Principal/Lead for Secondary School Improvement

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Martin Luther King Jr

Benfield School is a rapidly growing 11-18 secondary school and one of five schools that formed the Newcastle East mixed multi Academy Trust (NEAT) in Spring 2017. At the heart of our trust is the aim to nurture, educate, achieve and transform the lives of young people and our communities.

This new role offers a rare opportunity to combine leading the only secondary school in a highly collaborative multi academy trust with contributing to wider system leadership as a secondary specialist, initially as a key partner in a new Teaching School Alliance led by Walkergate Community School and eventually across the trust as its portfolio of schools grows.

Your first priority will be to build on the current strengths of Benfield students, staff and governors to secure ambitious standards and educational outcomes as the school continues to grow. But we also need an outward-looking individual who can seize opportunities and lead strategies from day one that will deliver improved outcomes beyond Benfield.

Our candidate information pack will tell you more about the role and the trust. You’ll see that previous experience of headship is less important to us than appointing a proactive individual with a track record of successful school improvement, the ability to work with a range of partners and the vision and drive to bring opportunities to fruition that enable young people to succeed.

Creating this role demonstrates our commitment to build capacity and future proof our trust within a rapidly changing education landscape. We have faith that taking your first step on this career path with NEAT will give you new challenges, great rewards and the opportunity to shape our trust to make a real difference.

Like to find out more about this unique opportunity? We are holding three Open Days to find out about the role, meet key people and look around the school at 9:30-11:30 on Thursday 8, Tuesday 20 and Thursday 22 February.

Please register your interest by contacting Suzanne Hendey, NEAT Central Support Manager on 0191 2284090 or by email at admin@neat.org.uk. If you are unable to attend any of these dates, we can arrange an informal telephone discussion with Debi Bailey, NEAT Chief Executive.

Interested in applying? A completed application form, criminal records declaration form and equalities monitoring form must be submitted by 9am on Monday, 26 February 2018. 

Shortlisting is due to take place on Wednesday, 28 February 2018 with the assessment process on Monday, 12 and Tuesday, 13 March 2018.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It is essential that all our staff and volunteers share this commitment. An enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service is required for all posts.