Case Studies: Independent

The Challenge

St Augustine’s Priory is an independent Catholic Girls’ School in West London. The school is a member of SHMIS and has been recently inspected by ISI. There were a number of unique challenges in the recruitment process.  The school had been lead for the last 17 years by their first lay head, Mrs Frances Gumley-Mason. A former pupil of the school, Mrs Gumley-Mason was a blue print for a head that would be almost impossible to replicate. A larger than life character, to many people she was the school. Indeed, I don’t think parts of the school community could imagine life beyond their first lay head.

The trustees and governors are extremely proud of their school and were quite clear that they required a most enthusiastic and inspirational leader to take up the mantle of leadership. The school is a beacon in the local area and the person appointed would become a significant leader in the local community.  This was going to be a most challenging recruitment process.

How We Helped

The Governors approached TES Prime to ascertain the ways in which the recruitment process could be supported. After much discussion, the Governors instructed TES Prime to advertise the role, conduct an executive search and manage the entire recruitment process.

The search resulted in the contact of a large number of candidates, all of whom had strong track records. To complement the search, we profiled suitable candidates on the TES and TES Prime databases, targeting over 300 candidates in all.

The Recruitment Director, Michael Abraham, and Campaign Manager Ruth Cook, carefully worked alongside the governors through the long-list process. A detailed report was written on all the candidates who applied and from this the Governors selected 10 to be carried through to the long-list. The initial interviews were held at the TES offices in Red Lion Square, and the Recruitment Director was involved in the composition of interview questions. For the next stage, a further report was produced and 5 candidates were selected to be carried forward to final interviews. TES made all the arrangements for and attended both interview days. The thorough assessment process would ensure that the panel proceeded to appoint with full confidence.

The Result

The campaign attracted 37 expressions of interest and 24 applications – well above the national average.  The final short list of candidates was simply exceptional, consisting of experienced Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers with outstanding track records. It was an impressive array of talent. 

Towards the end of the process, one person clearly emerged as the preferred candidate. This was a serving Deputy Head from a prestigious girls’ boarding school. She had shown that she had all the skills and personality required to be Head of this school; she was the popular choice of pupils, parents, staff and the Governing Body.

This was a pivotal moment in the life of the school, and we are delighted to have been part of the process which marks the beginning of a new phase in the life of the school.