Job Description

Principal

Location: Arnold Hill Spencer Academy

Full time, permanent

Salary: L33-39 (113,646 - 131,576 per annum)

Commencing: Easter 2026

We are looking to appoint a dynamic, driven, ambitious and impactful Principal to deliver an exceptional education for Arnold Hill Spencer. The next Principal will inherit an academy confident and ready for excellence - in June 2025, the academy was rated 'good' in all areas and 'outstanding' for Post 16 by Ofsted.The August GCSE outcomes were above national for both attainment and progress. The post has arisen following the decision of the current Principal to retire after securing success this summer. We want an ambitious leader to inspire a refreshed and forward-looking team that are hungry for even greater achievements.

There are many opportunities for Arnold Hill Spencer Academy, including our ambition to:

Sustain the recent improvements in student outcomes at key stages 4 and 5 Further enhance the reputation of Arnold Hill Spencer on its journey toward outstanding
There are of course challenges to address:

Ensuring Arnold Hill can now compete with the very best schools in SAT year on year in learning, progress and attainment and become the standout choice for parents and pupils in its local community
The successful applicant will enjoy the full support of our Trust team, the Academy's staff and governors. There is significant opportunity for professional development and personal growth as part of our Trust, working with partners regionally, locally and internationally. Our Teaching School and Research School offers a full-suite of formal national leadership development programmes to Executive level as well as informal opportunities to network widely and explore innovation and research-based enquiry approaches to school improvement.

In return

You will become part of a leading regional high performing Trust, with a strong national reputation.

We have a talented team of Principals and leaders who work to collaborate to share resources best practice, overcome challenges and learn from each other. We share collective responsibility for all of our staff, young people and children and of course have the highest ambitions and aspirations for their future.

SAT is an educational charity, Multi-Academy Trust and Sponsor of Academies. We have approaching 18000 children and young people in our academies and employ more than 2800 teachers, leaders and educational support professionals across the East Midlands. We aspire to be a leading regional high performing Trust, with a national reputation for excellence.

We currently have 18 primary academies, 8 secondary academies and 1 primary aged special school in our family of schools. All of our schools benefit from the collaboration and added value that being a member of our Trust offers and share our values and beliefs. Spencer Trust academies share an ambition to deliver results that compete with the very highest performing schools in the country and deliver a curriculum for students that is underpinned by breadth, opportunity and quality: one that seeks to give young people the opportunity to develop into well rounded global citizens that believe they can influence positive change in the world.

Mission

Our Mission is to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

Vision

Spencer Academies Trust is an exceptional Trust, providing an outstanding education for local children.

We Believe:

That every child deserves access to a high quality education in a caring and supporting environment. We actively encourage and challenge our students to have the highest possible aspirations for themselves and for each other. We know that schools are stronger when they collaborate and work together in partnership, we believe that we are ONE Spencer and support each other through sharing ideas, goals and resources. We are committed to caring for and safeguarding our community and take seriously our role in delivering an exceptional education for our children and young people, and providing a supporting environment in which to learn and work.
Applicants will be expected to share our Trust's high aspirations and expectations for students and employees. If you are excited by the prospect of working with us, want to know more about the type of professional we are looking for and what we can offer, please visit: www.spencertrust.org.uk

Please complete a written expression of interest in the role of no more than two sides of A4, alongside details of two references to: shodgkinson@spencertrust.org.uk

If you have any questions regarding the role or would like an informal discussion or a visit to the school with the Director Secondary Education, Fraser Mitchell, please contact Sam Hodgkinson via email to arrange a convenient time: shodgkinson@spencertrust.org.uk

Closing date for applications: 3rd November 2025 at 12pm

Interviews will take place on Thursday 6th November and Friday 7th November

If you are a new user to our portal, you can click on 'Register' to complete your candidate profile. If you already have a candidate profile with us, click on 'Sign In'. Both routes allow you to feed your candidate information into any of our vacancies and view the status of your application. Please click on the 'Apply Now' button at the bottom of this page.

Spencer Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our children and young people. Therefore, we expect everyone to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced criminal records with Barred List Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and the completion of Level 2 Safeguarding training. It is an offence to apply for the role if an applicant is barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children (where the role involves this type of regulated activity).

The Trust and its member academies are committed to promoting equality and diversity in both employment and education provision. We aim to ensure that students, parents, governors, employees, contractors, partners, clients and other stakeholders within the Trust community are treated fairly, and with dignity and respect regardless of Protected Characteristics.

Spencer Academies Trust is a Disability Confident Committed Employer

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 113,646.00-131,576.00 per year

Benefits:

Free parking On-site parking
Work Location: In person