Founding School Principal

Taaleem is seeking an experienced and commercially astute Founding School Principal for their new British curriculum school located in Ghaf Woods, Dubai scheduled to open in August 2028.

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. At Taaleem, we hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection, and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to various background checks including receipt of references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification, and police checks, including overseas checks.

Taaleem is seeking an experienced, dynamic, and commercially astute Founding School Principal for their new British curriculum school located in Ghaf Woods, Dubai scheduled to open in August 2028, pending final approval from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. 

The Founding School Principal will be responsible for the overall leadership, strategic direction, and management of the school, reporting to the Director of Education. This includes ensuring the delivery of exceptional educational experiences, fostering a culture that embodies Taaleem’s values, and establishing the school as a distinguished institution within the UAE’s competitive education market. The Founding School Principal will serve as the primary ambassador for the school, building strong relationships with stakeholders. 

Our School 

Dubai British School Ghaf Woods will cater to a diverse student body, welcoming both boys and girls across mixed year groups.

The curriculum will adhere to the UK educational model while fully integrating the UAE’s statutory requirements, ensuring a rich and globally relevant learning experience. A particular emphasis will be placed on connecting students with Emirati and UAE culture, embedding opportunities for meaningful engagement with local traditions. This focus will be a key element across all phases of the curriculum, ensuring that pupils gain a deep understanding of their place within both a local and global context.

The school will also support the implementation of the FutuReady Framework, an initiative by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), helping students develop the skills, experiences and attributes needed to navigate future educational pathways and careers in an evolving global landscape.

At Taaleem, we have the highest expectations for all students, supported by a comprehensive pastoral care system designed to promote students’ wellbeing. The school will strive to build strong, supportive relationships amongst staff, pupils, and families. The school leadership team will foster a safe environment that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and curiosity, thereby preparing pupils to meet future global challenges.

Key Accountabilities

Inspirational and Strategic Leadership

• Promote Taaleem’s mission of “inspiring young minds,” our vision of being the most respected provider of education in the Gulf and our four core values and strategic platforms.
• Promote an inspiring vision dedicated to high standards that is shared by all members of the school community.
• Initiate, prioritise and lead improvement activities through effective strategic leadership and planning which supports the vision, mission and values of Taaleem.
• Display a high level of professional competence in all areas of responsibility.
• Communicate a clear view of the school’s aims so that all staff know what is required of them and are competent and committed to achieving the school’s goals.
• Distribute leadership effectively to achieve high standards of learning and personal development by creating an ethos of collective responsibility and mutual support.
• Inspire and empower senior and middle leaders by clearly defining all roles and aligning these roles with school priorities.
• Be receptive and respond to external evaluation of the school and manage the process and implement any subsequent recommendations professionally and efficiently.
• Work effectively with school governance teams (The Governing Body, School Advisory Board, Student Council, and relevant Parent Associations) to ensure informed and responsive decision making, which helps to direct change and effective management of school resources.
• Ensure that the levels of students’ attainment and the quality of teaching successfully align with the schools’ promise to parents.
• Clearly and comfortably delegate work, trusting and empowering others to perform.
• Provide regular feedback and motivation to others to successfully achieve their targets.
• Encourage others to contribute, creating a spirit of teamwork and opportunities of cooperation and collaboration between departments.
• Contribute time and expertise to the professional development of Taaleem teachers and leaders.
• Participate in and lead professional development workshops in the UAE, including events run by the Knowledge Human Development Authority (KHDA) and/or Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC).

Self-Evaluation and Improvement Planning

• Ensure that the school’s academic programme is fit for purpose and challenges students of all abilities.
• Aim towards achieving and maintaining an ‘outstanding’ rating on local inspections, in a timely manner.
• Involve all staff in systematic, rigorous self-evaluation with the explicit purpose of improving the quality of students’ experiences and their standards of attainment.
• Take positive steps to gather the views of parents, students and others about the quality of service provided by the school.
• Work collaboratively with external bodies to achieve outstanding results on school accreditations, inspections and evaluations.
• Ensure that senior leaders monitor teachers’ plans, evaluate students’ classroom experiences, track students’ attainment and evaluate progress towards meeting agreed targets.
• Ensure that senior leaders effectively monitor the effectiveness of staff teams.
• Ensure that self-evaluation provides valid, comprehensive, and reliable analysis for identifying key priorities for the preparation of the improvement plan and involves staff, parents and students as appropriate.
• Ensure that senior leaders collect and analyse appropriate and accurate information from within the school as well as data for external sources, including international assessments and stakeholder surveys.
• Ensure that senior leaders set aspirational, yet realistic goals aimed at improving students’ performance.
• Ensure that all improvement activities are focused on creating impact and raising quality.
• Monitor and manage change quickly, flexibly and successfully.
• Prioritise and act upon a manageable number of key initiatives and involve stakeholders in the process.
• Ensure that all recommendations from previous inspections and evaluations are included and addressed in the schools’ improvement plans.
• Execute school development plan effectively.

