Assistant Principal (Personal Development)

Are you ready to take on a significant leadership role in an exceptional school? Can you bring experience of leading effective pastoral support of students, which makes a difference to their outcomes and their future lives? Do you believe wholeheartedly that education, in its widest sense, improves lives and is a positive force for change? If so come and join us at Great Western Academy in this important and influential role. The role is available due to the maternity leave of the current postholder. However, to accommodate our growth in student numbers this is a permanent appointment. The job description outlines the initial areas of responsibility. These would be reviewed when the current postholder returns, to address the needs to the senior leadership team at that point. Great Western Academy opened in September 2018 and now accommodates around 1050 students in years 7 to 11 and the Sixth Form. The school is heavily oversubscribed in years 7 to 11 and the Sixth Form is flourishing, now numbering 210 students. Our philosophy of Achievement, Care and Excellence permeates all we do, with Care firmly at the centre of this. We believe that to Achieve and Excel students need to be Cared for, but also need to Care for each other, for their local environment, and for the world they live in. We use the phrase "Work Hard, Be Kind" to summarise what we expect of students and to create a culture of positive support where students behave well and are able to thrive, whatever their needs, and where they are proactively and effectively safeguarded. The successful candidate will have the chance to further shape our strong pastoral support. You will work with the Vice Principal (Care) to ensure effective strategies for behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and all other aspects of our pastoral work which support and develop our students into positive and effective young adults. You will join an energetic and forward-looking senior leadership team, and line manage a dedicated team of three Heads of House. The pastoral team also comprises Heads of year 7 and 11, and six further staff whose roles focus on pastoral needs but who work closely with academic leaders to make a strong, single team focusing on giving students the very best educational experience. Our first two sets of GCSE results showed that the progress made by the large majority of students has been excellent, particularly in English and Maths. Benchmark results are well above national averages (2024: 53% grade 5+ in English and Maths, 74% grade 4+ in English and Maths) from cohorts that matched national averages on entry. This reflects progress by students of all abilities, with those with EHCPs particularly successful, several of them progressing to our Sixth Form. The results of our first four A-level cohorts in summer have also been excellent and enabled 98% of university applicants to take up their offers, including four to Oxford and Cambridge; students have also secured prestigious apprenticeships with companies such as with Airbus and Rolls Royce. We believe firmly that strong outcomes follow from high expectations, high quality teaching, and strong support in terms of behaviour structures and targeted academic and pastoral interventions. Our priority is very much to recruit the best classroom practitioners who can ensure our students arrive at the Academy excited about the day ahead and leave each day talking about the excellent learning they have experienced. Our attendance is well above national average and the best of any Swindon secondary school reflecting strong engagement from students and their families. If you are capable of taking what is already strong and making it even better we are very keen to hear from you about how you can enhance and develop our leadership team for the benefit of our students. Additional benefits of working at GWA include:

• Average class sizes of 26 in years 7 to 11
• Flexible working opportunities
• Excellent CPD opportunities
• State of the art facilities
• Leading edge ICT, including a laptop provided for all staff
• Free Health and Wellbeing Support Service
• Cycle to work scheme through Cyclescheme
• Access to EV charging on site. Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice scheme
• Easy access to the A419, and free parking
Further details are available on the Academy website www.gwacademy.co.uk and in the information for applicants and job description attached. Applications should be submitted electronically to recruitment@gwacademy.co.uk by 9am on Wednesday 2nd October. Interviews will take place during the week beginning 7th October.

Are you ready to take on a significant leadership role in an exceptional school? Can you bring experience of leading effective pastoral support of students, which makes a difference to their outcomes and their future lives? Do you believe wholeheartedly that education, in its widest sense, improves lives and is a positive force for change? If so come and join us at Great Western Academy in this important and influential role. The role is available due to the maternity leave of the current postholder. However, to accommodate our growth in student numbers this is a permanent appointment. The job description outlines the initial areas of responsibility. These would be reviewed when the current postholder returns, to address the needs to the senior leadership team at that point. Great Western Academy opened in September 2018 and now accommodates around 1050 students in years 7 to 11 and the Sixth Form. The school is heavily oversubscribed in years 7 to 11 and the Sixth Form is flourishing, now numbering 210 students. Our philosophy of Achievement, Care and Excellence permeates all we do, with Care firmly at the centre of this. We believe that to Achieve and Excel students need to be Cared for, but also need to Care for each other, for their local environment, and for the world they live in. We use the phrase "Work Hard, Be Kind" to summarise what we expect of students and to create a culture of positive support where students behave well and are able to thrive, whatever their needs, and where they are proactively and effectively safeguarded. The successful candidate will have the chance to further shape our strong pastoral support. You will work with the Vice Principal (Care) to ensure effective strategies for behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and all other aspects of our pastoral work which support and develop our students into positive and effective young adults. You will join an energetic and forward-looking senior leadership team, and line manage a dedicated team of three Heads of House. The pastoral team also comprises Heads of year 7 and 11, and six further staff whose roles focus on pastoral needs but who work closely with academic leaders to make a strong, single team focusing on giving students the very best educational experience. Our first two sets of GCSE results showed that the progress made by the large majority of students has been excellent, particularly in English and Maths. Benchmark results are well above national averages (2024: 53% grade 5+ in English and Maths, 74% grade 4+ in English and Maths) from cohorts that matched national averages on entry. This reflects progress by students of all abilities, with those with EHCPs particularly successful, several of them progressing to our Sixth Form. The results of our first four A-level cohorts in summer have also been excellent and enabled 98% of university applicants to take up their offers, including four to Oxford and Cambridge; students have also secured prestigious apprenticeships with companies such as with Airbus and Rolls Royce. We believe firmly that strong outcomes follow from high expectations, high quality teaching, and strong support in terms of behaviour structures and targeted academic and pastoral interventions. Our priority is very much to recruit the best classroom practitioners who can ensure our students arrive at the Academy excited about the day ahead and leave each day talking about the excellent learning they have experienced. Our attendance is well above national average and the best of any Swindon secondary school reflecting strong engagement from students and their families. If you are capable of taking what is already strong and making it even better we are very keen to hear from you about how you can enhance and develop our leadership team for the benefit of our students. Additional benefits of working at GWA include:
• Average class sizes of 26 in years 7 to 11
• Flexible working opportunities
• Excellent CPD opportunities
• State of the art facilities
• Leading edge ICT, including a laptop provided for all staff
• Free Health and Wellbeing Support Service
• Cycle to work scheme through Cyclescheme
• Access to EV charging on site. Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice scheme
• Easy access to the A419, and free parking