Head of School: Brampford Speke C of E Primary and Cornwood C of E Primary
EXE VALLEY AND MOORSWAY FEDERATION
EXE VALLEY HUB: BRAMPFORD SPEKE C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL
MOORSWAY HUB: CORNWOOD C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL
Permanent post from 1st September 2026
Pay Range: L4 to L8 [currently £55,747 to £61,534]
The governors of The Exe Valley and Moorsway Federation are seeking to appoint two inspirational and committed leaders to take on the role of Head of School from September 2026. One role will be within the Exe Valley Hub at Brampford Speke C of E Primary School and the other in the Moorsway Hub at Cornwood C of E Primary School. This is an exciting opportunity for committed and experienced leaders to shape the future of our wonderful schools. We welcome applications from candidates with experience of headship or from aspiring heads of school who have a proven track record of success.
We warmly encourage you to visit the school before applying. Tours will be held on:
Thursday 26th February 2026 any time between 9.30am - 4pm at Brampford Speke C of E Primary School
Monday 2nd March and Thursday 5th March 2026 any time between 1:30pm - 4pm at Cornwood C of E Primary School
Please contact the federation business manager Heidi Last on 01363 866456 to book onto one of these or to arrange an alternative date and time with the school.
The Exe Valley and Moorsway Federation comprises nine local village schools and is led by John Jolliffe, the Executive Principal. The Exe Valley and Moorsway Federation is a strong and sustainable partnership of nine schools, with the Exe Valley Hub stretching across Mid Devon and the Moorsway Hub being located on the edge of Dartmoor. Supported by the federation’s Executive Principal and heads of school, the successful candidates will be responsible for the day-to-day operational leadership and management of their hub school.
Our Christian ethos and heritage and community involvement are very important to us and the successful candidate should have a good understanding of the importance of developing the school’s ethos in line with the SIAMS inspection framework. Brampford Speke and Cornwood’s last SIAMS inspection was in 2025 with both schools judged to be living up to their foundation as Church schools and enabling pupils and adults to flourish through their vision and practice, receiving positive feedback from the inspectors. Brampford Speke’s last Ofsted inspection was in 2022 where the school was judged to be good and Cornwood’s last Ofsted inspection was in 2023 and the school was judged to require improvement. The Ofsted action plan may be found on the federation website.
The successful individuals will also have a key remit for driving school improvement alongside the school’s development plan, while continuing to raise standards and promote strong values aligned to the federation. We are looking for a dynamic and effective leader with the vision, ability and drive to inspire pupils, staff and stakeholders ensuring successful and sustainable school improvement. In return, we can offer you strong support from the federation’s leadership team and an opportunity for continued professional development and coaching. If you are ready to meet these exciting challenges, we look forward to receiving your application.
You will:
· have high expectations of staff and pupils and the vision to build a strong staff team and cohesive school community;
· inspire and motivate all pupils and staff to develop in a well-disciplined and harmonious environment;
· enable all pupils to achieve their potential during their time at the school, ensuring that they leave school as mature, rounded, resilient individuals, ready to take their places as active, global citizens ready for secondary school and beyond.
· be committed to the delivery of the highest standard of teaching and learning across The Exe Valley and Moorsway Federation, including the professional development of staff.
What we can offer you:
· A friendly, dedicated staff team who believe in teamwork and building positive relationships across the school, federation and in the local community.
· High quality development programme with induction programmes for all new staff.
· Excellent CPD opportunities
· Annual professional learning days including safeguarding updates
· A supportive and collaborative working ethos, including support from the federation’s leadership team.
· Regular forums and networks to increase collaboration and reduce workload, including weekly leadership team meetings
If you are interested in applying for the post, please see the Job Description/Person Specification. To apply for these vacancies, please complete the application form, completing a full education and employment history since leaving school and indicating how you satisfy the criteria set out in the Job Description/Person Specification. Applications should be emailed to the Executive Principal, Mr. John Jolliffe, via the Cheriton Fitzpaine School Office: cheritonadmin@exevalleyfederation.org.uk. Shortlisted candidates will also be required to complete and return a self-disclosure declaration ahead of interview.
In line with Keeping children safe in education 2025, online searches will be completed as part of the due diligence on shortlisted candidates. This will include searching for inappropriate content which is publicly available that may suggest that a shortlisted candidate is not suitable to work with children, or that may harm the reputation of the school. An Enhanced DBS certificate will be required on provisional offer, including a check of the Children’s Barred List. Further vetting checks, in line with the requirements of Keeping children safe in education 2025 will be completed following a provisional offer of appointment. Where applicable, if an applicant with a provisional offer of employment has lived and/or worked outside the UK, they will be required to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct.
The Exe Valley and Moorsway Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of employment are subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure and other employment checks.
Our Safeguarding Policy can be viewed via the following link: Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy 2025-26
Closing date: Noon Friday 6 March 2025
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview on 24 and 25 March. The 24 March will be at the school meeting members of the school leadership and staff team, a written task and leading collective worship for the school. There will also be opportunities to meet with and talk to the children.
Interviews and presentations for the post will take place on the following day on Wednesday 25th March 2026. These will take place at Chudleigh Knighton village Hall.