Head of Boarding

  • The Boarding Schools' Association
  • Feb 15, 2026
Full time

Job Description

Closing Date: 20 February 2026
Salary: £60-65k Dependent on experience
Employment Term: Full Time

ABOUT GUILDHOUSE SCHOOL

Guildhouse School, located in the heart of Bloomsbury in central London, is a boarding school for ages 15+ that provides an immersive international environment for ideas and creativity, where students are empowered to make a positive impact on our world. The school offers an outstanding international pre-university educational experience, with small class sizes, to students from all over the world. Housed in three beautiful grade two listed buildings, the school is the first high school in Europe to have a Bloomberg Business Lab. Students at Guildhouse School are studying for A levels and University Foundation Programmes and preparing for admission to universities across the UK and abroad. We pride ourselves on our approach to high quality and personalised teaching and learning experiences, with small class sizes and an informal atmosphere ensuring that students are treated as individuals and build great relationships with staff. Our ethos and culture for students is 'Work Hard, Aim High & Be Kind'.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Guildhouse School is seeking an experienced and ambitious Head of Boarding (Residential) to lead and develop its boarding provision in the heart of central London.

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for Premier House, the School's modern boarding residence in Bloomsbury, accommodating around 100 students in self-contained clusters of en-suite rooms with shared kitchen facilities. Located just five to ten minutes' walk from the school site, Premier House offers a distinctive urban boarding model that requires clarity of systems, strong pastoral leadership, and a highly visible residential presence.

Guildhouse is not a traditional boarding school, and that is very much part of its strength. Our international student body brings energy, diversity, and ambition, and boarding plays a central role in providing stability, care, and belonging for students living far from home. We are fully compliant with regulatory requirements, but we are equally ambitious to ensure that boarding is warm, purposeful, and genuinely enriching.

The successful candidate will live on site and will provide strategic and operational leadership of boarding. Working closely with the Headteacher as a valued member of the Senior Leadership Team, they will ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, compliance, and student welfare, while also shaping a boarding culture that balances structure with warmth and high expectations.

The role will suit an experienced boarding or senior pastoral leader who combines regulatory rigour with human warmth, and who is confident operating in a fast-paced, urban environment. The post holder will lead and manage the boarding staff team, maintain strong relationships with parents and agents, and ensure Premier House operates as a safe, well run home for students.

During summer periods, Premier House is used by Stafford House London. Programme leadership and safeguarding sit with Stafford House during these periods, while Guildhouse retains responsibility for the day to day operational management of the building.

This is an exciting opportunity for a leader who wants to shape and lead a distinctive boarding provision in a school that is outward looking, student centred and ambitious.

ABOUT CATS GLOBAL SCHOOLS (CGS)

CATS Global Schools is a leading education group committed to inspiring the next generation of world shapers. With a history dating back to 1899, but a focus on the future, our group brings together 16 institutions comprising independent boarding schools, an Arts University College, English language schools and a variety of summer programmes in the UK, US, Canada, and China.

Each year, we provide 18,000 students around the globe with the education they need to develop real life skills for the future. We are dedicated to academic excellence and our students benefit from our well developed links to over 40 top global universities.

We create a positive learning environment where every student is empowered to make a contribution to shape their world. This is made possible because of the commitment of our pioneering, persevering people who do the very best for our students.

OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

We are committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging. Building on our core values - Pioneering, Persevering, People - We pledge to deliver a series of events, guest speakers and focus groups to make CATS Global Schools and employer of choice for all.

SAFEGUARDING

CGS is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and well being of children and young people. As such, appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of safer recruitment employment checks in line with KCSIE guidelines. This will include satisfactory references, enhanced DBS from the Disclosures and Barring Service and, where applicable, any international equivalent being obtained. Shortlisted candidates will be subject to online checks which may include social media.