Warning - This Vacancy is now Closed!

Principal - Full-time

Strood Academy, Strood

  • Ref:KCC887-6905-268L
  • Posted:26/06/2020
  • Pay:Highly competitive + perf. bonus + health care
  • Start Date:January 2021
  • App Close Date:16/09/2020 at 12:00
  • Interviews:23rd and 24th September 2020

Advert

Leigh Academies Trust is now recruiting for the Principal of Strood Academy who will join us in January 2021: a truly rare leadership opportunity within a very successful and financially sound, mature and geographically local multi-academy trust that combines management freedom for effective leaders with secure central support that encourages collaboration for success.  We are looking for someone who is ambitious for the children of Medway, to enhance their life chances and provide a bright future for them and their families.

Strood Academy has recently enjoyed its first decade and joined LAT in January 2017. It occupies state-of-the-art accommodation first opened in 2011 and is perfectly positioned near to the A2 motorway on the western fringes of Medway with excellent access to both London and the rest of Kent. It is a large, oversubscribed co-educational academy with eight forms of entry to year seven and a growing sixth form offering the International Baccalaureate Careers-related Programme alongside more traditional A Levels. The academy is currently rated “good” by Ofsted in all areas and has considerable potential to go one step further, supported by a proactive governing body who give generously of their time. 

Our successful candidate will receive encouragement, support and guidance not only to develop this large and ambitious academy but also to develop your own career within the Trust.  You will already be an exceptional senior leader at a successful secondary school with real ambition to improve the life chances of the students at Strood Academy.

Click here to view the full Recruitment Pack.  

We wish to hear from you if you really want to change our education world and are:

  • an enthusiastic, energetic and ambitious school leader with a track record of success at secondary level;
  • a motivational and inspirational leader with high expectations of staff;
  • confident and able to communicate a clear vision for the school;
  • able to develop children to reach their full potential regardless of background or circumstance;
  • approachable and keen to work with staff across the Trust to ensure wide success;
  • able to establish and develop excellent relationships with the community and other stakeholders.

In return, you will receive:

  • a competitive salary along with private healthcare and an opportunity to earn a performance bonus;
  • an exciting LAT career path with opportunities for further progression in the future;
  • security and support on your journey from close collaboration with a small central executive and a larger group of talented Principals to share best practice and innovation.

Arranging a visit to the academy:  On the basis that interested candidates will be keen to visit the academy before making a formal application, you can arrange this by contacting Emma Johnson (EA to CEO) - emma.johnson@latrust.org.uk. Candidates wishing to have an initial conversation with the CEO about this role can also arrange for a telephone call. Those wishing to do so should also contact Emma Johnson in the first instance.

The academy is committed to safeguarding children and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.  Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the Trust.

Information about the school

Working for Strood Academy: Since opening in 2009, our academy has transformed the educational opportunities and outcomes for girls and boys in Strood. The improvement in academic performance has been driven by a talented and committed workforce, the hard work of our students, and support from parents and our community. Our new buildings in Carnation Road were designed in partnership with Nicholas Hare and built by BAM as our main contractor at a cost of £26m. They opened in September 2012 and have outstanding learning environments and outside play areas as well as fantastic sports facilities. The buildings reflect our educational vision of creating a mature and purposeful educational environment where children of all abilities can learn and thrive.

Our vision is to be an inclusive community where we are all kind, respectful, and resilient in our journey towards excellence. Our students thrive through an enriching and diverse curriculum that offers a global perspective, empowering all to become inquisitive lifelong learners.

Our core values are to be:

Inquisitive Respectful Resilient Kind Our purpose at Strood Academy is to:

nurture students’ aspirations and build resilience within an environment of tolerance, respect and empathy; shape leaders within a global community; develop and celebrate knowledgeable and inquiring minds to promote lifelong learning and; help young people develop into well-educated, considerate and caring citizens. We have a growing roll call of 1400 children, including 200 in Sixth Form. Working in our academy takes a lot of dedication and hard work, but for the right individuals, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience and contribute significantly to personal and professional development.

Why work at Strood Academy?

Our recent OFSTED inspection has confirmed that the academy continues to be judged ‘Good’ and is very strong in many aspects and areas. The full report can be found on our website and I would like to share a quote which reflects the culture and ambition we all have for our students. ‘The principal advocates a culture of high expectations, aspirations and traditional values. Leaders’ high expectations are reflected in the ambitious International Baccalaureate curriculum. This provides a global perspective that encourages pupils to be inquisitive lifelong learners. To read the full report please click here.

Centralised behaviour system and detentions - simple for teachers to follow allowing disruptive-free classrooms. Our commitment to the development of all staff - CPD on Wednesday afternoons and the opportunity to collaborate with staff from other schools in the LAT. Also all staff at Strood receive regular coaching feedback through our on-line platform on-track. Strood academy is easily accessible by A2 and the high speed train can allow for travel into London in less than 30 minutes. We have a common sense approach to workload. All teachers are expected to feedback or live mark. We also work closely as a Trust allowing for centralised resources to be shared across our secondary schools.

Job Contact Information

  • Name:Holly Neve - LAT Talent Manager
  • Address:Carnation Road, Strood, Kent, ME2 2SX
  • Telephone: 01634 717 121
  • Email: office@stroodacademy.org

Fax: 01634 726 643

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students. You are advised that this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and therefore this post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Please be aware that schools are also required to undertake online recruitment checks on shortlisted candidates under changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education.