About us
The British School of Kuwait (BSK) is a private, co-educational, British curriculum in Salwa - a quiet sea-facing suburb of Kuwait. BSK operates as an all-through school catering for students from Reception to Year 13 consisting of four phases: the Lower Phase (Reception to Year 2), the Junior Phase (Years 3 to 5), the Middle Phase (Years 6 to 8) and the Higher Phase (Years 9 to 13). The school follows the National Curriculum of England from EYFS to A Level.
BSK also works very closely with its sister school, The Sunshine Kindergarten (TSK), which follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and caters for the youngest students in Crèche, Pre-KG and KG.
The British School of Kuwait (BSK) is seeking to appoint a new Head Teacher of the Higher Phase (Year 9 to Year 13) from August 2025
About the role
As Head Teacher of the Higher Phase, the successful candidate will play a strategic role in the continued development of both the phase and the school. As well as leading their own team, they will also work closely with the whole school principal and the head teachers of the other four phases of the school in order to provide exceptional quality of provision and drive continued improvements.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a forward-thinking and innovative team committed to providing the best of British education to the local and expatriate families that make up the school community, and to help shape the future development of the school.
This position would be suitable for a senior leader who has the skills and expertise to engage and inspire all stakeholders in order to help realise the strategic priorities and continuous improvement of the school.
The information below is a summary of some of the key responsibilities relevant to this role. A more detailed role description will be shared with short-listed candidates.
Key areas of responsibility
In this role, you will:
- Provide exceptional strategic leadership for the Higher Phase through the continued development, implementation and review of strategic goals and action plans that both address the identified areas for development at a phase level and align with whole school priorities.
- Assume responsibility for academic excellence across the Higher Phase, ensuring the quality of the curriculum offered as well as standards of teaching and learning, and leading the drive to continually improve attainment and progress throughout the phase.
- Lead on staff recruitment, retention, induction, development and performance management within the Higher Phase, fostering a supportive and collaborative environment focused on high performance.
- Oversee all aspects of provision relevant to pastoral care, wellbeing and safeguarding within the Higher Phase, including the continued development of best practice and ensuring alignment to all statutory requirements and updates as applicable.
- Take the lead on ensuring excellence in all matters of communication and external relations, ensuring high quality stakeholder relationships that support the continued development and further enhancement of the Higher Phase.
- Ensure that continued improvement and innovation are at the forefront of thinking and developments within the phase, promoting a culture of collaboration, professional learning and enquiry based approaches to both enhancing provision in the Higher Phase and contributing to whole school improvements.
- Oversee all commercial and operational matters relevant to the Higher Phase, ensuring effectiveness and efficiency in all areas, including working collaboratively with non-academic colleagues.
- Lead the Higher Phase team in relation to all matters of admissions, re-registration, marketing and public relations.
Qualifications (essential)
You will:
- Possess a strong academic track record to degree level
- Hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent
- Have experience and a proven track record in senior leadership (minimum of 2-3 years)
- Be able to demonstrate a strong and sustained commitment to their professional learning and development
- Possess an in depth understanding of the various elements of providing a highly effective education
- Be adept at developing the capabilities of their colleagues, through strong communication, a supportive working culture and effective coaching and mentoring
- Be able to show an awareness of current UK and international policies, developments and statutory requirements, including those relating to safeguarding
- Hold a strong belief in and commitment to providing high quality education in an international setting
- Demonstrate a keen awareness of the context in which the school operates and the agility to respond to complexity
- Have the ability to process, analyse and use data in order to inform decisions
- Be able to plan strategically and develop the tactical plans necessary in order to implement improvements and drive change
- Possess the integrity, resilience and commitment to quality required by the role
Nice to have (desirable) qualifications include:
- Current or recent experience of senior leadership within the international education sector (ideally 4-5 years)
- Higher level academic and/or professional study relevant to educational leadership, for instance NPQSL, NPQH, NPQEL, Master’s Degree or similar
Safeguarding
Prospective candidates should submit the details of at least two previous employers as referees which must be their two most recent employers, covering a minimum of four years of employment, or all of their employment if the candidate has less than four years of experience.
If a candidate has only one previous employer, two references can be provided from the same employer.
For candidates in a school where the line manager is providing a reference, the reference must be countersigned by the Head Teacher or Principal.
All successful applicants will be required to undergo an enhanced criminal background check and must provide a detailed residential history for the last ten (10) years.
The British School of Kuwait (BSK) is committed to safer recruitment practices.
