Principal
Wishmore Cross Academy, Woking, Surrey, GU24 8NEThis job expired on 28 January 2025 – see similar jobs
Start date details
September 2025 (or earlier)
Closing date
28 January 2025 at 10:02am
Date listed
7 January 2025
Job details
Job role
- Headteacher
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £82825 - £94758 per annum
Principal job summary
Salary: L21 - L27, £82,825 - £94,758 (negotiable for an exceptional candidate) plus relocation package + well-being cash plan + pension scheme (TPS) + additional Lift Schools benefits
Hours: Full time
Contract: Permanent
Start Date: September 2025 (or earlier if possible)
Lead Wishmore Cross Academy in empowering students to thrive and achieve
Wishmore Cross Academy is seeking an inspirational and dynamic leader to guide our school community toward new achievements. As an all-through SEMH school with a strong therapeutic provision, we are dedicated to providing an inclusive, nurturing environment for children with autism, ADHD, and other special educational needs.
This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Wishmore Cross Academy with the guidance and support of an experienced Executive Principal, where you will lead us through exciting changes, including the re-brand set for Spring 2025 and the planned expansion of our junior area. You will play a pivotal role in increasing our PAN to 120 over the next four years.
You will be supported, challenged, and given the autonomy to achieve our ambitious goals, as we continue to improve outcomes for our students and foster a culture of excellence. We are working closely with Surrey, the National Autistic Society, and local primary schools to ensure our students thrive both academically and personally.
This role is perfect for you if:
* You are passionate about transforming the lives of students with SEMH, autism, and ADHD.
* You have a clear vision for the future of the school and are excited to be part of a growing, ambitious community.
* You are a champion of therapeutic, inclusive education and high academic standards.
* You are a leader who thrives in a collaborative environment and is dedicated to driving meaningful change.
This is a challenging but rewarding position. As our leader, you will:
* Guide the implementation of our school's therapeutic and academic strategies, in partnership with local services and the National Autistic Society.
* Lead the ongoing rebranding and help shape the new name, uniforms, and identity for the school.
* Empower both students and staff to achieve their full potential by fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.
* Enhance the personal development provision with opportunities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, theatre trips, work experience, and access to local countryside and outdoor activities.
About Lift Schools
We are Lift Schools, a diverse and inclusive network of schools with a clear mission to provide an excellent education to every child in every classroom, every day. And we do this across each of our 57 schools.
We believe every child deserves the best education possible, regardless of background, geography or ability. We want to see them fulfil their potential - at school and beyond. To do this, we need exceptional leaders.
How you'll be supported
We believe that talent drives performance. As a leader at Lift Schools, you'll have the backing of a national network, work closely with the schools in your region, and benefit from a tailored programme designed to help you grow and succeed.
We will give you the space and agency to champion your own development, underpinned by a dedicated package for learning and development. If successful, you will receive:
* An individual development account of up to £100,000 over five years.Experiential learning, including study tours.
* High support and high challenge from a regional education director.
* One-to-one 'anytime', unlimited frequency executive coaching.
* Evidence-informed practice.
* A year-long induction programme.
* The option of a professional sabbatical after five years.
We're looking for candidates for Wishmore Cross Academy who are:
* Self aware: Those who thrive in a high challenge and high support environment, who want the space and agency to develop their leadership skills.
* Network-minded: Those who believe that the job is not done unless all schools in our network and beyond are serving their communities well.
* Intellectually curious: Those who have the confidence to work with an evidence-informed approach, with an unrelenting drive to be the best leader they can be.
Whether you're an existing or aspiring principal, if you are driven to serve young people, determined to be the best leader, and dedicated to creating lasting change for our community then we would love to hear from you.
Closing date: 29 January 2025
School based assessment day date: 10 February 2025
Interview date: 13 February 2025
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. All candidates are advised to refer to the job description and person specification before making an application.
Lift Schools are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our people and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair and consistent recruitment process which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.
Lift Schools embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and there is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Commitment to safeguarding
Prior to employment all staff (paid or voluntary) are DBS checked for their suitability to work with children and young people. For more information on the Disclosure Barring Service, please click the link below.
Once the member of staff joins our school, they complete online Safeguarding training provided by Educare and sign an online AET Code of Conduct. Refresher training is provided every academic year by either one of the safeguarding team or an outside provider.
About Wishmore Cross Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 7 to 16
- School size
- 65 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 7 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
- School website
- Wishmore Cross Academy website (opens in new tab)
Wishmore Cross is a school for boys aged 7 - 16, and all of our pupils have EHCPs (Educational Health and Care Plans) which detail their Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH).
We work as a school to understand our pupils, their diagnosed and hidden needs, educate ourselves and them around these needs; and support our pupils to find their best, stable selves so that they can function independently and achieve in the world.
Our pupils may have histories of a difficult engagement with education, and our staff team works tirelessly to build secure, key worker relationships, so that we can change our pupils’ ideas of what their schooling can and should be like.
We are a school undergoing transformation and change, and are looking forward to a site that has been completely redecorated, a site that provides for our pupils sensory, occupational therapy and mental health needs, and a site that stimulates them to engage and learn in various ways.
We also work with our Local Authority to support the speech, language and communication needs that are associated with our pupils’ SEMH needs - hoping that we will teach our children to be able to tell us how they feel, understand others’ perspectives and relearn how to manage themselves and their actions when their emotions feel overwhelming.
A fair proportion of our school body joins us at Year 6 and stays with us till Year 11, but we also take in-year admissions in partnership with our Local Authority (Surrey County Council), working to make these transitions as smooth as can be.
We look forward to building more partnerships with our parents and families, within our local community and with borough and county educational services, so that our pupils can make the most of their school years.
School location
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