Founding Head of Secondary

The Founding Head of Secondary will provide educational leadership, vision, and direction for Sardinia International School’s growing Secondary Division, shaping its development from Year 7 to Year 13. This role involves leading the introduction of IGCSE and the IB Diploma, ensuring high-quality teaching and pastoral care, and developing a distinctive school culture.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead at a formative stage in the school’s development. With 55 pupils currently in Secondary and the first Year 7 cohort already at capacity, the successful candidate will build on strong foundations while preparing for substantial further growth. A key priority will be leading the introduction of IGCSE and the IB Diploma, alongside the opening of Years 10 and 12 and the school’s first boarding provision.

The Head of Secondary will be responsible for the quality of teaching, learning and pastoral provision across the division, creating a culture of high expectations in which students are known, supported and encouraged to achieve their potential. They will continue to develop the curriculum, recruit and grow the staff team, and ensure that SIS provides an international education of consistently high quality.

The early development of the Middle and Secondary School has been led by the CEO alongside a number of founding staff, establishing strong foundations from which the new Head of Secondary can build. The incoming Head will work closely with Deputy Head Morgan Curtin, who leads pastoral and organisational matters, and Director of Studies Richard Poles, who leads the academic programme, alongside a strong group of internationally experienced Heads of Department and specialist leaders.

Working closely with the CEO and Head of Primary, the Head of Secondary will also contribute to SIS’s wider strategic development as an all-through 6-18 school. For an exceptional candidate with the appropriate experience and ambition, there may be scope for the role to carry a wider Head of School remit, providing educational leadership across the whole school.

This is an opportunity to help shape something with significance beyond the school itself. SIS has been founded with the ambition not only to provide an exceptional international education, but to make a positive and lasting contribution to Sardinia, strengthening the opportunities available to families on the island and helping to attract new families, talent and ideas from around the world.

For the incoming Head of Secondary, there is a rare chance to join at a formative stage and influence what the school becomes. The impact of their leadership could be felt not only by generations of SIS students, but across the wider community as the school grows, develops partnerships and establishes itself as an important part of Sardinia’s future.

The successful candidate will have significant secondary leadership experience, a strong record of educational excellence, and ideally experience within a boarding school environment. They will be responsible for curriculum development, staff recruitment, and ensuring a high-quality international education.

Key priorities will include:

• Leading the growth and development of the Secondary School from Year 7 through to Year 13.
• Establishing and embedding high-quality IGCSE and IB Diploma provision.
• Ensuring consistently excellent teaching, learning, pastoral care and student wellbeing.
• Developing a distinctive, ambitious and internationally minded Secondary School culture.
• Leading and developing the Secondary leadership team, Heads of Department and teaching faculty.
• Supporting continued pupil growth while protecting the quality and personal nature of the student experience.
• Helping shape the development of boarding and the wider secondary student experience.
• Exploring future post-16 pathways alongside the IB Diploma, including more applied and project-based learning.
• Building stronger connections between the curriculum and the opportunities presented by Sardinia, its communities and its industries.

We are seeking an inspiring and ambitious secondary leader who can combine strong educational leadership with the energy and adaptability required to build a growing international Secondary School. The successful candidate will bring significant secondary leadership experience, a strong record of educational and pastoral excellence, and ideally experience within a boarding school environment.

They will bring a clear understanding of what excellent international secondary education looks like, ideally with experience of IGCSE and the IB Diploma or comparable international programmes. They will be confident leading curriculum development, building academic structures and developing staff as the school expands through to Year 13.

This opportunity will particularly suit someone