Principal Opportunity at Ossett Academy

Welcome

Dear applicant,

On behalf of all governors, staff and students, we would like to thank you for your interest in Accord Multi Academy Trust. We seek to appoint a dynamic, passionate and ambitious leader to the role of Principal at Ossett Academy. The position is available as our current Principal, Samantha Broome, has become Director of Education within the Trust.

Ossett Academy is a thriving, co-educational school for more than 1,700 students aged 11 18, including 224 Sixth Form students. We perform at a consistently strong level in public examinations, and we have been rated as ‘Good’ in all our Ofsted inspections since September 2013. We have extremely high expectations of all our students and staff members, a positive ethos and a strong programme of extracurricular activities.

The school site dates back to 1907, and we are committed to maintaining our historic roots whilst modernising our buildings to ensure the best possible learning environments and social spaces for our students and staff. In the past decade we have benefited from refurbishments to our dining hall, kitchen, student toilet facilities and sections of our roof. In 2023 we were shortlisted for the DfE’s School Rebuilding Programme, which we hope will fund major projects at Ossett Academy in the near future.

Accord Multi Academy Trust is an educational charity established in September 2016. It currently consists of four academies who were its founding members: Middlestown Primary Academy, Horbury Primary Academy, Horbury Academy and Ossett Academy. Our post-16 provision, Accord Sixth Form College, is based onsite at Ossett Academy.

At Accord, we celebrate the differences of each academy through strong collaboration, and we aim to inspire all members of our learning community to be the best they can be. Our vision is underpinned by the highest expectations on what every child can achieve regardless of their context or starting point.

As a Principal within the Trust, you will be joining an extremely ambitious organisation. The right candidate will combine substantial experience as an educational leader with excellent interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence and a strong strategic mindset. You will be expected to continue improving the quality of our provision and student outcomes at academy level, whilst also contributing to the Trust's wider development. As part of your role, you will be a member of our Educational Strategy Group, a forum in which Principals work alongside executive team leaders to shape innovative strategies which ensure worldclass education for our students.

We are fully committed to investing in our staff and as an employee you will have access to a range of benefits. This includes high quality professional development through formal programmes, and opportunities to work closely with talented leaders, both within the Trust and with other partner organisations.

We hope that the information provided in this pack will help you to decide if you have the right qualities, skills and experience to apply for this role. If you feel that you have the vision, drive and energy to lead Ossett Academy and ensure its position among the top-performing schools in the country, then please contact Martin Blair at Hays Leadership on 07736791138 or at martin.blair@hays.com for a private and confidential discussion about the opportunity, to arrange a visit or to discuss making an application.

Yours sincerely,