Full Time, Permanent

30 November 2024

Safeguarding Statement Safeguarding
Statement Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. At Taaleem, we hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to various background checks including, receipt of high quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks.


Job Purpose
The core purpose of this role is to provide professional, highly effective leadership and management that will achieve outstanding results in all aspects of Secondary School life. The Secondary Headteacher promotes an inspiring vision and clear direction that is shared by all members of the Secondary School and the Senior Leadership Team. Ultimately, the Secondary Headteacher is responsible for ensuring that the curriculum, teaching and assessment practices inspire high levels of engagement, achievement and progress for students of all abilities.


Key Accountabilities
Inspirational and Strategic Leadership

• Promote Taaleem’s mission of ‘inspiring young minds’ - our vision of being the most respected provider of education in the Gulf and our core values and strategic platforms.
• Promote an inspiring vision dedicated to high standards that is shared by all members of the Secondary School.
• Initiate, prioritize and lead Secondary School improvement activities through effective strategic leadership and planning which supports the vision, mission and values of Taaleem.
• Display a high level of professional competence in all areas of responsibility.
• Communicate a clear view of the Secondary School’s aims so that all staff know what is required of them and are competent and committed to achieving the school’s goals.
• Be receptive and respond to external evaluation of the school and manage the process professionally and very efficiently with your senior colleagues.
• Work effectively with school governance teams (School Advisory Committee, and Parents Associations) and Taaleem Head of School to ensure informed and responsive decision making, which help to direct change and effective management of school resources.
• Ensure that the levels of students’ attainment and the quality of teaching successfully align with the Secondary Schools’ promise to parents.
• Participate and lead professional development workshops in the UAE, including events run by the Knowledge Human Development Authority (KHDA) or Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC).

Self Evaluation and Improvement Planning

• Ensure that the Secondary School’s academic program is fit for purpose and challenges students of all abilities.
• Maintain an ‘Outstanding’ rating in Phases 3 and 4 on inspections.
• Involve all Secondary staff in systematic, rigorous self-evaluation with the explicit purpose of improving the quality of students’ experiences and their standards of attainment.
• Work collaboratively with external bodies and the Senior Leadership Team to achieve outstanding results on school accreditations, inspections and evaluations
• Monitor teachers’ plans, evaluate students’ classroom experiences, track students’ attainment and evaluate progress towards meeting agreed targets
• Ensure that middle leaders and teachers set aspirational yet realistic goals aimed at improving students’ performance
• Ensure that all recommendations from previous inspections and evaluations are included in the schools’ improvement plans

Effective and Efficient Management of Resources

• Work closely with the Principal, Business Manager, Admissions Manager, other Heads of Schools and SLT to ensure that all policies, procedures and routines across the school are effective and efficient.
• Ensure accountability of the school’s actions and outcomes with regards to compliance and health and safety issues
• Work collaboratively with the Principal and Admissions Manager to achieve enrolment targets and business objectives
• Ensure that teaching and learning is monitored closely and consistently using SISRA Observe to rate the quality of teaching practice across the school and identify areas of development
• Ensure that all Secondary School staff are appraised annually providing recognition for areas of strength and recommendations for areas of development and growth.
• Work collaboratively with Principal, Operations Manager and SLT to develop CAPEX and Consumable budgets and then monitor performance against the Secondary School’s budget lines

Parent, Student and Community Relationships

• Be responsible for the safety and well-being of all students through positive recognition and high expectations for behaviour and conduct
• Build and maintain relationships with Secondary School parents and the community by establishing regular and appropriate communications with all members of the school community, both internally and externally
• Market the Secondary School to the local and wider community with the aim of recruiting new students and retaining existing students to achieve a full school roll.
• Ensure that parents receive regular reports of their children’s progress and attainment that include next steps for learning

Person Specifications
Education: Teaching certification, higher educational professional qualification
Experience: 3 years’ school leadership
Competencies: knowledge of accreditation, inspection and evaluation frameworks, excellent communication skills in spoken and written form, educational leader and outstanding teacher, staff recruitment, strategic planning, knowledge of child protection and health and safety, experience in developing and/or sustaining high performance teams, highly effective relationship management with a variety of stakeholders
Attributes: collaborative team player, inspirational speaker, empathetic listener, integrity, strategic thinker, able to convert vision into action, internationally minded, emotional intelligence, intercultural awareness, creative, persuasive, flexible and capable of managing growth and instilling high standards, adept in multilingual settings, spirited, pioneering, professional and nurturing.

About Taaleem

Taaleem is the second largest provider of education in the region and a group that has an absolute focus on education. As a Taaleem teacher, you will join one of the largest, most respected education providers in the United Arab Emirates. Taaleem (which means ‘education’ in Arabic) was established in 2004 and now has over 27,000 students attending our diverse portfolio of international schools, pre-schools and public-private partnership schools across the UAE. With quality at the forefront of our offering, we tailor each project to answer the specific educational requirements of a wide range of families by offering top international curricula including British, American, the International Baccalaureate and our custom early childhood programme.
Taaleem is also one of the Middle East’s leading IB workshop providers for PYP, MYP, DP and CP. Taaleem is committed to inspiring students and helping them to identify and develop their passions and talents.
Taaleem seeks to raise the educational standards in the region. The combined experience of its core team of senior education leaders in international education policy, operations and global management best practices means Taaleem is well positioned to ensure the creative of truly exceptional schools that satisfy the most comprehensive and exacting education developmental requirements.

Taaleem is committed to:

• Equipping children in the region holistically with the skills, knowledge and character to compete globally
• Offering a comprehensive range of outstanding international curricula
• Designing, building and managing the best educational facilities
• Creating and implementing benchmark educational initiatives
• Nurturing educational excellence through the attraction, retention and development of the best educators
• Continuously evaluating and improving standards across our schools
• Establishing our schools as valued cornerstones of their communities

Opportunities at Taaleem

The Taaleem family of schools are a truly values-driven organisation and always happy to receive applications from ‘outstanding’ teachers, including KG, Early Years and Primary and Secondary Specialists. We are also looking to hear from experienced professionals interested in joining our support functions within our schools and Central Office.
We recruit the very best international teachers who can deliver our international curricula in a creative, collaborative, and highly engaging manner. Taaleem is committed to inspiring young minds and helping them to identify and develop their passions and talents. Due to our rigorous approvals systems in the UAE please be aware of the requirements for teachers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Candidates must hold a recognised teaching qualification, e.g. Bachelor’s of Education or PGCE to gain KHDA and ADEK approval.

History of Taaleem

The origins of Taaleem began in 2004 when Beacon Education, a school management company was set up to develop and run high quality education projects. Beacon Education was created to meet the need for top-quality schools as the region’s population continues to grow.
Our first schools opened in September 2005 and two years later, His Excellency Nasser Hassan Al-Shaikh, Chairman of the Board of Taaleem, spearheaded a major ongoing investment in Beacon Education by National Bonds, a Dubai-based private joint stock company with around 50% ownership by the Government of Dubai.
Taaleem is the assumed name through which we will continue to deliver our promise to inspire students and help them to identify and develop their passions and talents.