Principal

The Chalk Hills Academy is seeking an exceptional candidate to provide the very highest quality of leadership to our school.  You will work closely with the Trust’s Executive Team to drive excellence and high standards in all areas.  As Principal, you will provide robust leadership, ensuring the highest quality of teaching, learning and pupil performance.

This is a pivotal role in our trust's leadership; our vision is that The Chalk Hills Academy will be a model of exemplary practice within our high performing trust, and the role offers the right candidate the opportunity to achieve the highest standards and shape our future with drive and ambition. 

We are looking for a pupil-focused leader who will build on the good work at The Chalk Hills Academy to take the school to the next stage in its development by:

• Leading from the front with a positive and proactive attitude.
• Being highly visible to the school community.
• Creating a culture where pupils meet high expectations and thrive in a safe, focused learning environment.
• Knowing great curricula and implementing a high-quality curriculum for all.
• Being consistent and level-headed.
• Leading The Chalk Hills Academy to be a model of excellence.
• Ensuring the highest standards of achievement and behaviour through rewards and structure.
•  Building trust through strong relationships with pupils, families, staff and the local community.
• Having experience of sixth form in terms of both pupil outcomes and viability.

In addition, our pupils are keen for a leader to:

• Ensure that problems and issues are dealt with in a timely manner.
• Ensure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently and fairly by all staff.

If you share our vision for education and are passionate about maximising educational attainment and standards to ensure all pupils reach their full potential, you will be well-placed to join our school and make a difference.  You will be supported by inspirational and dynamic peers in a forward-thinking and progressive trust.

School visits and discussions with the CEO and Deputy CEO are warmly welcomed.

Job specifics

Start Date 1^st September 2025

Salary  £102,485-£113,027 we are seeking to appoint the very best candidate available.

               AS Leadership 30-34

Why work for Chalk Hills Academy?

·         The opportunity to lead a school to achieve the highest of standards as part of an ambitious trust.

·         Be valued as a high-profile leader within the trust, benefitting from the collaborative support of our network of principals and the wider trust education team.

·         You’ll be working alongside a collaborative, forward thinking leadership team.

·         Unparalleled CPD opportunities.

·         A fantastic school ethos where children, staff and parents/carers are highly supportive.

·         £35 million state of the art building with well-equipped classrooms.

·         Staff benefits that make a difference to your work life balance.

Job Description

Post                             Principal 

Salary                         AS Leadership 30–34 £102,485-£113,027

School                        The Chalk Hills Academy

Responsible to      Deputy CEO

Purpose

You will work with the Executive team to provide outstanding leadership to take forward the vision and values of The Chalk Hills Academy and Advantage Schools, ensuring that excellence and high standards are attained across all areas, whilst providing a safe, healthy and inclusive learning environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

·         Take the lead in planning, implementing and communicating a strategy to develop the school to excellence in alignment with the vision and values of Advantage Schools.

·         Provide operational leadership that ensures the highest standards in school culture, teaching and learning, and pupil performance are achieved.

·         Collaborate with other schools to meet the shared objectives in the Trust’s plan and play a key role in the Trust’s development.

·         Ensuring the school is financially secure.

Standards

·         Instill and sustain an ethos of high expectations in all aspects of school life.

·         Ensure the school delivers an excellent academic curriculum, which enables pupils to become highly educated and to be full and active participants in society.

·         Ensuring the quality of teaching and learning across the school is of consistent quality and that practice is evidence informed.

·         Initiate and embed meaningful quality assurance that monitors pupil progress, raises standards and ensures a continuous and consistent school-wide focus on pupil achievement.

·         Create and implement policies identified by the Trust for the benefit of the school.

·         Set annual enrolment, attendance, retention and achievement targets to be approved by the Trust.

·         Ensure pastoral care, pupil welfare, behaviour and anti-bullying procedures are central to a positive school culture and are consistently adhered to.

·         Work strategically to establish a sustainable, effective and value-for-money staffing structure and allocation, including support staff, across the school

Leading people

·         Ensure the school employs, develops and retains the highest quality staff.

·         Create, maintain and enhance working relationships with staff, including consultation with professional associations, as appropriate.

·         Manage the effective deployment and excellent performance and professional development of all staff so that the school has and all pupils experience:

• Excellent standards of conduct
• The highest quality of curriculum
• The very best teaching
• Extremely well-trained professionals who deliver excellent experiences and opportunities.

·         Engage staff in decision making where appropriate.

·         Develop the leadership of staff at all levels.

·         Promote the Trust’s ethos, values and aims.

Managing the organisation

·         Be responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school so that it is focused on excellence.

·         Advise the executive team on the annual priorities and formulation of the budget to ensure that the school achieves its demanding objectives.

·         Plan, manage and monitor the curriculum and all policies, procedures and initiatives within the agreed budget, setting priorities for expenditure, allocating funds/resources and securing effective administration and control.

·         Working with the finance team ensuring the regular monitoring of the non-pay budget and the oversight of the use of resources at all levels in the school.

·         Manage and organise accommodation efficiently and ensure it meets the needs of the curriculum, extended use, health and safety requirements and promotes a positive learning environment for all.

·         Monitor and evaluate the overall provision and use of resources to both secure value for money and secure opportunities to maximise resources for the school and its community.

·         Create an awareness of environmental issues both within and beyond the school and help to develop innovative projects which address best practice.

·         Work closely with the central trust operations and finance team to ensure robust operational systems are in place that support efficient functioning, including school finance, facilities, catering and resourcing

·         You will work collaboratively throughout the Trust and, if required, work at one of our other schools as directed by the executive team. 

Accountability

·         Report regularly on the performance of the school directly to the Deputy CEO or their delegate.

·         Produce regular reports and provide information, support and objective advice to the Deputy CEO and CEO.

·         Develop a culture in which staff recognise they are responsible for the success of the school and individual accountabilities are clearly defined, understood, agreed and acted upon.

·         Work effectively and collaboratively with external partners and stakeholders to achieve mutually agreed objectives, where relevant.

·         Ensure that effective communications are maintained within and beyond the Trust.

·         Ensure that parents/carers and pupils are well informed about all aspects of the school and, in particular, about attainment, progress and targets for further improvement.

Strengthening community

·         Develop and encourage good relations within the Trust and with the local community.

·         Collaborate with parents/carers and with other agencies to ensure that the school meets the wider needs of its pupils, staff and the local community

·         Work closely with other Trust schools and partner schools locally, nationally and internationally to ensure the development of the highest quality of curriculum, teaching, culture and leadership.

·         In association with the executive team, liaise with the local authority and organisations in the business, public, private and voluntary sectors to meet the needs of pupils.

·         Working with the central team to develop the school as an asset for the local community, enabling local people and other stakeholders to benefit from the facilities for education, training, health, fitness and recreation.

·         Work with the management team to develop the school as a hub for the community.

·         Ensure the school reflects an inclusive ethos which actively values and promotes diversity, unity and community cohesion, and supports pupils to become successful integrated citizens.

·         To be responsible for equality and diversity within the school ensuring that statutory requirements are fulfilled.

This list is by no means exhaustive; it is more of a guide to expected duties.  The postholder may therefore be directed by the executive team to undertake any other duties commensurate with this role.

Safeguarding

We believe in the safeguarding and welfare of children and expect all staff to share this view’.

The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.  Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer.

The Department for Education (DfE) has set out statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for schools and colleges on safeguarding.

Safeguarding is defined in paragraph 4 as:

“Protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.”

The definition of 'children' includes everyone under the age of 18.

The Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the deadline date.