Principal (Designate)

Key Details

Job Title: Principal (Designate)

Reports to: CEO of Mulberry Schools Trust 

Daily reporting: Executive Principal

Salary scale:

Duration: Permanent

Start date: April / September 2024

Our vision is to be a key provider for quality education so that all of our students leave us as highly qualified, confident and articulate young people with a wealth of experience. This vision is under-pinned by moral purpose – a desire to do more to improve the quality of education for all children and young people – and a commitment to schools working together to secure an inclusive, ambitious, collegiate and high-quality offer. 

The Role 

This role is for Principal (Designate) for Mulberry Academy London Dock (MALD) which will open in September 2024.

The Principal (Designate) will be responsible for providing outstanding leadership of MALD , promoting its culture, ethos and embodying the Trust’s vision and values by ensuring the highest standards and expectations in teaching, learning, behaviour and management, community engagement and resource management. 

What we’re looking for

We are looking for someone who can provide outstanding leadership of MALD.

This role may be suitable either for an exceptional Deputy Head who is ready for the next step and wishes to lead a school, or for a current Headteacher/Principal, for whom there is the potential for taking on additional opportunities in an area of trust growth and improvement over time.

Our Trust

The Mulberry Schools Trust was formed in 2017, when the Board of trustees and the Chief Executive created a family of schools in east London that has at its heart inclusion, equality of opportunity and a striving for educational excellence.

Our vision for MALD is to create an outstanding, fully inclusive secondary school that ensures the needs of all students are met and which makes a vibrant and meaningful contribution to residents in the surrounding area.

Our Community

We are committed to supporting young people to overcome the barriers that poverty and social exclusion create, ensuring that all students are able to achieve their full potential. This has inspired us to build up a broad network of partnerships, incubating and invigorating student experience, opportunity, drive and success. 

There should be no barriers to a child’s future and society should, and can, be a level playing field. Aspiring for this to be reality we promise to:

• Emphasise high quality subject teaching, reinforced by excellent support for learning and intervention.

• Deliver inclusion services that assist personal development.

• Provide excellent pastoral care so no student goes unsupported.

• Continually develop strong leadership and have high levels of expertise in education.

Our partners

We want our students in the Trust to have access to the same professional connections which young people from more privileged backgrounds can utilise. To make this a reality we have a wide range external partners in higher education, business, industry, the arts and the sciences who contribute extensively and fundamentally to our extra-curricular activities.

• Bank of America 

• Barts Health NHS Trust

• British Film Institute

• London Stock Exchange Group

• Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

• National Theatre

• The Prince’s Trust

• Southbank Centre

• WOW Foundation 

Bringing Down Barriers to Success

We are proud to inspire our students through diverse and representative leadership teams and welcome applications from all of the different communities we serve, regarding this as a strength. 

If you have the experience and passion to energise Tower Hamlets’ next generation of leaders, creators and innovators, then we want to see how we can support you in that pursuit.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and actively encourage people from a wide variety of backgrounds, experience and skills to join us and influence and develop our working practice. We particularly encourage applications from Black and global majority people, and candidates who are disabled. All candidates who are as disabled and who demonstrate that they meet the shortlisting criteria will be invited for an interview, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

We want the best staff and we know that means a diverse staff in our Trust.

We welcome applicants to inform us if you need any particular adjustments, arrangements or access needs as part of the recruitment process. We are also able to provide large font print job pack, BSL interpreters, and audio versions of our job pack on request. We will also accommodate alternative application methods should they be requested.

Encouraging a happy and healthy work environment

We take staff wellbeing seriously at Mulberry Schools Trust, here are just some of the great benefits for all staff.

• Teachers’ Pension scheme (TPS)

• Employee assistance programme and support

• Free gym onsite in some of secondary schools open for all to use

• Paid sabbatical opportunities

• Subsidised staff meals

• Annual programme of conferences and Trust wide events with high profile speakers

• Cycle to work scheme

• Annual service award

• Long service awards 

How to apply?

You will need to complete the online TES application form and also complete a covering letter explaining why you are the perfect person for this rare and exciting opportunity. Please be aware that we can only accept any CV’s for this post if they accompany the application form and letter. 

Please complete your application directly online via TES. If you have any questions about the role or the process or would like to visit the school prior to application, please get in touch with Shruti Kainth; Acting Director of HR at skainth@mulberryschoolstrust.org

Closing date: Monday 27th November 2023

Interview date: The interview process will take place across over two days on 6th and 7th December 2023 (please keep both dates available).

Visits to the school: Candidates are invited to visit the school week commencing week commencing Monday 13th November until Friday 24th November . Please email Shruti Kainth to arrange a visit.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will require an enhanced DBS clearance. We are dedicated to equality and valuing diversity.

Candidates who are selected for interview will be informed following the shortlisting process and full details of the interview will be provided. 

We will seek references on all shortlisted candidates prior to interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify experience or qualifications before interview. Any relevant issues arising from references will be taken up at interview.

We look forward to receiving your application.