Executive Principal - Yasmina British Academy

Aldar Education are currently seeking an outstanding Executive Principal for Yasmina British Academy in Abu Dhabi commencing August 2027 or sooner by appointment.

Yasmina British Academy is an outstanding English Curriculum school in the beautiful city of Abu Dhabi. With our globally recognised and admired curriculum, dedicated and passionate practitioners and outstanding teaching and learning, Yasmina British Academy is an exceptional place to work. It has an exciting, diverse and progressive learning community that annually produces some of the very best I/GCSE and A Level results in the UAE. Our learning culture is underpinned by our core values of excellence, respect, passion, collaboration and creativity allowing all students to thrive. Furthermore, the Academy is extremely proud of its recent ADEK inspection, which rated Yasmina British Academy as ‘Outstanding’ in all six performance standards, putting it amongst the top schools in the UAE and Middle East. 
Yasmina British Academy has recently moved to a new multi-building campus incorporating state-of-the-art facilities that have enabled our teachers and students to flourish, fostering a future-focused educational experience while also delivering on our environmental commitments to supply sustainable schools to the UAE.

This incredible facility is more than just a school, acting as a social, sporting and performance hub for both the local and international communities of the city. The new campus enables us to add even more value to our currently outstanding educational provision, whilst utilising the reputation of Aldar Academies’ brand to positively impact the lives of our learning community in the UAE.

The successful candidate will be closely aligned with our core values and ethos and possess a genuine understanding and appreciation of the values of the region. 

Responsibilities

Strategic Direction and Development of the School

• To formulate overall aims and objectives for the school and policies for their implementation.
• To create an ethos and provide educational vision and direction which secures effective teaching, successful learning and achievement by pupils and sustained improvement in their spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of adult life.
• Secure the commitment of parents and the wider community to the vision and direction of the school to create and implement a strategic plan, underpinned by sound financial planning, which identifies priorities and targets for ensuring that pupils achieve high standards and make progress, increasing teachers’ effectiveness and securing school improvement.
• To ensure that all those involved in the school are committed to its aims, motivated to achieve them, and involved in meeting long, medium- and short-term objectives and targets which secure the educational success of the school.
• To ensure that the management, finance, organisation, and administration of the school support its vision and aims.
• To ensure that policies and practices take account of school data context and the expectations of ADEK and Aldar Group.
• From accurate self-evaluation processes, produce and implement clear, evidence-based improvement plans and policies for the development of the school and its facilities.
• Encourage creativity, innovation, and the use of appropriate new technologies to achieve excellence.
• Ensure that strategic planning takes account of the diversity, values and experience of the school and the UAE community at large, implementing all aspects of the National Identity framework.
• To monitor, evaluate and review the effects of policies, priorities, and targets of the school in practice and take action if necessary.
• To ensure educational and operational compliance.

Leading Teaching and Learning

• To ensure that all pupils receive the highest education through a programme designed to promote a stimulating style of learning in a safe & healthy school environment.
• To ensure a consistent and continuous school-wide focus on pupils’ progress and achievement, using data and benchmarks to monitor progress in every child’s learning. Ensure that we add value to all students.
• To ensure that learning is at the centre of strategic planning and resource management.
• To establish creative, responsive, and effective approaches to learning and teaching.
• To ensure a culture and ethos of challenge and support where all pupils can achieve success and become engaged in their own learning.
• To be able to demonstrate and articulate high expectations and set stretching targets to all phases of the school.
• To be able to implement strategies which secure high standards of behaviour and attendance.
• To be able to determine, organise and implement a diverse, flexible, creative curriculum and implement an effective assessment framework.
• To be able to take a strategic role in the development of the new and emerging technologies to enhance and extend the learning experience of pupils.
• To monitor, evaluate and review classroom practice and promote improvement strategies to ensure that underperformance is challenged at all levels and ensure effective corrective action and follow-up is undertaken.

