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Job Description
Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. 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.
All successful applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. No member of staff will be able to start until these checks are complete and this process takes, on average, a month.
We are seeking a dynamic founding Head of Junior School to join the founding team at Harrow International School Abu Dhabi in January 2027, or at a mutually agreeable time, ahead of opening in August 2027.
As part of our founding team, you will play a pivotal role in building a vibrant and inclusive community where the learning of every individual is at the heart of daily life. Guided by the Harrow values, our staff will create an environment in which every pupil is nurtured, challenged, and empowered to achieve their very best.
The successful candidate will provide exceptional leadership and strategic direction to the Junior School, ensuring a nurturing, challenging, and inspiring learning environment in line with the values associated with Harrow's educational standards. The Head of Junior School will oversee the academic, pastoral, and operational development of the Junior school, preparing students for continued excellence in education and life.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership and Strategy
- Provide vision, inspiration, and clear direction to all members of the school community.
- Develop and implement a strategic development plan in collaboration the with the Harrow Abu Dhabi’s Board of Governors and Head Master.
- Embed Harrow’s educational philosophy, values and ethos throughout the school within the cultural context of the UAE.
- Lead school improvement planning, including preparation for regulatory and external evaluations, accreditations and other statutory requirements.
- Lead regular school meetings to communicate key messages ensuring all staff have clarity of expectations, professional competencies and outcomes.
- Collaborate and support the Head Master with the school’s enrolment, financial and business objectives
- Comply with all regulations and guidelines issued by the local authorities and regulators.
Academic Excellence
- Lead on curriculum development to ensure alignment to Harrow School UK, its comprehensive super curriculum provision and the UAE’s National Agenda.
- Implement and monitor the curriculum to ensure it is balanced, innovative and challenging to promote excellence and inclusion.
- Uphold the highest standards of academic achievement and personal development in pupils aligned with the Harrow values of honour, humility, courage, and fellowship.
- Monitor pupils progress and achievement and take action to correct any areas of concern.
- Enhance the reputation of the school in the UAE for excellence in its academic programmes.
Pastoral Leadership
- Foster a safe, happy, respectful and inclusive school environment.
- Promote the values and traditions of the Harrow house system, balancing academic, social and personal development to create lifelong networks of friendship and mentoring.
- Promote students’ social, moral and cultural development.
- Ensure safeguarding policies are fully embedded and staff are well-trained.
Staff Development and Performance
- Recruit, develop, and retain high-quality teaching and support staff.
- Lead, monitor, evaluate and support the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment.
- Promote a culture of high expectations, professional development, and collaboration.
- Lead the performance management process effectively to ensure continuous improvement.
Parent, Community & External Relations
- Act as the public face of the school to current and prospective families.
- Engage with stakeholders to gather feedback and support the continuous improvement of the school and its programmes.
- Maintain strong partnerships with parents, feeder schools, and the wider Harrow and Taaleem community to achieve business objectives.
- Represent the school at local events and international events to build the school’s network.
- Develop knowledge of the education landscape of Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the Gulf, including monitoring educational trends to ensure that Harrow International School in Abu Dhabi remains a highly respected school both nationally and internationally.
- Build and maintain positive relationships with all stakeholders.
Operational Management
- Work closely with the Head Master and other Heads of Schools to ensure that all policies, procedures and routines across the school are reviewed regularly, and are compliant with regulations.
- Organise department timetables, oversee internal and external assessments, order and maintain teaching materials, equipment, and resources.
- Ensure classrooms and department areas are wellorganised and safe.
- Work collaboratively with other departments to maintain oversight not limited to health and safety, compliance, safeguarding, data protection and operational risk management
Skills
Qualifications and Experience
- Strong academic credentials.
- Proven track record of successful leadership in international or high performing all through schools, ideally including founding or pioneering roles, with the ability to inspire and innovate.
- Strong understanding of curriculum development, current pedagogical trends, assessment and instructional best practices.
- 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, Irtiqaa, DSIB and ADEC.
Desirable but not essential:
- International experience
- National Professional Qualification for Headship
- Leadership experience within a growing school
Leadership and Personal Qualities:
- Charismatic leader who can inspire trust and engagement across the school community through a hands-on and pragmatic approach.
- Powerful media presence with exceptional public speaking skills to represent the schools at high-profile events and media engagements.
- Committed to engaging and building trust with diverse communities while navigating cultural nuances.
- Adaptable and proactive, with the ability to make informed, timely decisions in a dynamic environment.
- High levels of emotional intelligence and selfawareness.
- Sense of humility with a desire and will to develop personally and professionally
School Values and Behaviours
All staff are expected to conduct themselves in line with the school’s values which are: Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. While the School’s values set out what matters most to us, the behaviours below are intended as a shared set of expectations to refer to, and standards to aspire to, in our dealings with others. They are the practical application of our values.
COURAGE
- We remain optimistic and purposeful in a disrupted world.
- We take responsibility for our decisions, even the hard ones.
- We always challenge poor behaviour in ourselves and others.
- We are open to new ideas, and seek fresh challenges.
HONOUR
- We keep our promises.
- We act with integrity – doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
- We respect and value our traditions whilst setting them in the context of today.
HUMILITY
- We work hard to serve others within the School and across our wider communities where possible putting their interests before our own.
- We give and seek honest and appropriate feedback, reflect on our failures and learn from them.
- We support each other through challenges and whatever the outcome, we celebrate those that took part.
FELLOWSHIP
- We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
- We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
- We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are values that are important to us at Taaleem. We believe in diversity of thought and actively welcome everyone regardless of their background to bring their valuable and relevant skills to our community.
Note: It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
This advertisement is posted on behalf of Harrow International School Abu Dhabi which is part of the group owned by Taaleem Holdings PJSC and independently operated under a licence to use the Harrow School brand. For further details of the relationship, please see the relationship statement on the harrowdubai.ae website. Accordingly, applicants should be aware that the employer will be part of Taaleem Holdings PJSC’s group and under its control and not Harrow School.
Job Details
Preferred Candidate
Harrow International School Abu Dhabi
In 2024, Harrow School entered into a landmark agreement with Taaleem, enabling the establishment of two new Harrow International Schools in the United Arab Emirates. This exciting partnership combines Harrow’s 450-year legacy of exceptional pedagogy with Taaleem’s unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standards of education. The Harrow International Schools UAE will offer world-class education rooted in the Harrow values of courage, honour, humility and fellowship, with a strong focus on preparing students for entry to world-class universities.
With a history dating back to 1572, Harrow’s heritage enriches the daily life of the School’s entire community, developing in pupils, staff, and parents a strong corporate spirit and a shared sense of belonging to something that transcends generations. Equally, Harrow Schools aim to be at the forefront of educational development in the 21st century, using inspiring teaching and coaching techniques, the most up-to-date technology, and top-class facilities and resources. The essence of Harrow is this balance between tradition and innovation, between continuity and change, between the old and the new.
The Harrow International Schools use Harrow School’s Name and Badge under a sub-licence granted by Harrow International Schools Limited (HISL), a trading subsidiary of the charity registered in England and Wales with charity number 310033 which owns Harrow School and its trademarks, in return for a fee. The educational, administrative, financial and other operational responsibilities of the Harrow International Schools are separate from those of Harrow School and rest with their owners and operators. The schools' fees are paid to their owners and operators and not to Harrow School or HISL. Under the sub-licence, the schools are required to reflect Harrow School’s educational purpose, practice, strategy and philosophy and each is regularly evaluated by representatives of HISL.
