Principal

Bedford Free School, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 9AD

15 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  1st September 2025

• Closing date

  20 February 2025 at 10am

• Date listed

  31 January 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £80,220.00 - £95,217.00 Annually (Actual) AS Leadership 20-27 £80,220-£95,217

Principal job summary

Principal

The Trustees of Advantage Schools are seeking to appoint a Principal from September 2025 for Bedford Free School. We are interested to hear from experienced school leaders with an established track record, who possess the knowledge and expertise to lead a school in line with our trust ambition of o­ffering a world-class education to pupils of all backgrounds.

The principal will be responsible for providing an excellent education for all pupils in the school. Working with the school leadership team, you will maintain an exemplary school culture and exceptionally high standards of teaching and learning.

This is a pivotal role in our school’s leadership structure; a role where you will shape our future with drive and ambition, building on the good work that is already taking place, and be a pivotal member of Advantage Schools leadership.

The successful applicant will have the chance to join a highly ambitious, successful and innovative school trust, and have the opportunity to work alongside some of the country’s most experienced, knowledgeable and committed educational leaders. We invest in and develop staff at all levels of their careers, and we know our track record of performance rests on the impact our school leaders have on delivering transformative change. If you share our vision for education and improving the life chances of young people, then we would like to hear from you.

We are looking for a pupil-focused leader who will

• lead from the front and is consistent
• be visible to the school community
• ensure the school remains an exceptional place to work and learn
• ensure high standards of achievement and behaviour
• be open, supportive and able to establish effective working relationships whilst holding people to account effectively
• build strong relationships by being approachable and getting to know pupils, families and staff
• hold colleagues and pupils to the highest expectations, across all departments
• respect subjects as disciplines and hence respects specialisms, ensuring staff are subject-specialists wherever possible
• consider the best possible research underpinning approaches to school improvement and development.

In addition, our pupils are keen for a leader to:

• ensure that problems and issues are dealt with in a timely manner
• ensure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently and fairly by all staff.

Key Duties

• Work alongside the central trust team to plan, implement and co-ordinate the vision, ethos and strategy for Bedford Free School in line with Advantage Schools
• Ensure the highest quality of education at the school
• Lead on the communications strategy for the school, building effective external relationships in the local community and with stakeholders
• Lead on recruitment and maintenance of the staffing structure for Bedford Free School
• Be an active member of the extended Advantage Schools Trust team, engaging fully with trust networking and participating and contributing to professional development.

Outcomes and Activities

• Uphold the school mission and vision statements, ensuring that any development aligns with those of the trust, setting this out in clear and effective planning documentation
• Communicate the mission and vision effectively to Bedford Free School staff, potential colleagues, families and other stakeholders
• Instill and maintain ethos and culture of high expectations in all aspects of school life
• Codify the school provision to form a lasting legacy of embedded high-quality practice
• Oversee the maintenance and development of a fully resourced, cohesive and well-structured academic knowledge-rich curriculum
• Establish and sustain effective quality assurance measures
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with the school and wider community, including parents and the local governing body
• Work in partnership with the trust, other local schools, and the local authority to ensure a positive impact of the educational standards in the area by sharing practice and successful innovation
• Work strategically to establish a sustainable, effective and value-for-money structure and allocation, including support staff, across the school
• Co-ordinate responsibilities among senior leaders and staff
• Work closely with the central trust operational and finance team to ensure robust operational systems are in place that support efficient functioning, including school finance, facilities, catering and resourcing
• Develop the school in all aspects to be world-class, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of excellence
• Undertake any other responsibilities directed by the Chief Executive Officer or Deputy Chief Executive Officer
• Oversee and be accountable for the quality of education, safeguarding and behaviour in the school
• Ensure that colleagues are offered the best research-informed professional learning

If you share our vision for education and are passionate about raising educational attainment and standards to ensure all pupils reach are educated to a high standard, you will be well placed to join our school and make a difference. Our schools are a family. You will be supported by excellent and committed peers in a forward-thinking trust.

Job specifics

Start Date: 1st September 2025

Salary: AS Leadership 20-27 £80,220-£95,217

Job Role: Full time, Permanent

The Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the deadline date

Safeguarding

We believe in the safeguarding and welfare of children and expect all staff to share this view’.

The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer.

The Department for Education (DfE) has set out statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for schools and colleges on safeguarding.

Safeguarding is defined in paragraph 4 as:

“Protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.”

The definition of 'children' includes everyone under the age of 18.

Commitment to safeguarding

Safeguarding children enrolled at the School is of paramount importance, and we are fully committed to the protection and safe care of our pupils. The successful applicant will be required to undertake appropriate checks as well as providing proof of your right to work in the UK.

Applying for the job

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

CVs are not accepted.

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.

About Bedford Free School

• School type: Free School, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary
• School size: 529 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report (opens in new tab)
• School website: Bedford Free School website (opens in new tab)
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/bedford-free-school (opens in new tab)

Set up in 2012 by local teachers and parents, Bedford Free School exists to offer families a choice in Bedford.

Bedford Free School is a unique school with a fantastic educational offer. We really do believe that our pupils can go on to achieve extraordinary things. In our young history, we have proved they can and we are now one of the highest performing secondary schools not only in the area, but in the country.

BFS is a small school of only around 500 pupils, so staff get to know each pupil as an individual and we have a family feel. This allows us to encourage, demand and collectively strive for academic and personal success.

We believe that all pupils deserve a ‘grammar-school’ style education, with access to an academic curriculum, strong discipline, high expectations and access to highly selective universities, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

School location

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