Assistant Principal and Director of Sixth Form

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are seeking an exceptional and ambitious leader to join our senior team as

Assistant Principal

Director of HAWI6. This is a pivotal role in shaping the next stage of our Academy's journey and an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, forward-thinking educator who is passionate about post-16 education. You will bring a strong track record of leadership, a clear vision for high-quality sixth form provision and the ability to inspire both students and staff. You will be a skilled communicator, highly organised and committed to delivering outstanding academic and pastoral outcomes.

Our sixth form is at an exciting stage of development. Now in the ninth year of our journey as a school, we celebrated our first A Level results last year with exceptional success. Our students secured progression to leading universities including Cambridge, Durham and Exeter, alongside other Russell Group institutions and prestigious art colleges. For many of our students, this represents being the first in their families to access higher education, making these achievements particularly meaningful. We are looking for a leader with the passion and drive to build on this success; someone who can inspire young people to aim high, work hard and believe in their ability to make a difference.

Above all, we are looking for a leader who shares our values, thrives on collaboration and is driven to make a lasting impact on the lives and futures of our students.

The successful candidate will have

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent
• Degree or equivalent
• Evidence of sustained and relevant professional development, particularly in teaching, learning and leadership
• Evidence of outstanding teaching practice
• Minimum of five years' successful teaching experience, including Key Stage 5
• Experience of working in a pastoral leadership capacity within a sixth form setting
• Experience of leading or contributing to sixth form provision, including curriculum, pastoral systems or student outcomes
• Experience of supporting students through post-18 pathways, including UCAS or equivalent application processes
• Proven experience of leading, managing and developing staff and teams to secure high performance
• Experience of monitoring teaching and learning (e.g. lesson observation, work scrutiny) and providing high-quality feedback
• Strong experience of using data effectively to monitor progress, identify underachievement and implement impactful interventions
• Experience of improvement planning, implementation and evaluation with measurable impact
• Proven track record of raising student achievement and aspirations
• Experience of curriculum development, including adapting provision to meet cohort needs
• Experience of successfully leading or contributing to whole-school priorities or change initiatives
• Evidence of contributing to high-quality teaching, learning and assessment across a department or school

What the school offers its staff

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Further details about the role

Your responsibilities will include

• Providing strategic leadership of HAWI6 to secure exceptional academic and pastoral outcomes
• Line managing Heads of Year 12 and 13, ensuring highly effective and consistent pastoral provision
• Overseeing the quality of teaching and learning across the sixth form through challenge and support
• Designing, developing and implementing an ambitious, inclusive sixth form curriculum, including EPQ and the super-curriculum
• Ensuring the curriculum supports strong progression to competitive post‑18 destinations
• Leading UCAS and post‑18 application processes to secure aspirational pathways for all students
• Leading the academy-wide More Able programme to prepare students for a rigorous sixth form experience
• Analysing progress and performance data, identifying trends and implementing targeted interventions
• Overseeing high-quality pastoral care and PSHE provision to support wellbeing and personal development
• Monitoring and improving attendance, punctuality, behaviour and adherence to dress code
• Leading sixth form recruitment, promotion and external engagement to meet recruitment targets
• Contributing to whole-school strategic leadership, vision and policy development
• Leading designated whole-school priorities and evaluating their impact
• Ensuring effective use of data to drive school improvement and address underperformance
• Supporting curriculum planning and enhancing pedagogical practice across the academy
• Modelling outstanding teaching, learning and assessment as a role model for staff and students

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Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.