Innovation Manager
Thornhill Academy, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR2 7NA25 days remaining to apply
Start date details
November 2025
Closing date
3 November 2025 at 9am
Date listed
9 October 2025
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- Grade 7, SCP 19 – 23 Actual salary £28,731.58 – £30,859.05
Additional allowances
Grade 7, SCP 19 – 23 Actual salary £28,731.58 – £30,859.05
Innovation Manager job summary
Innovation Manager
📍 Location: Thornhill Academy
💰 Salary: Grade 7, SCP 19 - 23 Actual salary £28,731.58 - £30,859.05
⏳ Contract: Permanent - 36 hours per week, Term Time plus 5 days
📅 Start Date: November 2025
About Us
At Consilium Academies, our mission is to be an excellent Trust with excellent schools. We are guided by our core values of Excellence, Equity, and Integrity, ensuring every member of our community — staff and students alike — has the opportunity to thrive and achieve their full potential.
We are proud to support our colleagues’ professional growth through our Centre for Professional Learning, which offers tailored development and career progression opportunities. At Consilium, collaboration and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do — we are one family of schools working together to enrich lives and inspire ambitions.
Thornhill Academy, part of Consilium Academies, is a vibrant and diverse 11-16 secondary school in Sunderland. With students representing over 35 languages and 14 ethnicities, our academy is a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. We take pride in our journey of rapid improvement, with our most recent Ofsted inspection (May 2024) grading us as ‘Good’.
We are now entering an exciting new chapter, with a state-of-the-art rebuild beginning in 2026, and we are looking for passionate and talented individuals to join us as we continue to grow and excel.
The Role
We are seeking a dedicated and dynamic Innovation Manager to lead our internal inclusion provision and play a vital role in supporting students who face barriers to learning.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about making a real difference to young people’s lives — helping them re-engage with learning, build confidence, and achieve success both academically and personally.
You will work closely with the Assistant Principal, SENDCO, and wider pastoral team to design and deliver innovative strategies that foster inclusion, resilience, and positive behaviour across the academy.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the internal inclusion provision, supporting students temporarily withdrawn from mainstream lessons.
- Provide targeted, intensive support to students with behavioural, social, or emotional challenges.
- Work collaboratively with teachers, parents/carers, and external agencies to create individual support and reintegration plans.
- Encourage students to understand and take responsibility for their behaviour and learning.
- Promote high standards of attendance, engagement, and personal development.
- Support the delivery of tailored learning activities within the inclusion provision.
- Monitor, review, and record progress, contributing to the cycle of plan-do-review.
- Create a calm, purposeful environment that reflects the academy’s culture and values.
About You
The ideal candidate will be an empathetic, resilient, and proactive individual who is passionate about helping young people succeed. You will be able to build positive relationships quickly and have the ability to motivate and inspire students who need additional support.
You will bring:
- 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grade C/4 or above, including English and Maths.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and organisational skills.
- An understanding of how to work effectively with young people to promote positive behaviour.
- Confidence in using ICT and maintaining accurate records.
- Experience in a similar pastoral or inclusion role (or transferable experience from another sector).
- A commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and equality.
If you are passionate about helping students overcome barriers and reach their potential — we want to hear from you.
Why Join Thornhill Academy and Consilium Academies?
- Be part of a values-driven Trust focused on staff development, wellbeing, and collaboration.
- Access high-quality, bespoke training through our Centre for Professional Learning.
- Work within a diverse, supportive, and forward-thinking school community.
- Help shape an inclusive, innovative environment where every student can thrive.
- Play a key role in a school that is on a journey of exciting growth and transformation.
Safeguarding and Equal Opportunities
Consilium Academies and Thornhill Academy are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An Enhanced DBS Check will be required for this post.
We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities.
Join Us
If you are driven to support young people to reach their full potential and are excited by the opportunity to work within a values-led Trust and a rapidly improving school, we’d love to hear from you.
For further information about the role please see attached recruitment pack including, job description and person specification.
If you have any questions about the role or would like to arrange a visit to Thornhill Academy, please contact kate.jackson@consilium-at.com
Closing date for applications is 9.00am Monday 3rd November 2025.
Interviews will take place on a date to be arranged.
Please ensure that within your application you provide the names, addresses, and contact details for two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer.
We look forward to welcoming a new team member who shares our commitment to excellence in education!
Consilium Academies is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Appointments are made subject to an Enhanced DBS Check, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants.
The Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, the Public Sector fluency duty requires state funded schools to ensure candidates for their customer facing roles have the necessary standard of spoken English.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
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.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Thornhill Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 564 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Thornhill Academy website
School location
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