Headteacher Recruitment Agency

Head of Interim Headteacher Recruitment, Corrina O'Beirne

The sector’s recruitment experts - helping you to identify and appoint your next leader.

"Our work is characterised by the focus we bring, our sector-specific reach and our ability to connect directly with the very best leaders."

Corrina O’Beirne
Head of Headteacher & Leadership Recruitment

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Specialist headteacher search for LA maintained schools & academy trusts

Helping your governors and trustees appoint the leader their schools deserve

Appointing a headteacher is one of the most consequential decisions a governing board or trust will make. Get it right and the impact on pupils, staff and the whole school can be transformational. Propelo works with LA maintained schools, multi-academy trusts and their federations, across England to help you find the perfect fit for your situation.

When schools and trusts come to us

Most of the searches we run fall into one of four scenarios:

Appointing a headteacher after a long serving leader moves on

Succession after a 10 or 15-year tenure is one of the hardest briefs in the sector. The board knows what the school has been; the question is what it needs to become. We spend time at scoping helping the board separate legacy from future.

Replacing a headteacher after a short tenure

When a headteacher leaves after 18 months or two years is a common scenario. Boards recruiting in this context need honest conversation about what the next appointment needs to be resilient against. We've done enough of these to bring real pattern recognition.

First time or executive headteacher appointments across a federation or MAT

Cross-school leadership roles including executive heads, heads of school, hub leaders are a different brief to a single-school headship. The candidate pool is narrower, the role scope needs careful definition, and the governance around it matters. We run these searches regularly.

Mid-year or urgent appointments

Where timing is tight, a resignation that needs backfilling fast, an unplanned departure are all common situations. We move quickly, and we often pair the permanent search with an interim to hold the school steady while the permanent campaign runs.

Who we work with

We work exclusively with state-sector schools and trusts across England:

Mainstream primary and secondary schools
Special schools, PRUs and alternative provision
All-through schools
Multi-academy trusts of every size, from 2-school groups to national MATs
LA maintained school federations

How our search works

Introduction brief

We always recommend a proper briefing conversation, in person or online, to understand what your school or trust is trying to achieve. Our knowledge of the current talent landscape means we can offer an honest assessment of your expectations against market reality, and make recommendations on approach before the campaign begins. Getting this stage right is what makes the rest of the process work.

Building your campaign

This is your process, and you stay informed and connected throughout. Our role is to lift as much of the weight from your shoulders as possible, build on the brief, and develop a plan that fits your school. We do initial market testing to sense check our combined thinking before going further.

Taking your role to market

We produce a professionally designed recruitment pack including job description, person specification to take your role to market. We engage directly and proactively with high-performing leaders across your region and beyond, rather than waiting for the right candidate to find an advert. You get written and verbal updates throughout, and every candidate has a professional experience of your school.

Supporting you through to appointment

We produce a thorough overview of applications and provide the information you need to run a rigorous shortlisting process. We support considerations and process management right through to the point of appointment.

Need an interim headteacher?

If you're covering a sudden vacancy, supporting a transition or running a permanent search that needs interim cover alongside it, our specialist interim headteacher service deploys vetted interims when you need them the most.

Let us help recruit your next headteacher

With years of experience in the industry, you can trust us to help you find the perfect fit for your organisation. We help you through each step with clarity and confidence to ensure we get it right for you. Contact us today to start the process.

The Propelo Associate Network

Gain instant access to our pool of associates; quality-assured with proven track-record relevant to your needs.

How does it work?

Tell us your requirements

It starts with a conversation. We’ll take the time to understand the brief and what skills and expertise you’re looking for. We understand these situations are often sensitive so we only share the information you’re comfortable with and maintain confidentiality.

Meet our experts

We’ll quickly identify a small number of associates that meet your precise needs, sharing profiles with you to review and then arranging introductory meetings (either in person or online) so you can test suitability, style and fit.

We start the work

Once you’re confident that you’ve met the person or people you need, we’ll get to work. Often our associates are deployed within a matter of days. If it’s a longer term planned programme of support, our team is on-hand to manage the logistics.

We stay connected throughtout

We’ll ensure the appointment is deployed and has everything they need to make an impact and we’ll keep in touch with you throughout the project to ensure everything is running smoothly. If there is the need to adjust the parameters of the support as the project progresses, we’ll assist in managing the necessary changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should we use propelo for our next headteacher appointment?

We’ve built strong and trusted relationships with the very best interim leaders and subject matter experts over time. These skillsets are in high demand and the associates have a choice about where they work and who they work with. Associates tell us they like our insight and understanding, alongside our honesty and responsiveness. We’re passionate about what we do and through the Propelo Associate Network, we provide our team with high-quality support when they’re on assignment, alongside access to other professionals and development opportunities.

We have struggled to appoint a headteacher, what can we do?

If you've struggled, it's most likely a reflection of the market rather than your school or trust. The leadership landscape in maintained schools and academy trusts is genuinely competitive, and even some of the largest and most well-regarded organisations in the country find headteacher recruitment challenging. We bring practical knowledge of employer value propositions and what it takes to attract the right candidate, and we're always happy to share an honest assessment of what may need to change.

What happens when a headteacher resigns?

When a headteacher resigns it's important to move quickly on succession planning while managing a smooth departure. We've recruited hundreds of headteachers into schools across all phases and contexts, and while every campaign is different, there are consistent hallmarks of a well-run search. If you'd like to discuss next steps, we're happy to talk through a proposal and outline of costs.

How much does headteacher recruitment cost?

Working with a specialist partner doesn't need to be expensive and we work with schools and trusts of all sizes across a range of budgets. We'll always provide a clear proposal and give honest advice on the approaches most likely to deliver value for your specific circumstances. Please get in touch and we'll discuss costs openly.

Contact us today to help you with your search

Speak to a specialist member of the team to discuss how we can partner your organisation.

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Headteacher recruitment agency