About the Role

Role Title

Principal

Salary

£95,000 to £110,000 or more for exceptional candidate + benefits, including access to some Co-op staff benefits

Purpose of the Role

To strategically lead and develop the Co-operative Academy of Leeds in line with the co-operative values and principles.

Business/Department

Co-operative Academy of Leeds

Performance Measures

Annual educational targets are met
Good or Outstanding Ofsted reports
Balanced budgets
Improved engagement scores for staff and students
Staff and pupil attendance is well above national average
Strong reputation in the community
Strong commitment to the trust and the sponsor
Compliance met at all levels

Key Accountabilities

Provide leadership for the Academy and its management team, ensuring the successful delivery of the agreed vision, ethos, aims and objectives as determined by the Academy
Governing Board and the Co-operative Academies Trust
Lead and be responsible for the planning and operations of the Academy in line with the Academy’s aims and objectives
Provide a leadership role within the local communities to ensure best possible outcomes for children, young people and their parents and carers
Successfully drive through changes necessary to deliver outstanding education and opportunities within the Academy and for the broader community
Ensure a range of high quality, multi-agency services are provided to support the achievements of children and young people to deliver the best possible outcomes for the students
Take personal responsibility for improving children’s and young people’s love of learning and mitigating the problems they face
Work effectively with the Governing Body and the trust to ensure where necessary reliable legal advice is provided to ensure good governance and compliance
Act as an ex-officio member of the Governing Body providing information and recommendations and being accountable for the effective performance of the Academy
Accountable for the good financial management of the Academy and ensuring the Academy is not in deficit
Ensure the Academy is prepared for and achieves highly positive outcomes from any external review and/or evaluation
Work effectively to ensure best practice is shared across all Academies in the trust, particularly the Leeds primary schools.

People

Reports to
Governing Body, CAT Board and Director of the Trust

Planning horizon

Plans 3 – 5 years ahead
Focus on both annual and longer term goals

Financial

Directly responsible for
Circa £5 million budget

Complexity

(i.e. what makes the role complicated)

This role requires outstanding leadership and management skills for an Academy with a wide range of staff
Working with students, parents, carers and the wider community in a complex setting
Driving up ambition and expectations for all pupils
The management of a wide range of stakeholders
Working with other Co-operative Group Academies
Changing government policy
Monitoring activities involving Ofsted and the DfE

Key relationships

(other than with manager or reports)

Governors
Students
Local schools
Public services
Parents/carers
Sponsor
Business partners
Co-operative Group Academies
Local authority
Schools Commissioner
Ofsted

Decision making authority/autonomy

Determine, in consultation with senior leaders and staff, the school improvement plan for the Academy
Set annual and three year budgets for approval by the Governing Body and the Trust Board
Responsible for the successful implementation of performance management arrangements for all the Academy staff
Manage succession planning, developing talent and recruitment
Determine decisions on development and implementation of operational and strategic plans
Develop approaches to the successful delivery of the curriculum
Establish the ethos and learning environment ensuring that its reach extends to all members of the local community

From ‘Behavioural Competency Framework for Managers’ (2008).

Levels required Rationales

1 2 3

Confidence 3
Requires a high level of confidence to manage a large team and stakeholders

Managing Self 2
Post requires independent working and an ability to drive the Academy forward

Thinking 3
Needs to be able to process data and create solutions to educational problems

Student Focus 3
Needs to be driven by a desire to improve the outcomes for all the academies students

Achieving 3
Needs to be tenacious and deliver outcomes

Influencing 3

Team Leadership 3
The post requires the individual to manage a large team<

Key experience, knowledge & skills

Track record of highly effective leadership and management at a very senior level
Experience of successfully driving change at an organisational level
Achieving good or outstanding educational results especially in terms of pupil premium funding
In-depth knowledge of secondary education including implementing successfully key government initiatives, policies and practices and curriculum developments
Experience of working successfully in schools in a similar context to the Co-operative Academy of Leeds
Financial management and budget control experience
Strong communication and influencing skills etc
Teaching qualifications and high level leadership training

Role would ideally suit someone who is:

Passionate about delivering the best possible outcomes for the academy’s learners and its community
Genuinely interested in helping teachers to teach better and for students to gain a lifelong love of learning
An effective team leader
Interested in and sympathetic towards co-operative values and co-operative education
Able to champion the needs of the community
Interested in developing professional expertise within a small group of like-minded Academies
Able to build strong networks
Totally committed to creating the best possible opportunities for students

Potential de-railers

(i.e. will not succeed if)

Fails to build good relationship with the Sponsor
Unable to establish self as credible role model and leader within the community
Unable to project gravitas when presenting to staff/parents/carers and community
Is office based and not sufficiently visible to students, staff and parents and/or carers
Doesn’t share the values or the vision of the Academy
Unable to deal with difficult situations and manage change successfully
Inability to identify accurately the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning
Unable to see the potential that students speaking over 70 languages can provide

Key school facts and statistics

Type of school – Academy
Age range 11 – 19
Location – Central Leeds
Denomination – Non-denominational
Co-educational or single sex – Co-educational
Budget – In balance
Number of pupils – 910 plus Yr 12 and 13
Date school established – September 2012
School awards – Shortlisted for International School of the Year Award (TES 2014)
% of pupils on FSM – 65% September 2014
% of pupils from minority ethnic groups – 80% September 2014
Entry level attainment – Significantly below the national average
GCSE results 5 A* – C including English/Maths 30%
Predicted headline GCSE figure for 2014/2015 close to government floor standard
A level results 657 points
3 LOP rising
4 LOP rising strongly
Number in the sixth form 90