Assistant Principal - Key Stage 5

Do you want to be part of a transformational team at one of the top schools in the country for student progress?  

We are a high performing school and have 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, and we are looking for someone to lead our ‘Outstanding’ Sixth Form.

The Sixth Form is highly aspirational and offers a combination of A levels, BTEC National and combined programmes. The school retains 70% of students each year from Year 11 and attracts 500 applications each year for approximately 40 external places.

Students in the Sixth Form represent the pinnacle of everything that the school aims to achieve: high standards of dress and conduct, the ability to study independently and an involvement in all aspects of school life. Academic achievement is extremely high, and students go on to strong destinations: 95% go to university and 40% of those go to institutions in the Russell Group.

We have a strong Sixth Form team including two Heads of Year with generous time allowances to complete their roles, a leader of Personal Development, a Child Protection Officer and an administrator. Students receive 20% above the recommended teaching time for their courses and also have the equivalent of 350 minutes of supervised independent study each week. Careful guidance is given to students to enrol them on the most suitable courses and rigorous systems ensure they are held to high standards and are well-supported in an environment where good relationships and strong levels of care are provided.

We are looking for a leader to continue our upward journey to achieve even higher results, the best destinations and to ensure that students have the best personal development to prepare them to be happy and fulfilled in their long-term futures.    

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: 85% 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’.