HEAD TEACHER CV TEMPLATE EXAMPLE – HOW TO CREATE AN INTERVIEW-WINNING CV
The role of a Head Teacher is one of profound responsibility, strategic influence, and community leadership. Whether in a primary, secondary or independent school setting, the position demands exceptional educational expertise, operational management, and the ability to inspire staff and students to thrive. Typically, the job description for a Head Teacher centres around leading whole-school improvement, managing budgets, shaping curriculum strategy, monitoring teaching quality, ensuring safeguarding excellence, engaging parents and governors, and acting as the public face of the school. In the UK, Head Teacher salaries commonly range between £55,000 and £120,000+, depending on the size of the school, local authority, and the specific leadership scale (L12–L33). Because the competition for these senior roles is exceptionally strong, creating an interview-winning Head Teacher CV is absolutely essential if you want to stand out. As a UK career coach with over 25 years of experience, I’m here to help you create one that gets genuine results.
WHY A HIGH-IMPACT HEAD TEACHER CV MATTERS MORE THAN EVER
A Head Teacher CV must do far more than simply list duties. You are pitching yourself as a confident, strategic leader capable of raising standards, improving outcomes and shaping school culture. Recruiters—whether governors, local authorities or academy trusts—want to see evidence of measurable impact. They want reassurance that you can lead change, handle complex stakeholder demands, and deliver results during ever-shifting educational landscapes.
In today’s competitive environment, your CV must:
• Communicate vision and leadership.
• Highlight school improvement achievements with quantifiable outcomes.
• Demonstrate your approach to safeguarding, inclusion and behaviour standards.
• Evidence your success managing budgets, staff and large-scale projects.
• Show your commitment to continuing professional development.
• Be polished, professional, and SEO-friendly for online job boards.
With the right structure, compelling storytelling and clear accomplishments, your Head Teacher CV becomes a powerful tool that elevates you above other applicants and helps secure interviews for senior leadership roles.
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A HEAD TEACHER CV
Below is a clear breakdown of what a strong Head Teacher CV should contain. Use this as a structure for your content.
Professional Profile
Begin with a strong introductory paragraph that summarises your leadership philosophy, experience level, achievements, and unique strengths. This is your elevator pitch, so make it powerful yet concise. Aim for 4–6 lines.
Key Skills & Leadership Competencies
Include a well-organised list of leadership capabilities such as:
• Whole-school improvement
• Curriculum development
• Staff coaching & performance management
• Safeguarding leadership (DSL certification)
• Budget management
• Data-driven decision making
• Ofsted preparation & compliance
• Parental engagement
• Behaviour management strategy
• SEN and inclusion leadership
These keywords support both ATS optimisation and human readability.
Professional Experience
This is the heart of your Head Teacher CV. For each role, include:
• Job title, school name, dates
• A short summary of role purpose
• 6–10 bullet points of achievements
• Quantifiable results wherever possible
Focus on impact, not duties. Show improvements in attainment, behaviour, attendance, teaching quality, budget savings, inspection outcomes, or new programmes you introduced.
Education & Professional Qualifications
Include your PGCE, QTS, degree(s), NPQH, NPQSL, NPQEL, DSL training, safeguarding refreshers, and any leadership accreditations.
Additional Achievements, Projects & Professional Memberships
List any panel leadership, governor involvement, conference speaking, CPD initiatives, or community partnerships.
HEAD TEACHER CV TEMPLATE EXAMPLE (TEXT VERSION)
Below is a uniquely written, SEO-optimised template example you can model your own CV on.
Name Surname
City, County • Email • Phone • LinkedIn URL
Professional Profile
A visionary and dedicated Head Teacher with over 15 years’ proven expertise in leading high-performing school environments, driving whole-school improvement, and inspiring staff to deliver exceptional teaching and learning outcomes. Renowned for transforming underperforming schools through strategic leadership, data-driven decision making, and a deep commitment to inclusion, safeguarding and student wellbeing. Adept at developing innovative curricula, strengthening community partnerships, managing £1m+ budgets, and ensuring sustained progress across all key stages. A collaborative leader who empowers staff, builds positive school cultures, and consistently exceeds performance targets set by governors, local authorities and Ofsted.
Key Skills & Competencies
Leadership & Vision • School Improvement • Curriculum Innovation • Staff Development • Performance Management • Safeguarding & DSL Leadership • Inclusion & SEN Strategy • Behaviour Management • Budget Control • Project Management • Ofsted Compliance • Community Engagement • Data Analysis • Coaching & Mentoring • Multi-Academy Trust Collaboration
Professional Experience
Head Teacher – Example Academy School, London
2018 – Present
• Led whole-school improvement that increased overall attainment by 22% within three years and significantly narrowed the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils.
• Successfully raised Ofsted rating from “Requires Improvement” to “Good” with outstanding features in leadership and safeguarding.
• Implemented a revised curriculum model that improved engagement across all key stages and enhanced cross-curricular integration.
