The Wensum Trust is seeking to appoint a committed and enthusiastic leader to join our staff teams at Lodge Lane and Garrick Green Infant Schools.  As part of The Wensum Trust, we believe that our shared duty is to help every child to develop into high achieving, confident, healthy, caring and resilient members of their family and community. We want our schools to be healthy environments where both children and staff can develop and where strong, positive relationships are key. Our schools, therefore, practise a relational approach with children, our families and our communities. We are particularly interested in working with people who share Our Qualities; who will work effectively and flexibly to lead our teams.

Garrick Green and Lodge Lane Infant Schools are a two minute drive away from each other with one school at each end of Old Catton. The Headteacher, SENDCo and Family Support Worker work across both schools, and whilst each school is unique, with its own curriculum, there are lots of similarities, and joint working where appropriate.

Garrick Green is a small and friendly school with 132 children spread across 5 classes. The school motto is ‘Learn to be happy, be happy to learn’ and this is at the heart of everything we do. The latest Ofsted inspection (Sept 24) recognised what a happy school Garrick Green is and stated “parents and carers valued the nurturing environment.” Teachers work really collaboratively as a close team and this is woven throughout school where the school song is “Garrick Green, where we work as one big team.”

Lodge Lane is a two form entry Infant School with 166 children on roll, the curriculum is based around Imaginative Inquiry in which teachers build a story with their class giving learning purpose and meaning. Through these inquiries, we weave the values of our school: kindness, teamwork, challenge, respect, curiosity and perseverance. Children love this approach to learning and thrive through this way of working.

Our Headteacher will divide their time between the two schools, modelling outstanding leadership and ensuring excellent outcomes for children. They will work closely with the Primary Strategic Lead and other senior leaders to secure the schools’ continued improvement journey, whilst maintaining the unique character and ethos of each school. 

We are seeking to appoint a leader who has a passion for working inclusively with all children to ensure they receive the education they deserve. They will be able to bring an innovative and creative approach to supporting the strategic direction and development of curriculum across our schools, whilst effectively managing, developing and celebrating the progress and achievement of our children.

Headteachers in The Wensum Trust are a close-knit group of professionals who work with each other and with our Central Team in a supportive way and who benefit from this support both formally and informally. The five Primary Heads meet regularly to share good practice, for example having a shared focus on a core curriculum area and quality assuring work in each other’s schools, or meeting together to problem solve, for example when we are all experiencing a similar issue. Wider Trust networks such as the Attendance and DSL networks are also good examples of our collaborative approach within the Wensum Trust.  It is an exciting time to be an Infant School Head in The Wensum Trust as all schools are working together to sustain high quality education in challenging times, overcoming and removing barriers to learning.

Being a part of The Wensum Trust’s family of schools offers employees unique experiences to work alongside our strategic partners and to collaborate with a wider network of staff. We believe in investing in employees as individuals, by providing training opportunities that help to develop both existing and new skill sets, to encourage career progression at all levels.

We care about bringing together the most able people, to help us achieve our vision of providing a rounded education for children, quality support for their families and opportunities to enrich our communities.

For further information on this vacancy and our school, please contact Rebecca Dewing on head@garrickgreen.norfolk.sch.uk

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Safer Recruitment

The Wensum Trust is committed to safeguarding children and promoting the welfare of children and young people, we expect all trustees, staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The  Wensum Trust is exempt from the Rehabilitations of Offenders Act 1974 and all convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as 'spent' must be declared. All successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced Criminal Record Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service, along with other relevant employment checks, including overseas criminal background checks.