds, the school enjoys a reputation for high academic standards within a caring, happy environment.

Life as a pupil at Hatherop Castle begins in the nursery, which operates year-round and is located in a self-contained walled garden, providing a safe and happy start while also taking advantage of the school’s facilities. With year-round and term-time only options, the nursery provides an excellent start with flexible options for parents.

When pupils move up to the Pre-Prep, they are accommodated in the stable yard, where a vibrant atmosphere of purposeful play and learning can be found. In the Pre-Prep, children don’t just read about the world, they explore it. Whether learning phonics under the shade of ancient trees, measuring puddles in maths, or spotting seasonal changes on their woodland walks, learning in Pre-Prep is active, exciting and full of adventure.

In the Middle and Upper school, pupils build on these solid foundations as they extend their learning and development. Here they shape who they are – curious, confident and creative. It’s where learning becomes an adventure, and school days become full of shared stories and small triumphs. Days are filled with a full and challenging curriculum with expert teaching and wide-ranging extra-curricular activities. Here they build skills, techniques and a love of learning that will serve them throughout their school career. The Castle and grounds themselves play an enormous role the children’s experience, providing a wonderful and exciting place in which to spend their childhood, where they can play, explore, build confidence and take risks in a safe environment.

The school offers a weekly and flexi boarding provision and has ambitions for growth and development in this area. Boarding is accommodated on the top floor of the main school building. Recent refurbishments have created a warm and homely environment.

Children are prepared for entry to a wide range of independent secondary schools including Marlborough, Cheltenham College, Westonbirt, Stowe and Dean Close, as well as Gloucestershire’s highly sought-after grammar schools and local state schools. The school has a highly successful track record of achieving school of first choice and great care and consideration is given to ensure each child enters the senior school best suited to their needs.

The school aims to:

• provide a happy, stimulating and safe environment in which children can thrive and enjoy the Adventure of Childhood;
• challenge, promote and support each child to be ambitious academically, in the visual and performing arts and on the sports field; and
• develop kind, tolerant and confident human beings who are prepared for life after Hatherop.

Since joining the Wishford Schools group, the school has begun an extensive programme of investment and refurbishment, with improvements to classrooms, boarding accommodation and the common parts of the school, as well as upgraded IT facilities and investment in staff. Major investments have included a new Performing Arts Centre and an Astroturf pitch.

Fees are competitive, providing excellent value for money, ranging from £4,180 per term in Reception to £7,250 in Year 8.

Budgets are set annually in conjunction with the Wishford Schools team and allow the school’s senior leadership team considerable flexibility in setting priorities and allocating resources to best promote the aims of the school. The school is in a strong financial position, resulting from careful financial management, good planning and the support and oversight of the group. Pupil numbers have continued to grow despite the challenges of VAT and with the recent investment in new facilities, the school is well placed to continue to expand its pupil roll.

 

    

 

WISHFORD EDUCATION

Since 2014, Hatherop Castle School has been a member of Wishford Education, one of the country’s leading educational groups. With a clear mission and a relentless drive for excellence, Wishford has never wanted to be the biggest group in the country, just the best! Ours is a collection of fantastic independent schools and nurseries located across the south of England. Benefiting from the support of being part of a larger group, each school has its own individual and unique character. All Wishford schools share a commitment to providing high-quality education, fostering a nurturing environment, and offering a wide range of opportunities for students, underpinned by individualised learning, strong community values, and innovative teaching methods to ensure that every child can achieve their full potential.

The group has a very long-term outlook. This enables investment in the staff, facilities and resources our schools need in order to thrive. The group firmly believes that if pupils are happy and successful, then the business will also succeed. The schools are run in a business-like manner, but the happiness, safety and education of pupils always comes first.

Heads benefit from the best of both worlds – operational autonomy twinned with strategic support. Our Heads work closely with the group’s leadership team to define the school’s strategy and then enjoy the autonomy to run their schools, while benefiting from the support and collegiality that membership of the group brings. In addition to strategic input and the sharing of best practice, the group provides experts in property, legal, HR, finance, IT, compliance and marketing matters leaving heads with time to focus on the children within their care. The school is supported through termly Governance visits and an annual review of teaching and learning. Alongside these formal elements, the Wishford team provide regular informal support, advice and encouragement, as well as opportunities for Heads to engage with their peers across the group.

For more information on the Wishford Education group, please visit: www.wishford.co.uk

 

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Head is responsible to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) for the leadership and day-to-day management of the School. The Head will work closely with the Board and the Wishford Education team to define and deliver the strategic aims of the School.

STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP

• Lead the school with courage, confidence and integrity.
• Work closely with the Board and Leadership Team to define and deliver an ambitious strategy.
• Be the public face of the school in the wider community, personifying the school’s ethos and values, and taking every opportunity to raise the school’s profile.
• Oversee the School Development Plan, reviewing regularly to ensure suitable plans are in place to deliver the agreed objectives.
• Devise and implement an exciting vision to deliver significant growth in boarding numbers by creating a market-leading provision.
• Grow and develop the leadership team, structure and capability, to ensure the school functions as a highly effective organisation.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the Wishford group to maximise the benefits to the school of group membership.
• Maintain a good understanding of trends and developments in educational theory and practice and contribute to current educational thinking.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of the educational and compliance requirements of the Independent School Standards.
• Ensure the School is managed in accordance with the agreed budget for each academic year.

 

MARKETING & ADMISSIONS

• Ensure that the recruitment and retention of pupils is a core focus of the school.
• Lead the school’s marketing and admissions activity with creativity, dynamism and a relentless pursuit of excellence, ensuring that the recruitment targets are achieved.
• Be a highly visible representative of the school, building the school’s brand and links with the local community.

 

CURRICULUM

• Ensure the school’s programmes of study satisfy regulatory requirements, are creative, inspirational and innovative, and cater for pupils of all abilities.
• Ensure a robust and informative means of assessment and tracking.
• Provide a breadth of extra-curricular activities, sports and leadership opportunities.
• Foster the characteristics of effective learners and leaders.
• Contribute to current educational thinking via the IAPS and other professional bodies.

 

STAFFING

• Lead and manage the Senior Management Team and all teaching and support staff.
• Recruit, motivate and deploy staff effectively, ensuring the highest quality of teaching and customer service.
• Maintain a thorough performance management programme to ensure the quality of provision and that staff reach their potential.

 

PASTORAL

• Foster the all-round development and pastoral welfare of all the school’s pupils, maintaining a safe and positive culture within the school.
• Ensure the School provides a happy, nurturing and supportive environment in which all our pupils can thrive.

 

BOARDING

• Champion boarding as a core element of the Adventure of Childhood.
• Support the Boarding team to take our boarding provision to the next level to support and enhance the Hatherop offering and make a meaningful contribution to the wider success of the school.
• Play an active role in the boarding life of the school.

 

COMPLIANCE

• Ensure that safeguarding the children in our care is at the heart of the school’s ethos and that all staff are committed to the principles and practices set out in the Safeguarding Policy.
• Ensure the school is compliant with regulation and foster a culture of awareness of and compliance with regulation.
• Ensure the school is well prepared for inspection at all times.

 

GENERAL

• Protect and promote the ethos and character of the school; acting at all times as an ambassador for the school and its values.
• Promote links with secondary schools and maintain a detailed understanding of entry processes and requirements and their particular characters so as best to advise parents on their options.
• Work with the Board to set the strategic vision for the school and manage the school within agreed budgets.
• Work with the other Heads in the group to exchange ideas and best practice.
• Provide the Board with such information and regular reports as they may request.

 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The successful candidate will have the following skills and qualities:

• A confident, assured leadership style with excellent communication skills enabling strong, productive relationships to be built with pupils, parents and staff;
• Ambition, energy and an enthusiasm to build on the school’s successes;
• Drive and determination to achieve the best for every child within the school community in line with the school’s ethos of encouraging every child to feel success;
• Excellent marketing skills and a confident social presence with the ability to interact confidently with parents, senior schools, and the wider community including press and other media;
• Ability to think strategically, preparing and implementing plans to ensure the continuous development of the school and its offering;
• Strong management skills including the setting of clear goals, effective delegation and time management, and an understanding of the importance of performance management;
• An entrepreneurial spirit and solid understanding of the business and financial aspects of school management; and
• The ability to play a significant role in the local community, building the school’s profile and reputation.

The successful candidate will have the following experience:

• Educated to degree level with qualified teacher status and a track record of success;
• Leadership and management experience in a similar environment including experience of a boarding environment; and
• A good working knowledge of preparation for senior school entry.

 

EMPLOYMENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

An excellent salary package will be agreed including accommodation (you get to live in a Castle!), a generous contribution to the group’s Pension scheme, life assurance cover, school fees remission, a salary-sacrifice electric vehicle scheme, counselling service and other benefits.

 

INTERESTED?

If you believe in the Adventure of Childhood and want to lead a school where joy, discovery and ambition shape every day, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion ahead of submitting an application, please contact Sam Antrobus (Founder & CEO of Wishford Education) by email: sam.antrobus@wishford.co.uk.

Application forms can be completed online via eteach and accompanied by a covering letter of no more than one page.

The closing date for applications is 1pm on Monday 27 April 2026.

Long list interviews will take place online on Friday 1 May, with final interviews at the School on Friday 8 May.

Hatherop Castle School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure check by the Disclosure and Barring Service.