Assistant Principal

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the top schools for progress in the country.

Our thriving and oversubscribed academy also has a large Sixth Form with over 300 students, and we have consistently been in the top 10 schools for student progress for the last six years.

United Learning is a large, and growing, group of schools aiming to offer a life changing education to children and young people across England.

As a Group, we can reward our staff better: with good career opportunities, better pay, benefits, and ultimately, the satisfaction of helping children to succeed. We invest in our staff wellbeing. Our academies each have at least eight INSET days per year (with three of those solely dedicated to planning), and an ongoing group-wide wellbeing programme. It's an ethos we call ‘the best in everyone’.

United Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All positions are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and shortlisted candidates will be subject to an online check.

Here at United Learning, we are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued and appreciated. Because we are a group, we can reward you better than any school could alone, and this includes your employee benefits. Here is some information about the benefits available to United Learning.

Job description

Assistant Principal SLT 

Paddington Academy is a high performing school that has a relentless focus on high standards in all that we do.  We have a total belief that every student can be successful regardless of their starting point and we have a strong culture of excellence to achieve this.  Students make exceptional progress during their time at Paddington and we are consistently in the top 1% of schools in the country for student progress.   

Paddington Academy is a mixed Academy for 1,200 students aged 11-18. The Academy was recently judged to be outstanding by OFSTED in March 2023 maintaining its outstanding judgement from 2011. Paddington has been described by the education minister as a ‘jewel in the crown of state education’.  Our thriving and oversubscribed Academy also has a large Sixth Form with over 300 students. Students excel in our Sixth Form and achieve exceptional outcomes which enables them to achieve their next step which for the vast majority of students is university.  95% of students went to university, with 40% of those gaining a place at a Russell Group university in 2023.        

The role  

We are looking for an Assistant Principal to join our Senior Leadership Team to assist the principals in the strategic and operational leadership of the Academy.  The Assistant Principal will be responsible for leading a key area of the Academy.  All senior leaders are responsible for the culture and ethos of the Academy, teaching and learning and achievement.    

The exact remit of the role will be dependent on the experience of the candidate and a fit within the wider team.    

Main Core Duties:  

Specific responsibilities of the post will be agreed on appointment reflecting the experience and expertise of the successful candidate and the needs of the Academy. The general responsibilities are outlined below. The Assistant Principal will work collaboratively and closely with the other members of the Senior Leadership Team to lead on central aspects of the leadership and management of the Academy.   

All members of the Senior Leadership Team are expected to:  

• Be an excellent classroom practitioner. 
• Be prepared to serve the Paddington community in every way possible. 
• Embody the values of hard work, integrity and excellence. 
• Have humility and integrity and be willing to show loyalty to the SLT. 
• Be highly visible and a role model for staff and students. 
• Inspire trust and respect from staff who they work with every day. 
• Meet deadlines and prioritise workload effectively. 
• Have moral courage and be able to challenge others and get the best from them. 
• Able to provide solutions to problems and take ownership. 
• Communicate effectively and be a person that others want to follow.  
• Be a resilient leader who is able to remain energetic and optimistic at all times. 
• Be an outstanding teacher who is prepared to put learning at the heart of every decision. 

 Why work at Paddington Academy?    

1. We are a highly successful school, rated ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED with GCSE results which consistently place us in the top schools in the UK for student progress for more than a decade.  
2. Teaching and Learning is at the heart of what we do. Every decision is driven by its potential to impact on student learning.  
3. Our approach to teaching and learning is informed by robust research and is constantly reviewed and tailored to our unique context. 
4. We have a consistent and effective approach to behaviour which means teachers can focus on the main thing: teaching. 
5. We are renowned for positive relationships between staff and students and serve a community of aspirational students. 
6. We have a large and thriving Sixth Form with high academic standards: 68% of A level grades were A*-B. 
7. We have been awarded a Platinum award for professional development. Our approach to CPD is personalised to ensure that every member of our community is provided with first class development opportunities. 
8. We are the lead teacher training school for United Learning. Every teacher is a learner and we secure opportunities for staff to coach and mentor trainee teachers as a reciprocal learning experience. 
9. We invest in the long-term career aspirations of our staff. We offer a well-established and successful pathway to educational leadership for teachers who aspire to lead in education. 
10. Staff well-being is important to us and we believe in cherishing our staff. We work actively to reduce workload and to ensure our staff have support with any administration tasks so that they can focus their efforts.  

United Learning  

We are part of United Learning, the largest academy trust nationally, which offers a life-changing education to children and young people across England.  

Our schools work as a team and achieve more by sharing than any single school could. Our subject specialists, our Group-wide intranet, our own curriculum and our online learning portal all help us share knowledge and resources, helping to simplify work processes and manage workloads for an improved work-life balance.  

As a Group, we can reward our staff better: with good career opportunities, better pay, benefits, and ultimately, the satisfaction of helping children to succeed. We invest in our staff wellbeing. Our academies each have a rich CPD curriculum and an ongoing group-wide wellbeing programme. It's an ethos we call ‘the best in everyone’.