Situated in a Grade II listed historic building which was built in 1901 as a British Military Hospital, City Kids is a not-for-profit, safe and happy haven of learning and play for children and the cornerstone for an inspiring and diverse community of families.
Since its establishment in 1984, the thousands of children who have passed through City Kids’ doors, have benefitted from this truly remarkable open and green space which has shaped the positive learning environment we are known for.
As an English-speaking Early Years Centre with a strong focus on creating a nurturing and welcoming environment for their students, parents and staff, it is guided by the vision that play is fundamental to the safe, happy and healthy development of young children.
City Kids operates a Preschool for children aged between 2.8 and 5 years and a Little Stars accompanied program for children aged between 10 months and 3 years.
City Kids is looking for a certified early childhood educator to take on the role of the Preschool principal.
Job Title: Principal, City Kids Preschool
City Kids has a vacancy for a Preschool Principal for the next school academic year. The role requires the principal to be responsible for the high-level operations of a unique and well-loved school, and they must be able to ensure the needs of a diverse group of children are met within a learning environment that is safe, nurturing and engaging. The candidate should be able to display strong communication skills, a desire to foster a warm and connected community, a kind and gentle demeanour when interacting with children, and have an interest in developing the future of the school.
Responsibilities Leadership: • Providing strategic direction for the school; • Devising a school development plan with measurable success criteria which involves all necessary stakeholders and is jointly owned by them; • Knowing and using world-wide educational research and best practice to inform and enrich the school’s growth; • Fostering a climate of creativity and collaboration amongst the teaching staff; which will facilitate effective management of them; • Fostering a climate of student centeredness, a spirit of enquiry and independent learning • Keeping up to date with subjects developments outside the Preschool and leading relevant information sessions to the parents and the staff; • Conducting regular staff meetings; • Taking part in Senior Management Team (SMT) meetings and reporting regularly to the Board of Directors; • Working closely with the Head of Little Stars;
Development and Deployment of Staff: • Participating in the recruitment and appointing of teaching staff; • Exercising creative, effective and efficient deployment of staff to maximise benefits for students; • Liaising with the head of Little Stars for the purpose of building continuity between the two sections; • Developing an appropriate framework of professional development and performance management for staff; and carrying out performance appraisals including lesson observations and feedback about the observed practice; • Providing information and discussing issues of staff development and performance with the Board of Directors; • Ensuring that all members of the teaching staff adopt positive reinforcement of children’s behaviours and expectations; • Building a collaborative team culture where there are opportunities for team members to lead aspects relevant to their roles; • Managing and developing teaching assistants to ensure the best possible outcomes for students;
Curriculum: • Giving clear curriculum leadership to the staff; • Modifying (when necessary) and implementing a curriculum which is relevant to the needs of Hong Kong learners (e.g., Chinese New Year, virtues, etc); • Informing parents of the curriculum and its rationale; • Ensuring that children’s assessments are consistent across the Early Years;
Standards: • Creating an ethos that reflects a commitment to “learn through play” and high levels of parental involvement • Creating a community ethos following main virtues that are accepted by multiple cultures (e.g., cooperation, resilience, communication kindness) and informing parents of its rationale and how they can help • Monitoring achievement, recording student progress and reporting to parents regularly, through school reports, portfolios and parent/teacher conferences • Facilitating effective liaison with various partners to ensure students’ progression and smooth transition into primary schools • Liaising with outside agencies when needed (e.g., speech therapists, OT, etc)
Management and Efficiency: • Developing sustainable systems for the smooth operation of the school, to enable teaching staff to focus on educational priorities; • Efficiently and effectively deploying resources to maximise value for money and to ensure accountability; • Leading initiatives for raising the profile of the school in the community; • Cooperatively managing enrolment queries from prospective parents and relocation companies; and • Collaborating with administrative staff on admissions arrangements; • Meeting/phoning/messaging or maintaining email contact with parents to have dialogues on school issues • Responsible for weekly newsletter; • Attending occasional extra-curricular activities • In collaboration with office managers, liaising with EDB on matters of registration, regulations and any HK specific needs (e.g., fee raise, enrolments, staff changes, etc); • In collaboration with board directors, developing policies for the efficiency of the preschool (e.g., sibling’s policy, safeguarding, school closure, etc); • Building positive relationships with external stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds
Personal Specification Qualifications: • Early years degree • Hong Kong teacher registration • CCC registration • Kindergarten Principal registration (highly desired but not a must) • Evidence of further relevant experience
Skills: • The ability to inspire others and lead by example • Able to deal with conflicts in a positive manner • Able to problem solve and think outside the box and be innovative • Able to take and stand by decisions • Able to communicate ideas and opinions to staff, board of directors and parents • Excellent interpersonal skills towards students, teachers and parents • Excellent administrative, organizational and ICT skills • High standard of English language
Personal Qualities: • High levels of personal and professional integrity • Ability to exercise discretion and confidentiality • Personal warmth to gain the confidence of pupils, staff and parents • Positive rapport with pupils • High standards of personal presence and presentation and attention to detail • Ability to communicate concisely and sensitively, both orally and in writing, to a variety of audiences
Attitudes: • A team player with a reflective and flexible approach • Organised, energetic, positive and able to self-direct • Positive, enthusiastic and energetic approach to life • Ability to think creatively and imaginatively • Committed to professional development and show a willingness to undertake appropriate training as required • Ability to mentor fellow staff members • Knowledge to advice parents (e.g., parenting issues, choice of primary school, etc) • A positive ‘can do’ approach in all aspects of the role • High levels of personal presentation, integrity and communication skills • Able to maintain confidentiality in all are areas • Ability to develop community and parent links
Applications must include: 1- A short video to introduce themselves and the reasons to apply for this post 2- A covering letter 3- A CV with at least 3 references to Marie Marchand atprincipal@citykidshk.org
