Welcome

Dear Applicant

I am pleased that you are interested in the role of Principal at the Hartshill School, part of the Midland Academies Trust. The Midland Academies Trust (MAT) is a family of four secondary schools working in collaboration with North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College. We serve about 3,000 students in the Nuneaton and North Warwickshire area. We work at the heart of our local community with the common goal of ‘Creating Successful Futures’ for students in our care, and we are looking for people who share our vision.

It is an exciting time to join Hartshill School, a school on a journey of rapid improvement. In the last few years with a focus on high standards and expectations, high quality teaching, a new curriculum and raising aspirations, the school is on a transformational journey.

The Department for Education are bringing forward ambitious plans for the re-development of Hartshill School’s existing school buildings. Hartshill has been selected as one of the first 50 schools in England to receive funding under the government’s School Rebuilding Programme. The objective is to replace the existing secondary school with a modern, efficient three-storey school building, that will provide pupils with a high-quality learning environment that will raise aspirations. The new building is due to open in September 2023.

Staff at the Hartshill School work tirelessly to do the best for pupils. Increasingly, they ensure that lessons are well planned, using a clear model of learning for all lessons, and provide effective feedback to pupils on what they need to do to make more progress in their learning.

The academy operates a warm strict approach to behaviour and has positive relationships with many parents. Staff work collaboratively not only within the school but across the Trust and are caring of pupils and their community. The school is often oversubscribed, and manages appeals for entry into Year 7. Despite being a school of choice locally, there is still a job to do in ensuring the quality of education and pupils attitudes to learning are as good as they can be.

The most recent Ofsted Inspection of the Hartshill School stated that, ‘The school provides pupils with many activities and opportunities beyond the classroom. These are helping to build pupils’ confidence and their understanding of the world. The school provides well for pupils’ development. There is a well-planned personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and what it means to be a citizen of this country. Many pupils have positions of leadership.’

Our 4 academies (The George Eliot Academy, Hartshill School, The Nuneaton Academy and Heath Lane Academy) are located within a 10 mile radius and our proximity provides a strong position for collaborative working and reflects a deep commitment to our community. There is a strong collegiate atmosphere within our Trust and all academies enjoy the benefits of collaboration and mutual support for professional development in all its aspects.

Our new Principal will not only lead Hartshill School but will also work as a member of the Trust Senior Leadership Team playing a vital part in Trust-wide work. When you join any of our schools, you become part of a family, where we believe that our staff are our greatest resource. Everything we do as a Trust has to fulfil the twin aims of accelerating student progress and reducing staff workload – if it doesn’t achieve both we simply don’t do it.

All schools within the Trust are united in their vision to rapidly improve the learning experience of their pupils and raise the aspirations of the local communities which they serve. There is a strong collegiate atmosphere within our Trust. We operate shared policies, systems and processes to ensure that our collaboration creates efficiencies in practice. We want it to be easy for our staff to help pupils achieve well and be prepared for a successful future. That’s why we continually review how we work to accelerate pupil progress whilst reducing staff workload.

When you join any of our schools, you become part of a family, where we believe that our staff are our greatest resource. Everything we do as a Trust has to fulfil the twin aims of accelerating student progress and reducing staff workload – if it doesn’t achieve both we simply don’t do it.

Our commitments

• Curriculum excellence - We operate a shared and strong knowledge rich curriculum. Our five year curriculum contains the best of what has been thought and said in all subject areas, with knowledge organisers to support learning.
• Strong conditions for learning – We believe in a ‘warm strict’ approach to behaviour. Our pupils have clear classroom routines, so no time is wasted. Our senior leaders manage pupil conduct on behalf of our staff so that they can teach without interruption.
• Reducing teacher workload - Our faculties plan and work together on shared approaches. Our middle leaders focus on pupil learning, not data input. Our Trust sets time for collaboration and learning from experts. Our teachers give whole class feedback, not individualised marking.
• Developing staff expertise - Our staff are valued as professional experts in their field. We believe in excellent subject-specific CPD. All staff receive training in the most effective pedagogical techniques and our cross-Trust subject communities help us plan and deliver our shared Trust INSET days and half-termly subject networks.
• Serving our community – We serve the communities of Nuneaton, Earl Shilton and the surrounding areas with pride. We recognise that we have an important role as community partners to educate, enlighten and inspire our pupils. We work closely with primary partner schools, our sponsor North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and other further and higher education providers to provide clear progression pathways for current and future pupils.

I never cease to be impressed by our pupils, their confidence and pride in their academies and their work. The Trust is committed to inclusivity and believes no child should be invisible. We provide quality pastoral support for all young people in addition to high quality teaching and an emphasis on academic excellence.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact our leadership recruitment partner Chris Gartner from Hays Leadership on 07595 646 645 or via email to chris.gartner@hays.com.

With every good wish,
Marion Plant OBE Chief Executive Officer