Principal Vacancy Luminous Oak Academy
Welcome from the CEO
Dear Colleague,
Thank you for showing an interest in applying for the post of founding Principal at Luminous Oak Academy, the newest member of Solent Academies Trust. This is a once-in-a-career opportunity for an outstanding leader who has a passion and commitment to achieve the best possible outcomes for our young people with special educational needs and disabilities and working closely with our families. I hope that you will find enclosed all the information you need to inspire you to want to become the first leader of Luminous Oak Academy with the support and guidance of colleagues from our high-achieving Trust.
We are delighted that, in partnership with Hampshire County Council, we will be opening Luminous Oak Academy for the 2026/2027 academic year to grow over three years to meet the needs of up to 125 children with SEMH needs. This will grow our Trust to six incredible special schools, three of which are in Portsmouth, one in Compton, West Sussex and one in Basingstoke in addition to Luminous Oak near Eastleigh, Hampshire. The Trust, founded by Mary Rose Academy (rated as outstanding by OFSTED four times in succession), has enjoyed two decades of transforming the lives of our children and families through high quality specialist education for pupils aged 2 - 19. We pride ourselves on harnessing the benefits of being a multi academy trust, working closely together to accelerate school improvement and share innovative practice in order to improve outcomes for all pupils and develop a strong learning community. We are actively growing our Trust to widen further our impact for young people with special educational needs, with the construction of another school due to begin in the near future in Whiteley, Hampshire.
Our Trust has a well-established track record of demonstrating that we make a positive difference to the lives of the children and young people who learn with us, their families and the communities we serve. We also have strong collaborative relationships across our Trust, and all of our academies work very closely together. We are very proud of our continuous impact through our local authority commissioned outreach work, and by leading the Portsmouth Challenge Partners Hub and local STEM Enthuse Partnership.
This role presents an incredible opportunity for an ambitious leader, with the full support of the Chief Executive and members of the Executive Leadership Team, to build a culture from the ground up, recruit their own team – Who gets the chance to do that? - and establish Luminous Oak as a leading school for children with SEMH needs. The ideal candidate will be an experienced school leader (Headteacher or Deputy/VP) with strong SEND knowledge and be committed to working with the other highly successful academies in our Trust.
As Chief Executive, I am keen to ensure a dynamic, forward thinking and experienced senior leader person is appointed to this position. We are certain that our Founding Principal will find the position both professionally and personally rewarding, working closely with a very experienced Trust Executive Leadership Team. I look forward to getting to know you throughout the recruitment process.
We very much encourage you to visit any of our schools where we will be delighted to show you round to enable you to see our Trust values and relational culture in action. To arrange this or for further information please contact Martin Blair at Hays Recruitment on 07908 268091 or martin.blair@hays.com.
I wish you all the very best with your application.
Mrs Sharon Burt, MBA, CMgr FCMI
Chief Executive Officer
Interview with Jarlath O’Brien
Director of School Improvement, Solent Academies Trust
About Luminous Oak Academy
Opening in September 2026, Luminous Oak will be a state-of-the-art, 125-place academy for pupils aged 8 to 16, based in the heart of the Boorley Gardens development in Eastleigh. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to build a school from the ground up shaping its vision, culture, and provision to deliver exceptional specialist education. The school is planned to open with 40 pupils, growing to 80 in year 2 and 125 from year 3.
Named by pupils within the Trust, Luminous Oak represents strength, growth, and resilience, reflecting our commitment to empowering children and young people to thrive.
The school’s cutting-edge facilities will include:
- 15 classrooms and specialist practical learning spaces
- Therapy and intervention areas tailored to SEMH support
- A fitness suite to promote well-being and self-regulation
- Extensive outdoor spaces, including a sensory courtyard and a multi-use games area
You can find out more about the school at Solent Academies Trust - Luminous Oak Academy
Our Values
Empowerment
All valued members of our learning community are encouraged to empower others to achieve their best and take every opportunity for themselves to become empowered as confident, independent and ambitious members of our team, committed to achieving our Trust pledge.
Respect
We are committed to treating each other fairly, with trust, care and respect. We seek the very best outcomes for all our pupils and are unwavering in our effort to ensure that all pupils have access to the opportunities they deserve.
Aspiration
We are continuously aspirational and tenacious in making sure our teams perform well and deliver the highest quality provision and enjoyable educational experience for our pupils to be well prepared for their next stage in life.
About Solent Academies Trust
Solent Academies Trust drives an aspirational vision to inspire lifelong learning, perseverance, kindness and growth for all our community through our unwavering belief that ‘it’s got to be possible’. Together we make every day count towards transforming the lives of our children and families by harnessing the opportunities they deserve to thrive as healthy and engaged individuals.
We are committed to improving equality of opportunity, social inclusion and closing disadvantage gaps more broadly, by developing innovative partnerships locally and nationally. The benefits of working together as a family of schools across our Trust are far-reaching. We have a genuine sharing of expertise, experience and ideas which promote continuous learning, excellent career opportunities and high quality professional development.
We pride ourselves on providing friendly, caring and stimulating learning environments with high levels of challenge within which pupils can flourish. Each school provides a curriculum that is creative, relevant, motivating and personalised to meet the wide-ranging needs of its pupils. We have active, positive partnerships with families and the communities in which our pupils live, work and interact socially.
You can find out more about the Trust at https://solent-trust.net/
Location
Vacancy details
Core Purpose
The Principal is accountable to the Chief Executive Officer of Solent Academies Trust for ensuring the educational success of Luminous Oak Academy within the overall framework of our Trust Strategic Plan.
The post holder will demonstrate courageous leadership to develop and lead the strategic direction, vision, values and priorities of Luminous Oak Academy, in line with the strategic aims and objectives of our Trust.
The post holder will execute dynamic leadership to successfully deliver and implement the Academy Growth and Improvement Plan to facilitate the very best outcomes for our children and their families.
Salary
L21 – L27 (£84,699 - £98,106) starting salary negotiable dependent on experience
Timeline
Closing date – 8am, Monday 10th November
Interviews – w/c 17th November
Start date – In discussion with the appointed candidate for September 2026 opening
Visits
As the new school is currently under construction, visits will not be possible however you are welcome to visit any of the Trusts other schools to enable you to see the Trust values and relational culture in action. We can also arrange a virtual or in person meeting with a senior Trust colleague. This can be organised by contacting Martin Blair at Hays Leadership Appointments
How To Apply
For further information, an informal and confidential discussion about the role or to discuss the application process please contact Martin Blair at Hays Leadership Appointments.
Safeguarding
Luminous Oak Academy and Solent Academies Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Solent Academies Trust welcome applications regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or religion. Only applications submitted on the academy’s application form will be accepted Solent Academies are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks.
Martin Blair
Hays Leadership Appointments
Tel: 07908268091
Email: martin.blair@hays.com
