Christ Church Cathedral School is seeking an exceptional and forward-thinking educational leader to become its next Head. This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the most distinctive schools in the country.
Located at the heart of Oxford, directly opposite Christ Church, the School occupies a unique position within one of the world's most celebrated educational and cultural institutions. Christ Church is itself an extraordinary joint foundation, comprising both a college of the University of Oxford and the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Oxford. For five centuries, the education of young choristers has formed an integral part of its history.
Today, Christ Church Cathedral School is a small and highly individual independent school, educating boys from Nursery to Year 8, and girls in its early years provision to Year 2. The School offers an exceptional level of personal attention and combines academic ambition with musical excellence, outstanding pastoral care and a rich educational experience.
The School's choral tradition remains central to its identity. Christ Church Cathedral School educates the young choristers of the world-famous Christ Church Cathedral Choir, alongside choristers associated with the chapel choirs of Worcester and Pembroke Colleges. Music permeates School life, providing children with remarkable opportunities to develop confidence, discipline, teamwork and performance skills.
However, Christ Church Cathedral School is much more than a choir school.
It is a warm, ambitious and deeply nurturing community in which children are known exceptionally well. Small class sizes and close relationships enable staff to understand each pupil as an individual and help them discover their particular strengths. The School is proud of its ability to support children with a wide range of talents and needs and to provide an environment in which, in the words that have come to define its ethos, ordinary children can do extraordinary things.
In its recent history, the School has strengthened its academic reputation while establishing a notably caring and compassionate culture. Pupils regularly progress to leading senior schools and secure academic and music scholarships, while the School has retained its distinctive sense of warmth, individuality and community.
The appointment comes at an important moment in the School's history.
The Governing Body of Christ Church has committed to providing support to the School, providing the confidence and clarity necessary for the School to define a compelling strategic direction for its future. The next Head will therefore have an opportunity not simply to lead the School, but to help shape its future.
Working collaboratively with colleagues across the School, Cathedral and wider Christ Church foundation, the successful candidate will help to articulate and promote the School's distinctive proposition, strengthen pupil recruitment, develop its external profile and explore new opportunities for income generation and institutional collaboration.
The School's relationship with Christ Church offers both complexity and enormous opportunity. The next Head will need to be an effective educational leader and a highly visible ambassador, capable of building trusted relationships with Governors, Cathedral colleagues, College academics, professional services teams, parents, alumni and the wider community.
We are seeking an energetic, creative and strategically minded leader with the confidence to bring fresh ideas while respecting the remarkable history and distinctive culture of the School.
The successful candidate will have a genuine understanding of, and sympathy with, the purpose of a choir school. They will recognise that the musical tradition is fundamental to the School's identity and will work closely with the Cathedral's musical leadership to maintain and develop its exceptional standards.
They will also bring strong commercial and financial awareness. The next Head will need to think strategically about the whole organisation: its educational offer, market position, pupil recruitment, finances and facilities. At the same time, the School's fundamental purpose must remain at the heart of the role.
Christ Church Cathedral School is valued because it is small, personal and humane. Its pupils are not anonymous. They are known, challenged, encouraged and cared for. The next Head will need to preserve and strengthen this culture while providing the clarity, ambition and strategic direction required for the School's next chapter.
The next Head will lead a remarkable school, become part of the wider life of Christ Church and help ensure that a unique educational and musical tradition continues to flourish for generations to come.
For further information and to download the candidate brochure, please click on the "Request More Information" button below. The reference number is 8610.
To apply, please click on the "Apply Now" button at the bottom of the page.
The deadline for applications is 08:30 BST on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
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