• Introduced a robust behaviour management framework reducing exclusions by 45% and improving attendance to over 96%.
• Oversaw a £2.5m annual budget, ensuring cost-effective resource allocation and securing additional funding through community and trust partnerships.
• Launched a comprehensive CPD programme that improved staff retention and increased teaching quality to “Good” or better in 92% of observations.
• Strengthened parental engagement through digital platforms, community events, and transparent communication channels.
Deputy Head Teacher – Greenfield Primary School, Kent
2013 – 2018
• Developed the whole-school assessment strategy, resulting in improved tracking accuracy and more effective intervention planning.
• Managed staff performance procedures, delivering coaching that boosted morale and promoted consistent teaching quality.
• Played a lead role in safeguarding, ensuring consistently high standards and audit readiness.
• Coordinated SEND provision with local authority specialists to improve inclusive outcomes.
• Delivered multiple school improvement projects including ICT upgrades and redesign of learning spaces.
Education & Qualifications
• NPQH – National Professional Qualification for Headship
• PGCE – Primary Education
• BA (Hons) Education Studies
• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
• Ongoing CPD including Ofsted training, curriculum design and leadership development courses
HOW TO MAKE YOUR HEAD TEACHER CV STAND OUT
Demonstrate measurable impact
Use percentages, figures, year-on-year improvements and inspection results to prove your effectiveness.
Focus on leadership—not classroom duties
Although teaching experience matters, senior appointments prioritise strategy, staff leadership and school-wide influence.
Show your human side
Schools want warm, communicative, visible leaders who build trust. Including values helps differentiate you.
Use strong keywords
Include terms such as “school improvement leadership”, “Ofsted”, “safeguarding”, “curriculum strategy”, “budget management”, “SEN inclusion”, and “multi-academy trust collaboration”.
CV STRUCTURE FOR A HEAD TEACHER
Contact Details
Professional Profile
Key Skills & Competencies
Professional Experience
Education & Qualifications
Additional Achievements
Professional Memberships
Training & CPD
Optional: Personal Interests (only if relevant)
Keep it to a sharp 2–3 pages maximum—senior leadership CVs are allowed more depth.
ADVICE FOR RECENT GRADUATES ASPIRING TO SENIOR LEADERSHIP
If you’re early in your career but aiming high:
• Focus on gaining leadership experience such as mentoring, curriculum projects or department coordination.
• Showcase initiative—volunteering for committees or pastoral roles builds your leadership profile.
• Highlight placements, research, dissertations or volunteer work related to education strategy.
• Emphasise soft skills: communication, organisation, adaptability, and collaboration.
• Show a forward-looking mindset and eagerness to pursue NPQ qualifications.
ADVICE FOR MIDDLE LEADERS MOVING TOWARDS SENIOR ROLES
If you’re a Head of Department, Phase Leader or Assistant Head:
• Highlight cross-school influence, not only departmental work.
• Show measurable improvement in results, teaching quality, attendance or curriculum delivery.
• Present your ability to lead whole-school initiatives.
• Demonstrate readiness for more responsibility—operational management, safeguarding duties, etc.
• Start shaping a leadership narrative rooted in strategy and outcomes.
ADVICE FOR SENIOR LEADERS AIMING FOR HEADSHIP
If you’re currently a Deputy or Assistant Head:
• Prioritise outcomes that show readiness for full leadership accountability.
• Include budget management achievements, Ofsted involvement, and whole-staff development leadership.
• Demonstrate your experience with governors and senior stakeholders.
• Highlight strategic vision—what kind of school culture you create and how you drive improvement.
• Use powerful language: “led”, “delivered”, “transformed”, “implemented”, “achieved”.
THE DO’S AND DON’TS FOR A HEAD TEACHER CV
Do’s:
• Do use strong, positive, leadership-focused language.
• Do provide measurable achievements.
• Do keep your layout clean, modern and ATS-friendly.
• Do tailor your CV to each job’s priorities.
• Do include safeguarding and compliance experience.
• Do add LinkedIn and ensure it matches your CV.
Don’ts:
• Don’t list every responsibility—focus on impact.
• Don’t overshare personal details or irrelevant hobbies.
• Don’t use outdated formatting, photos, or decorative fonts.
• Don’t exaggerate achievements—authenticity matters.
• Don’t exceed 3 pages; clarity beats volume.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Crafting an interview-winning Head Teacher CV is your opportunity to evidence your impact, leadership, passion for education and commitment to excellence. With the right approach, strong structure and clear achievements, you can position yourself as the standout candidate in a highly competitive field.
And remember—you don’t have to do it alone.
As a UK career coach with over 25 years’ experience helping education professionals secure life-changing roles, I would love to help you transform your CV, strengthen your LinkedIn profile and elevate your confidence.
If you’re ready to secure more interviews and step into the senior leadership role you deserve, book a personalised 1-to-1 CV and LinkedIn consultation today:
https://www.cvlondon.net/book-an-appointment/
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