Principal

Required for September 2020

Principal 

(L37 – L43)

A rare opportunity to become a Principal of an 11-18 academy in an exceptional Trust.

We are seeking to recruit a well-qualified, experienced and inspirational leader to the role of Principal in the Trust’s only 11-18 academy. 

In September 2018 Boston Spa School converted to an academy and officially joined The GORSE Academies Trust which is led by Sir John Townsley.  Having adopted the core principles of the work of the Trust teaching and learning rapidly improved.  As a consequence, in August 2019 students at Boston Spa Academy achieved their best ever set of GCSE results with the academy achieving a Progress 8 score of +0.51 and being rated in the highest category within the DfE’s performance tables: ‘well above average’. 

Student performance at Post-16 is impressive; the Level 3 Value Added score has been in the ‘above average’ category and above 0.2 for the last 3 years.  Furthermore, the A*-B pass rate is consistently above 50% and the overall pass rate above 99%.  Student destinations are exceptional with over 50% of students regularly securing places at Russell Group Universities and on highly competitive courses.  The Post-16 provision is at an exciting time in its journey; Elliott Hudson College Boston Spa opened in refurbished premises in September 2019 and members of staff and students are benefitting significantly from the formal link with the Trust’s Outstanding (Ofsted, 2018) and over-subscribed Academic Post-16 provision: Elliott Hudson College.  

This is a key role in our future development and the successful candidate, in partnership with the Executive team, will oversee all aspects of our work at Boston Spa Academy.  Our standards are high and we expect our new Principal to lead our continuing drive for excellence as the academy prepares for its next Ofsted Inspection;  the successful applicant will need to be an exceptional leader who can demonstrate passion, integrity and a strong record of successful practice.  

The GORSE Academies Trust itself is a vibrant and forward thinking teaching community which places all students, in particular those who come from the most challenging backgrounds, at the centre of its work.  Within the Trust we value partnership work and collaboration.  The Trust currently has four 11-16 academies in addition to Boston Spa, two of which are graded as Outstanding by Ofsted, and in 2016 the Trust opened an Alternative Provision free school The Stephen Longfellow Academy (graded Good by Ofsted in October 2019), a direct partner to all of the academies in the Trust.  In addition to Elliott Hudson College and four primary academies, two of which have been graded by Ofsted as Outstanding, the Trust also includes two Teaching Schools and the GORSE SCITT which is also graded Outstanding (Ofsted, 2017) adding testament to the fact that the Trust is one of the highest performing Multi Academy Trusts in the country. 

This role represents an exciting opportunity for a candidate who has a strong moral compass and is determined to ensure that Boston Spa Academy provides an outstanding standard of educational provision in which all students thrive within an academic curriculum, with plentiful enrichment opportunities, regardless of their background. The successful applicant will enjoy a culture of peer support and regular, personalised CPD opportunities.  We are passionate about securing an exceptional leader for the next phase of Boston Spa’s journey so that all students are afforded the gift of a rigorous, academic education.

An Application Pack is available from our website, www.tgat.org.uk within the jobs section, or on request from Christine Watson, PA to the Chief Executive Officer via email: Christine.watson@tgat.org.uk. 

Closing date for applications: Monday 3 February 2020 (9am)

Applications to be returned to: Christine Watson, PA to the CEO via: recruitment@tgat.org.uk  

Boston Spa Academy is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children, and applicants will be subject to full employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure. We promote diversity and aim to establish a workforce which reflects the population of Leeds.