Pre School Leader at St George's Church of England School, Bourton

Pre School Leader
St George’s CofE Primary School 

Salary: Dorset Grade 8, 12-20 Pay Scale, M1-M6, £28,598 - £32,597 per annum (DOE) FTE
Actual Salary: £21,702 - £24,737 per annum (DOE) FTE
Contract: Permanent, Full Time, 32.5 hours per week (Mon – Fri, 8.30am – 3.30pm) 

Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 19^th July 2026
Interview Date: Thursday 23^rd July 2026
Start Date: September 2026 

Job summary;

We have an exciting opportunity for an Early Years Specialist with experience of leadership to lead our Pre-School provision. 

The Shining Stars Pre-School part of St George’s Primary School is situated in the village of Bourton, North Dorset. It is part of the successful Pickwick Academy Trust. At St George’s Shining Stars Pre-School, we believe that every child is a unique and precious light with the potential to shine.  Rooted in our Christian ethos, “Let your light shine” (Matthew 5:16), we provide a loving, safe and inspiring environment where children are nurtured academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually from the very beginning of their learning journey. 

Our ethos underpins everything we do and ensures children:

• Feel valued, secure and confident
• Develop kindness, respect and empathy for others
• Grow in independence, resilience and self-belief 

Shining Stars Pre-School is looking for an outstanding, experienced practitioner to join us on our journey in continuing to provide a pre-school for the children and families of the community, providing the care and education they deserve. Experience or an interest in forest schools or outdoor learning would be a bonus.  

Our aim is to create a safe, happy and inspiring environment with highly skilled and trained staff that help to support children to thrive and achieve their true potential in an environment that is best suited to their needs. You will become an integral part of a team of passionate staff who work tirelessly to create an enjoyable learning experience for our children. The team includes an Executive Headteacher, a SENDCO / Inclusion leader, an Early Years Leader and other pre school keyworkers. 

Shining Stars Pre-School offers sessional and full day care for children aged 2 to 5 years old, term time only. 

This is an exciting role and brings with it an opportunity to work closely with the School Leadership Team to shape the direction of the service. This is a supervisory position and appropriate induction; training and support will be given to ensure the postholder is successful in this role.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead the Pre-School team offering high-quality early education
• Manage the day-to-day running of the pre-school
• Plan & Deliver a balanced curriculum using the EYFS framework
• Assess children’s development and use this to plan and deliver sessions & interventions
• Take responsibility for safeguarding alongside the school’s Designated Safeguarding Leaders
• Continue to improve and evolve our Pre-School provision
• Be the ‘Key Person’ for a group of children 
• Work closely with our School Early Years Team & SENCo
• Collaborate with our Office staff around admissions, finance and communications 

Full details of the role can be found in the job description and person specification. 

The successful applicant will support a community where everyone is encouraged to reach their potential, work together toward shared goals, feel valued, enjoy a positive environment, and build relationships founded on kindness and trust.

Please do not submit applications via the Indeed website, applications should be completed through MNT, we kindly note that CVs cannot be accepted.

Our School

At St George’s School every child is enabled to do their best in a supportive, loving and Christian environment. We believe that Primary School should be a very special and memorable time, a time to grow, participate and succeed in all areas of school life.  

Our aim is to encourage children to flourish in a supportive atmosphere where developing confidence, respect, independence and resourcefulness is as important as achieving our high academic standards. Our children are the stars and they SHINE!  

We warmly welcome visits to our school and would be delighted to show you around our school.  

Contact details

If you require any further details regarding the role, please feel free to contact Jill Farndale Executive Headteacher on office@bourton.dorset.sch.uk We would love to hear from you. 

We would love to hear from you, we warmly welcome visits to our school and would be delighted to show you around our school. 

Please be aware that this role may be closed ahead of the deadline if sufficient applications are received.

Why choose Pickwick Academy Trust?

You’ll be joining a trusted community that is built on shared values and genuine care for every learner. As part of 21 schools, you will benefit from shared expertise, strong professional development, and clear pathways for progression. Our scale allows us to invest in high-quality training, mentoring, and resources to help you succeed. we offer a supportive, inclusive workplace where staff wellbeing truly matters, including; 

• Excellent pension scheme
• Flexible working and family-friendly policies
• Employee wellbeing support & counselling
• Strong central team support and a real sense of family and belonging
• Staff involvement in shaping key HR policies
• Free eye tests (and glasses if required for your role)
• Free annual flu jab
• Retails Discounts & savings, including Wiltshire Rewards retail savings/ Blue Light Card
• Emergency salary advance scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Ongoing career and professional development
  
  

Our vision is to provide the very best education, empowering our children to become lifelong learnings, global citizens and deep thinkers. We are seeking dedicated staff to join our supportive trust and help make a real impact. Our mission is to attract and retain individuals who share our values and vision. 

As a Diversity & Inclusion employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled, neurodivergent, or otherwise needing applicants. For any application support, please contact AskHR@pickwickacademytrust.co.uk 

What we Value in Our Team

At Pickwick Academy Trust, we welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences. We are looking for colleagues who can work in a way that reflects our values of aspiration, collaboration, inclusion, enjoyment, and nurturing relationships. This means setting clear goals, working respectfully with others, treating everyone fairly, creating a positive environment, and building supportive and consistent relationships with pupils and colleagues. You do not need to “be a certain type of person” to succeed here, what matters is how you work. If you want to support children to do well, enjoy being part of a team, and want to contribute to a warm, inclusive, and ambitious Trust, we would be delighted to receive your application.

You can join also our Talent Pool for each school by visiting the Pickwick Academy Trust Careers Page 

If you have used My New Term previously for a Pickwick Academy Trust vacancy, please remember to update it with your current workplace details, references and responsibilities;

·        External applicants should nominate their line manager; if they have previously worked in a school, this reference must come from the Headteacher.

• Internal applicants who are applying for a role in a different Pickwick School must nominate the Headteacher from the Pickwick Academy Trust school they are currently working in.
• Internal applicants who are applying for a role in their current school must nominate a senior leader who is not the Headteacher (e.g., Deputy Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher, or the Director of Education for the school)
• Internal applicants to central team roles must nominate a senior leader either from the central team or from the Trust school that they are currently working in. 

Safeguarding

Pickwick Academy Trust is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, governors, trustees and volunteers to share this commitment. 

Please note that this role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. As such, all applicants are required to disclose any criminal convictions, cautions, warnings, or reprimands, even if they are considered “spent.” An enhanced DBS check will be undertaken prior and a requirement to the commencement of any employment. 

References will be requested at the shortlisting stage for all roles and may be used during the interview process. If any of your previous employments includes working with children, one referee must be from that role regardless of whether it is your current or most recent position. If you currently work in a Pickwick Academy School, please nominate your current Headteacher. All gaps in employment must be accounted for and explained in the relevant section of the application form. 

In accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2025 and our safer recruitment procedures, an online search will be carried out for all shortlisted candidates. This search will involve reviewing publicly available information to help assess a candidate’s suitability to work with children. Further guidance will be provided to shortlisted candidates, who may be asked to clarify aspects of their online presence.