Leading and Managing Staff

• To maximise the contribution of staff to improve the quality of education provided and standards achieved and ensure that constructive working relationships are formed between staff and pupils.
• To plan, allocate, support and evaluate work undertaken by groups, teams and individuals, ensuring clear delegation of tasks and devolution of responsibilities, ensuring a reasonable balance for teachers and other members of staff, in work carried out in school and work carried out elsewhere.
• Develop and maintain effective strategies and procedures for staff induction to the UAE and induction within the school.
• To implement and sustain effective systems for the management of staff performance, incorporating key performance indicators within performance management targets.
• Develop and maintain a culture of high expectations for self and for others and take appropriate action when performance is unsatisfactory.
• To positively participate in arrangements for Principal performance management.

Efficient and Effective Deployment of Staff and Resources

• To work with Aldar Education and senior colleagues to recruit staff of the highest quality available.
• To work with senior colleagues to deploy and develop all staff effectively in order to improve the quality of education provided, ensuring effectiveness and efficiency strategies are embedded.
• To advise Aldar Education on appropriate priorities for expenditure, allocate funds and to ensure effective administration and control.
• To work with Aldar Education to manage and organise school accommodation efficiently and effectively, to ensure that it meets the needs of the curriculum and health and safety regulations.
• To make arrangements, if so required, for the security and effective supervision of the school buildings, contents and grounds, ensuring that any lack of maintenance is reported.
• To work with Aldar Education to ensure effective Health and Safety procedures including ensuring that appropriate risk assessments are undertaken.
• To manage, monitor and review the range, quality, quantity and use of all available resources in order to improve the quality of education, improve pupils’ achievements, ensure efficiency and secure value for money.
• To ensure that staff are encouraged to attend training and development activities.

Accountability

• To provide information, objective advice, and support to Aldar Education to enable it to meet its responsibilities to ADEK and ADEZ.
• To present a coherent and accurate account of the school’s performance in a form appropriate to a range of audiences, including parents, Aldar Education, and others, to enable them to play their part effectively.
• To ensure that parents and pupils are well-informed about the curriculum, attainment, and progress and about the contribution that they can make to achieve the school’s targets for improvement.
• To provide information about the work and performance of staff where it is relevant to their future employment.
• To ensure 100% compliance.

Strengthening Community

• To be able to build a school culture and curriculum which takes account of the richness and diversity of the school’s local community.
• To create and promote positive strategies for challenging racial and other prejudice and dealing with racial harassment.
• To ensure learning experiences for pupils are linked into and integrated with the wider community of the UAE.
• To ensure a range of community-based learning experiences.
• To seek opportunities to invite parents and carers, community figures, business, or other organisations into the school to enhance and enrich the school and its value to the wider community.
• To co-operate and work with relevant agencies to protect children.
• To ensure that the school promotes effective links with the local community and continues the development of close liaison with other Aldar Education sister schools.
• To build external partnerships to enhance the quality of education and provision at school 
  
   

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• BA in Education or BA Degree with relevant teaching qualification is essential
• Master’s in Education or Education Leadership or NPQH or similar professional qualification.
  
   

Minimum Experience

• At least 10 years of experience in education.
• A minimum of 3 years' school-based leadership experience (Principal)

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills

• Fluent English communication skills, written and oral in order to deliver clear, proactive and effective two-way communication.
• Attention to detail with diligent follow-up, and able to execute in a timely manner.
• Results-driven.
• Skilled in multi-tasking and handling pressure.
• Organisational ability, of self and others.
• Collaboration and teamwork.
• Ability to analyse information in a systematic manner to make informed decisions.
• Capable of influencing people and talented in networking with cultural sensitivity 
• Manage change, embracing change with positivity, driving it forward and demonstrating resilience in a demanding environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong, effective and consistent supervisory skills.
• Commercial acumen.
• Initiate effort and energy beyond the typical workday, where the tasks require additional commitment.
• Championing sustainability for a safer, greener, ethical environment.
• Knowledge of child protection and safeguarding.
• A clean enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check or police check.

This job description is not all-inclusive. Aldar Education reserves the right to amend this job description at any time. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are also mindful of our national development strategy and encourage UAE Nationals in their application at our company.

Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.