Principal

The Role

Beacon Academy Trust is currently seeking to appoint a dynamic and inspirational Principal who is driven by moral purpose and every young persons’ entitlement to a great education.

As Principal of The Forest Academy, you will provide professional leadership to ensure success by securing outstanding outcomes and progression for all students. You will lead on continuous improvements in teaching, learning and assessment practice and will be responsible for creating a productive and purposeful learning environment and for the day-to-day management and organisation of the school. You will also secure the commitment of the wider community by developing and maintaining effective networks with, for example, local primary schools, other institutions and employers.

Following the sudden and sad loss of Lewis Ansell, TFA Principal, there is an interim leadership structure in place for the remainder of the 2025-26 academic year to ensure that students’ entitlement to the best education possible is sustained and exceeded as part of Lewis’ legacy. The Trust is seeking to appoint a substantive Principal for September 2026, initial telephone calls and visits are welcome.

The Forest Academy is an 11-16 school, with a co-located 6th form part of Beal Sixth Form with a total student population of more than 1,000. This unique set-up allows the ability to operate as in effect an autonomous 11-18 school but with strong collaborative links across Beacon Academy Trust and Beal Sixth Form.

As a Principal working as part of Beacon Academy Trust, you will be part of the Trust Executive and will work in a collaborative way with your colleagues, offering support and bringing your experience and ideas - genuinely working together to improve our schools. As a medium-sized trust, we can work in a progressive, autonomous and agile way to drive continually improving standards. We believe this is a genuinely unique offer in a headship and provides incredible opportunities for your own leadership and development.

The recently launched BMAT CPD hub ensures all BMAT staff receive tailored CPD to enable them to share mastery and develop expertise in their roles. You will receive structured, regular support, coaching and a wide range of professional development and training to suit your needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the CEO and Trust Executive, MAT Board, Governors, and staff to define and implement the Academy’s vision and strategic direction so that it is understood and acted upon by all stakeholders.
• Refine and implement the strategic direction for the academy, which identifies priorities and targets for ensuring that all pupils achieve high standards and make progress, increases teachers’ effectiveness and secures continued school improvement and sustainable improvement in academic outcomes.
• Drive the CALIBRE curriculum through intent, implementation and impact at whole school, department and classroom level.
• Drive the student recruitment strategy and ensure that TFA is responsive to the community it serves.
• Champion the vision, ethos and activities of the Trust and the various provisions within it through the collegiate intent of the Trust Executive.
• Hold and articulate clear values and moral purpose, focused on providing a first-class education for students.
• Demand ambitious standards for all students at The Forest Academy and instilling a strong sense of accountability in staff for the impact of their work on students’ outcomes.
• Ensure that The Forest Academy’s systems, organisation and processes are well considered, efficient and fit for purpose, upholding the principles of transparency, integrity and probity.
• Drive The Forest Academy’s outward-facing collaboration with other schools and organisations - in a climate of mutual challenge - to champion best practice and secure excellent achievements for all students.

What We Are Looking For

• You will be an outstanding communicator, with proven strengths in engaging with, inspiring and motivating, not just the school community but also the wider community.
• You will have a genuine interest in the education sector and how it is evolving and changing.
• You will have experience across the full secondary age range.
• You will have an understanding of wide-ranging school improvement strategies which will be matched by your ability to manage change and to motivate staff and the community towards the achievement of clear and aspirational goals.
• Above all, you will possess a relentless drive to continually raise standards and secure outstanding teaching for all of our students at The Forest Academy.

Apply exclusively via the WhatSchool platform.

Please note we reserve the right to close or extend this position depending on application numbers, therefore we would urge candidates to submit an application as soon as possible.