Principal Designate

Once In A Career  

There are few opportunities in a career to open a brand new school.

Elements Primary School is a new school for Barnsley, sponsored under the Free Schools programme by the Wellspring Academy Trust. Opening in September 2015, Elements enjoys widespread local support and is in being built to meet the increasing demand for primary places in the town.

Elements will open to its first 60 Reception-aged pupils in September 2015 and will grow by one year group annually until full in 2021. The Principal Designate will make a historic contribution to the school and the community.

From the date of appointment, you will be involved in the design and build of the school. Supported by the CEO and Director of Education, you will appoint the first staff to the school and will establish the ethos, expectations and standards that will make Elements an outstanding school from inception. Further, you will develop an innovative, 21st century curriculum that embraces technologies and community learning opportunities in collaboration with Trust colleagues. This will initially be supported with a designated £300k IT budget.

The Wellspring Academy Trust is at the cutting edge of educational innovation, with outstanding aspirations and a vision to provide children and families with exceptional educational opportunities. There are currently 2 schools in the trust, with 3 others in addition to Elements proposed to join in 2015. With ambitious plans to expand to 15-20 schools locally and regionally in the next 3 years this is also a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the growth of the trust and be a key part of a truly collaborative and collegiate leadership team.

If you are an experienced senior leader with a successful track record of sustained school improvement, a passionate belief that education transforms lives and a determination to maximise the opportunities available then this role offers an exciting opportunity to challenge yourself in a new environment. Highly motivated and driven, applicants must have an in depth knowledge of excellence in primary education, a commitment to high quality teaching and learning and should have the creativity and vision to inspire and lead change but also the focus to ensure successful outcomes are reached. Teamwork will be vital and you will need a 'can-do' attitude that can inspire and engage children, staff and the local community. You must display compassion, resilience and humour and above all believe that children, their learning and developing their potential is at the heart of all decisions.

This is your opportunity to write the future of education with the Wellspring Academy Trust.

For a confidential discussion about the role or to make an application, please contact Martin Blair at Hays Leadership Appointments on 07736791138 or at martin.blair@hays.com (please include your contact number).

Visits: by appointment with Martin Blair.

Closing date: 0900, 10th November
Shortlisting date: 11th November
Interview dates: 18th and 19th November

The Wellspring Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff and volunteers to have this commitment. The Trust operates stringent safer recruitment procedures and this post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Elements Primary School
Barnsley
S70 2JW