Head of Infant & Junior School

Bristol
Bristol Grammar School
Highly competitive package commensurate with experience
Full-time

Summary

Bristol Grammar School is seeking to appoint an exceptional leader to the post of Head of BGS Infant and Junior School from September 2025.

Detail

Bristol Grammar School is seeking to appoint an exceptional leader for the post of Head of Infant & Junior School from September 2025.

The post arises upon the decision of our current outstanding Head of I&J, Heidi Hughes, to look for opportunities beyond the education sector. It represents an exciting opportunity for a talented and experienced school leader.

The Head of the BGS Infant and Junior School has full, delegated responsibility for the leadership and management of the Infant and Junior (I&J) School. They are responsible for ensuring that I&J helps the school to deliver its Mission to provide an exceptional and rounded education to those who might benefit from it regardless of background and means, and for upholding and exemplify the BGS values of kindness, integrity and rigour in all that they do.

BGS is a thriving independent day school, taking girls and boys from Reception through to Sixth Form. Over recent years, we have further strengthened our already impressive academic, pastoral and co-curricular provision, resulting in “Excellent” ratings across all areas in our last ISI inspection, outstanding examination success, and accolades for all aspects of our education, as detailed elsewhere in this pack. Despite strong competition from local state and independent schools, BGS is full, with waiting lists in a number of year-groups. The financial strength that accompanies this success has allowed the School to continue to invest in resources and infrastructure, the highlight being the recent opening of the 1532 Performing Arts Centre.

BGS Junior School was founded in 1900 on the relatively new Tyndall’s Park Campus (to which the school had relocated in 1879). It moved into what was originally the BGS Headmaster’s dwelling in 1940. The Infant School is a more recent development, opening in January 2010, with its Reception year coming online in September that same year. Around 340 pupils are now educated in the Infant and Junior School, with major entry points in Reception and Years 3 and 5. The overwhelming majority of our Year 6 pupils move into the BGS Senior School for Year 7 and in fact, by this time, a number of their lessons are taught by Senior School teachers in Senior School teaching spaces. Infant and Junior pupils are an important and integral part of the BGS family – they eat lunch in the evocative and historic Great Hall, they attend Breakfast Club with the Sixth Form in their Common Room, and they are helped with their reading by older pupils. Their play areas are contiguous with the Senior School campus, and all BGS pupils, from ages 4–18 share the same sports and performance facilities.

Having a large number of children with us from a very young age right the way through to adulthood is an enormous privilege and one which provides us with huge opportunity – and responsibility – for developing the creative, confident, caring and courageous young adults of tomorrow. The Head of BGS Infant and Junior School plays a pivotal part in this moulding of minds, and contributes more widely as an important and valued member of the BGS Senior Leadership Team. BGS Infant and Junior School enjoys a fantastic local and national reputation, and the school is in a wonderful position from which to look to the future with its next Head.

Full role details and an application form may be obtained from the School’s website BGS Leadership posts, closing date for applications is Sunday 01 December.