Principal

Job Description

About The Aquila School, Dubai

The Aquila School is a British international school in Dubai, where an IB-inspired approach to learning encourages enquiry, creativity and independent thinking. Teachers are empowered to personalise learning, ensuring every pupil makes strong progress and develops the confidence to succeed. Rated ‘Outstanding’ by British Schools Overseas (BSO), The Aquila School offers a range of pathways in Sixth Form, including the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP), IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) and BTEC qualifications, preparing students for success in higher education and beyond. Aquila combines high-quality learning with a strong sense of community, where close partnerships with families help every child feel supported and inspired to learn. 

Purpose of Role

The Principal leads with vision and integrity, fostering a safe, inclusive and supportive school culture where learning thrives. By working collaboratively with their team, parents, and the wider ISP network, they position the school as a “School of Choice” that delivers exceptional learning experiences and outcomes, translating into increased enrolment growth and higher student retention. Their responsibilities span safeguarding, driving learning and teaching quality through evidence-based improvement, strategic planning, community engagement, and commercial performance. Parents/carers and students recognize and endorse the school for Amazing Learning and teachers’ professional learning and development thrives under their stewardship of the school. The Principal reports to the Regional Managing Director (RMD).

ISP Principal Responsibilities

All sections weighted equally at 25% from a performance perspective.

People Development and Wellbeing (25%)

• Be responsible for the safety and wellbeing of all students and adults in your school, including all activities, functions and policies to ensure students and adults are kept safe both physically and mentally, enabling them to learn without barriers.

• Lead your school with vision, empathy and integrity.

• Build strong, empowered leadership teams through recruitment, development and succession planning.

• Leverage ISP’s leadership programmes and Learning Hub platform to grow talent at all levels.
• Lead and be accountable for the impact of the school’s annual performance and development cycle, ensuring that all leaders are directly supported through rigorous goal-setting, progress reviews and professional growth planning.

• Oversee the broader teacher development process to ensure every teacher receives meaningful feedback and tailored development.

• Champion employee engagement by modelling and fostering an open culture and an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere.

Student Learning outcomes (25%)

• Prioritize students and their safety and learning first, always.

• Be accountable for the quality of learning, progress and achievement by the relentless improvement of student outcomes and ISP Learning KPIs, using data to inform strategy and interventions.

• Lead, promote and drive ISP’s Learning.First Framework through embedding the Learning Improvement Process (LIP), prioritizing the 5 Key Learning Pillars, leveraging the EdTech tools and the ISP AI toolkit and Professional Learning.

• Drive improvement through evidence-based data, evaluation and teacher development systems.

• Lead the curriculum strategy to ensure relevance, challenge and alignment with student needs, parent priorities and Future Pathways.

• Work in partnership with the Regional Learning Director to drive the improvement of learning and teaching across the school.

Grow Community and Deliver Exceptional Customer Service and Experience (25%)

• Focus fully on delivering ISP’s School of Choice strategy, adapting it to your local context.

• Promote and model the ISP Purpose and Principles ensuring these are visible through your daily actions and the actions of your leadership team and colleagues.

• Promote and advocate for ISP Learning.First, the 5 Key Learning Pillars and ISP’s Strategic Initiatives to drive strategic school development and create value and trust in the community.

• Possess a clear understanding of the school’s market and catchment, new and existing target audiences and understand how best to reach and engage with them, to ensure we maximise student retention and enrolment.

• Collaborate with broader ISP teams to optimise branding, communications and enrolments.

• Use parent feedback and sentiment to drive action planning and parent engagement.

• Foster a culture of partnership based on effective, regular direct communication and two-way feedback between teachers and parents.

• Be accessible to parents and carers, ensure their individual needs are understood and involved as valued members of the school’s learning community.

Commercial Success (25%)

• Own and take responsibility for delivering on the schools’ commercial targets and KPIs (financial, learning, people, marketing, health & safety and safeguarding).

• Organise and manage all school resources efficiently to drive profitability, ensuring efficient staffing allocation.

• Drive progress towards enrolment growth and income generation KPIs, to achievement financial goals.

• Drive improvement of parent and employee NPS, satisfaction and engagement surveys.

• Drive and support the school team to ensure school commercial and EBITDA targets are met.

Experience and Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree (Essential) and postgraduate teaching qualification (PGCE, Teaching License or equivalent) (Essential)

• Advanced leadership qualification (e.g., MA Educational Leadership, NPQH/NPQEL, EdD)

• Significant senior leadership experience in a whole-school or multi-phase setting (Principal, Vice Principal, or equivalent) in an International setting, ideally in the Middle East

• Proven success driving school-wide improvement, raising standards, and delivering strong inspection outcomes.

• Knowledge of international curricula across phases (IB, NCfE)

• Experience of accreditation and inspection frameworks (Ofsted, BSO, COBIS, KHDA, ADEK or equivalent)

Key Skills

• Strategic planning

• Educational leadership

• Safeguarding and Child Protection management

• Inclusive leadership

• Emotional intelligence

• Building community

• Stakeholder engagement

• Team development

• Performance management

• Engaging communication

• Data-driven decision-making

• Marketing insights

• Financial acumen

• Change management

• Collaborative mindset

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding

and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.