I feel very privileged to be part of this very special community of committed staff and ambitious young people.

At Abbeyfield School it is clear that everything is possible as shown by our fantastic extracurricular offer and upward trend in academic outcomes. The Abbeyfield community is first and foremost a team and this allows us to focus on ensuring that all of our students have every opportunity to fulfil their potential. In our most recent Ofsted inspection, it was noted that ‘leaders are determined to help pupils achieve their personal best’ (Ofsted 2021)

Our values drive our community, and we seek to ensure that Ambition, Respect and Kindness are at the heart of all that ‘we do’. We strive to develop all of our staff with an ambitious programme of pedagogical and subject specific CPD. As part of the Creative Education Trust, we have access to a wide range of experts and opportunities for all of our staff to tap into.

As an inclusive school we focus on a restorative approach to behaviour management, we believe that it is crucial to teach student the key skills such as collaborative problem solving as well as the academic curriculum. We focus on providing equity for our students to allow them to become positive members of society. This was highlighted by Ofsted when they identified that ‘pupils behave well, they are polite and courteous. The school’s system for pastoral care are strong’ (Ofsted 2021)

I am passionate about students, staff and parents having the opportunity to influence the future of the school and contribute to our improvement agenda.  Stakeholder feedback is regularly sought and informs our strategic leadership. We value our partnerships with the local community and external agencies, and these are used to good effect in order to support our students and families. 

We believe Abbeyfield is a very special place to work and we are excited about the future. If you are passionate about what we are trying to achieve and you feel you can make a real difference in this role then I look forward to receiving your application.

Kind Regards,

Henry Gowney-Hedges

Principal