Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning

Longsands Academy, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 1LQ

15 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  January 2027

• Closing date

  9 October 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  11 September 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Assistant headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £70,064.00 - £77,172.00 Annually (Actual) LS11-15

Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning job summary

Assistant Principal - Teaching & Learning

Longsands Academy
Start Date: January 2027
Contract: Full Time, Permanent
Salary: Leadership Scale 11-15
Closing Date: 9 October 2026

About Longsands Academy

At Longsands we are driven by a shared commitment to excellence, ambition and opportunity for every scholar. Serving the St Neots community, Longsands combines high expectations with a warm and inclusive culture where scholars are challenged to achieve their very best. As part of Astrea Academy Trust, we deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum, invest heavily in staff development, and foster a collaborative environment where talented professionals can thrive and grow. Guided by our values of Scholarship, Tenacity, Curiosity, Respect and Responsibility, we are committed to ensuring every scholar leaves us confident, successful and prepared for the future.

The Role

We are seeking an exceptional Assistant Principal with responsibility for Teaching & Learning to join our ambitious senior leadership team from January 2027. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly accomplished educator who is passionate about developing outstanding classroom practice and raising standards across the academy.

As a visible and credible leader, you will combine excellent teaching with strategic leadership, helping to shape academy improvement while supporting colleagues through coaching, mentoring and professional development. Working alongside senior leaders, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring every scholar benefits from consistently excellent teaching and learning.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for teaching, learning and assessment across the academy.
• Lead and model exceptional classroom practice, setting the standard for others to follow.
• Drive improvements in teaching quality through coaching, mentoring and professional development.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of teaching and learning initiatives, using evidence to inform improvement priorities.
• Contribute to academy-wide improvement planning and lead key development projects.
• Support the development of staff at all career stages, helping colleagues maximise their impact on scholar outcomes.
• Promote a culture of high expectations, excellent behaviour and strong academic achievement.
• Work collaboratively with senior leaders to ensure safeguarding, curriculum and teaching priorities are fully aligned.

What We're Looking For

• Qualified Teacher Status and a good honours degree.
• A consistently outstanding classroom practitioner with a strong track record of securing excellent outcomes.
• Successful experience in middle or senior leadership within a secondary school setting.
• Proven ability to inspire, develop and challenge colleagues to improve teaching practice.
• Experience of leading and managing teams effectively.
• Strong understanding of teaching, learning, assessment and school improvement strategies.
• The credibility, resilience and strategic thinking needed to influence practice across the academy.
• A commitment to continuous improvement and to the values and ambitions of Longsands Academy and Astrea Academy Trust.

Commitment to Safeguarding and EDI:

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory background checks, including references and an enhanced DBS check. We value diversity and welcome applications from underrepresented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure all candidates can fully demonstrate their abilities.

In line with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the statutory Code of Practice, the Trust requires all public-facing post holders to demonstrate fluent English. Within a school setting, this applies to all roles that involve direct or indirect interaction with pupils, parents, or members of the public.

Flexible Interview Dates:

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, so don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. Please note that interview dates are flexible, and the academy reserves the right to interview shortlisted candidates during the application window.

Ready to Make a Difference?

This role offers an exceptional opportunity to join a forward-thinking leadership team and make a significant contribution to the continued success of Longsands Academy. If you are driven by educational excellence and passionate about developing both scholars and staff, we would love to hear from you!

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Astrea Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and we expect all staff to share this commitment.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Longsands Academy

• Organisation type: Academy, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• Size: 1412 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: Longsands Academy website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/longsands-academy

Longsands Academy, part of Astrea Academy Trust, is a successful, fully-inclusive secondary school at the heart of its community. We pride ourselves on providing an engaging and supportive environment in which our students feel empowered to reach and embrace their full potential with confidence. Our staff are committed to nurturing the abilities of every child with a curriculum which promotes academic excellence and is delivered by subject specialists. The opportunities we provide allow all students to showcase their talents, whether through the traditional school day or as a result of the wealth of extra-curricular activities on offer. Furthermore, in order to develop the important qualities of independent learning and resilience, our students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning both in and out of lessons. We are extremely proud of the achievements of our students that are a result of the high expectations, students’ hard work and commitment and the supportive relationships that exist between staff, students and their parents/carers.

The pursuit of academic excellence is at the heart of the Academy. Through high expectations of behaviour, a commitment to great standards of teaching delivering a knowledge-rich curriculum, and positive working relationships with all members of the academy community, all students, regardless of their background or personal circumstances, are encouraged to achieve their academic aspirations. We believe that schools must teach powerful knowledge that takes students beyond their everyday experiences. We believe in a traditional, subject-based approach to teaching in order to create a scholarly culture that is disciplined and joyful. We want to ensure that we open doors for every students’ future and develop in them a life-long love of learning.

We are committed to developing our staff to be the very best that they can be by striving to ensure that all of our colleagues can access high-quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Our CPD programme is both department-based and in collaboration with academies within the Astrea family and external partners. Wide-ranging opportunities for professional development are available for staff at all stages of their career, including ECTs, experienced classroom teachers, middle and senior leaders and support staff.

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