Effective and Efficient Management of Resources

• Work closely with the Operations Manager, Admissions Manager, Heads of Schools and SLT to ensure that all policies, procedures and routines across the school are effective and efficient.
• Comply with all Taaleem policies and guidelines and submit high-quality reports in a timely manner.
• Ensure that all staff are well qualified and experienced, trained to do their roles and are deployed effectively to support the school.
• Identify career path and succession plans for all members of school staff and prepare the annual recruitment plan in the first half of the academic year.
• Attend recruitment fairs and interviews to select high quality new/replacement staff, and ensure all new staff are given a thorough and full induction to Taaleem and the School policies and procedures and the school operations.
• Ensure accountability of the school’s actions and outcomes with regards to all matters of compliance and health and safety requirements.
• Comply with all regulations and guidelines issued by the local authorities and regulators.
• Monitor and evaluate the school’s performance on students’ attainment and progress, students’ personal and social development, teaching and assessment, curriculum that meets the needs of students, health and safety, and student support services.
• Ensure that the senior leaders work collaboratively to achieve enrolment targets and business objectives.
• Ensure that all schools’ policies, procedures and routines are effective, efficient and reviewed annually with appropriate staff members.
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure accurate identification of professional development needs and access to quality professional development activities for all members of staff.
• Ensure that teaching and learning is monitored closely and consistently using SISRA Observe to identify the quality of teaching practice across the school and identify areas of development.
• Ensure that all staff members are appraised annually providing recognition for areas of strength and recommendations for areas of development and growth.
• Work collaboratively with Head of Business Operations and SLT to develop CAPEX and consumable budgets, enrolment targets, and monitor performance against these budget lines.
• Work collaboratively with Taaleem's wider education and support functions to align school priorities with the group's strategic objectives, policies and standards, ensuring effective planning, resource management and continuous improvement.

Parent, Student and Community Relationships

• Build and maintain relationships with parents, students and the community by establishing regular and appropriate communications with all members of the school community, both internally and externally.
• Market the school to the local and wider community with the aim of recruiting new students and retaining existing students to achieve a full school roll.
• Develop knowledge of the education market in Dubai, the UAE and the Gulf and monitor trends over time in order to remain competitive.
• Encourage opportunities for students to take active leadership roles and assume responsibilities for different activities within the school.
• Engage parents as active partners in their children’s learning in a variety of ways.
• Encourage positive and regular participation of students and parents at school events.
• Regularly consult the student and parent community about the work of the school, ensuring that parents’ views are respected and help to inform the school’s ongoing development.
• Ensure that the school uses a wide range of effective methods, including technology, to communicate with parents, considering the home language of parents by promoting two-way communication.
• Ensure that parents receive regular reports of their children’s progress and attainment that include next steps for learning.
• Develop strong community partnerships that effectively support all students’ development and improve students’ learning experiences.
• Focus on identifying and meeting community (staff, parents, students) needs by taking their interests and complaints seriously.
• Consider the implications of decisions on the community (staff, parents, students, Taaleem) and act accordingly to safeguard and promote the reputation of the school and Taaleem.
• Ensure a proactive approach in delivering operational excellence focused on extraordinary service across all aspects of school life.
• Connect school events to local community events so that students and parents have the opportunity to participate in the broader local events such as Dubai Literacy Festival, Art Festival, Music Festival, Taaleem Sporting and Academic competitions, etc.
• Attend external events and festivals, including those out of school hours, and contribute to PR activities, media opportunities to represent and act as an ambassador for the school and Taaleem.
• Achieve positive parental engagement and satisfaction.
• Meet enrolment targets and achieve strong inspection outcomes.
• Develop and implement strategies to engage Emirati families, strengthen community partnerships and position the school as a trusted educational choice.

Qualifications and Experience  

• At least 5-7 years' experience as a serving Principal or similar role.
• Outstanding academic credentials with the ability to inspire excellence and collaboration across all levels of school communities.  
• Proven track record of successful leadership in international or high-performing UK curriculum schools, ideally including founding or pioneering roles, and an ability to inspire and innovate. 
• Strong understanding of curriculum development, current pedagogical trends, assessment, and instructional best practices.
• Financial and strategic competency.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a diverse school community.  
• Experience building and leading high-performing academic teams, with a commitment to continuous professional development and growth.  
• Demonstrable success in achieving external accreditation within educational institutions or inspection bodies, within the UAE or internationally, such as ISI, BSO, DSIB, and Irtiqaa. 

Desirable but not essential  

• Master's degree or doctorate degree in an area of educational leadership.
• National Professional Qualification for Headship or similar. 

Leadership and Personal Qualities  

• A visible, charismatic leader with an inspirational vision to inspire trust and engagement across the school through inclusivity. 
• Entrepreneurial spirit and drive to establish a world-leading school in the UAE.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills – parents, staff, students, community and regulatory authorities.
• Powerful media presence with exceptional public speaking skills to represent the schools at high-profile events and media engagements. 
• Committed to educational innovation & student-centered leadership with knowledge of cultural nuances. 
• Adaptable, proactive, with the ability to make informed, timely decisions in a dynamic environment. 
• High levels of emotional intelligence and self-awareness. 

The closing date for applications is 30th November 2026 with an expected start date of September 2027 or at a mutually agreeable time, ahead of the opening of the school in August 2028. Applications are reviewed as they arrive; early submission is encouraged. Taaleem reserves the right to appoint prior to the closing date.