Principal

Harris Academy Beckenham, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 3SJ

24 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  Negotiable

• Closing date

  11 June 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  18 May 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Headteacher
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Key stage: Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Pay scale: Substantial & generous salary based on experience and expertise
• Additional allowances:

  Discretionary Performance Bonuses + Private Medical Cover + Harris Benefits

What skills and experience we're looking for

Harris Academy Beckenham are looking to appoint a Principal in the new academic year. We are seeking an exceptional, experienced leader with a passion for transforming lives and driving educational excellence. This is a unique opportunity to lead a school where collaboration, challenge, and the pursuit of excellence are at the heart of everything we do.

As Principal, you will be at the forefront of leading and shaping the vision for the academy, ensuring every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential. This role demands a leader who is not only driven by the desire to deliver academic success, but who also understands the importance of personal growth, wellbeing, and social mobility.

This position could suit either a current Principal/Headteacher or an experienced Deputy looking to progress into their first principalship. For first time Principals, we will provide support, coaching and individual mentoring from a highly experienced Harris Executive Principal to help you succeed in post.

We also offer a variety of CPD programmes to assist you in achieving your vision and future goals. For those thinking ahead to Executive Principalship, we can also offer you the chance to complete your NPQEL via our Harris Institute of Teaching & Leadership.

For an informal call with Rebecca Hickey, Secondary Education Director, to discuss this opportunity or to request a visit, please contact Kassy O'Keefe, Talent Acquisition Coordinator via email.

The successful applicant must have a proven track record of school improvement, and have gained successful previous experience in leading, or as part of, an SLT to transform a school and raise outcomes. We are looking for a strong communicator who can demonstrate strengths in engaging with and inspiring not just staff, but also students and parents of the local community. You will provide the leadership and management necessary to secure high quality teaching and learning to further raise standards of achievement.

We are looking for an experienced senior leader who ideally has:

• Qualified Teacher Status, Degree, Further relevant professional studies
• Relevant Further Degree or NPQH
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of current curriculum developments and how pupils learn
• Leadership in curriculum development and in monitoring and evaluation strategies
• Proven track record of raising attainment in an urban, multi-ethnic environment
• Track record of raising standards in English and Mathematics and good knowledge of raising standards in Literacy and Numeracy

What the school offers its staff

Harris Academy Beckenham is an oversubscribed, inclusive 11–18 secondary academy serving a richly diverse local community. The academy is characterised by high expectations, strong relationships, and a firm belief that every child can succeed, regardless of background or starting point.

Staff at Harris Academy Beckenham are united by a shared commitment to academic excellence, character development, and social mobility. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed to support pupils of all abilities to thrive, while a strong pastoral system ensures that wellbeing, behaviour and personal development remain central to academy life.

As part of the Harris Federation, the academy benefits from proven systems, evidence‑led approaches to school improvement, and a culture of collaboration that enables leaders and teachers to learn from best practice across a large and high‑performing network of schools.

Alongside academic excellence, we champion core values that develop the whole person: ambition, perseverance, legacy, kindness and scholarship. These are the principles that shape our community and guide our students as they prepare to become future leaders, thinkers, and changemakers.

Our Location

Harris Academy Beckenham is in the London Borough of Bromley, an area that combines strong community identity with excellent transport links into central London and across the Southeast. The academy is well connected by rail, tram and bus routes, making it easily accessible for staff travelling from across Greater London and beyond.

Beckenham itself offers a mix of urban convenience and green spaces, providing an attractive setting for both work and life outside school.

Why work for us?

Leading Harris Academy Beckenham means joining an organisation that invests deeply in its leaders. Principals within the Harris Federation are empowered to lead with autonomy while benefiting from exceptional central support, including expertise in education, finance, HR, estates, and governance.

You will have access to high‑quality leadership development through the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership, including opportunities to complete the NPQEL and to progress towards Executive Principalship for those with longer‑term ambitions. Collaboration is a defining feature of the Federation, allowing Principals to work alongside experienced peers and contribute to system‑wide improvement.

Above all, this role offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference leading a school where ambition is encouraged, success is celebrated, and education is a powerful driver of life chances.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

You will be joining a network of likeminded leaders in education and have opportunities to learn from colleagues who are some of the best school leaders in the country. We highly value and encourage all our staff to develop and reach their full potential, and you will have endless opportunities todevelopand progress your career with us.

Being a leader at Harris, you will be given the autonomy to evolve your academy's vision, values, performance, and culture, but you will never be alone, everything you do will be wrapped in support and encouragement from the wider Federation.

You will also have full access to ourrewards packagewhich includes a performance bonus, private medical cover and lots more benefits available via our schemes.

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.

As Principal, you will need to provide the leadership and management necessary to secure high quality teaching and learning to raise standards of achievement.The Principal's effective leadership will result in an academy where:

• There is a positive ethos that reflects the Academy's commitment to high achievement, effective teaching and learning, and good relationships
• Staff, governors and parents have confidence in the leadership and management of the Academy
• Staff and governors recognise their accountability for their tasks and contribute fully to the development and successful implementation of policies and practices
• The life of the Academy and the curriculum effectively promote students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare them for adult life
• Effectiveness is kept under rigorous review, and links with the wider community contribute to students' attainment and personal development
• Efficient and effective use is made of staff, accommodation and resources
• Delegated responsibilities to ensuring that finance and administration are effective, and the carefully costed development plan is focused on improving educational outcomes

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

HABE Principal (Secondary) JD (1).pdf - 325 KB (opens in new tab)

About Harris Academy Beckenham

• School type: Academies, ages 11 to 18
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 1264 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Harris Academy Beckenham website
• Email address: Kassy.OKeefe@harrisfederation.org.uk
• Phone number: 0208 253 7777
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/harris-academy-beckenham

Harris Academy Beckenham opened in September 2011, joining the highly successful Federation of Harris academies in London. The academy has specialisms in Science and Enterprise, using these to accelerate and innovate learning across all subject areas. Our students are training how to become effective and successful learners through the 4Rs (Resilience, Reflectiveness, Resourcefulness and Reciprocity), developing a growth mind-set in order to face learning challenges with optimism and confidence. Our Leadership Team is exceptional, with a strong commitment to collaboration, maintaining standards and accountability. We are oversubscribed, with a thriving student population of 1,100 from Year 7-13. Since converting, results have dramatically improved and we have secured a judgment of ‘outstanding’ from Ofsted under the new framework (July 2017).

‘The school’s culture of aspiration and ambition is clearly demonstrated in classes. Teachers are aspirational for their pupils and set high expectations for them. Pupils respond positively. They are determined to do their best and are confident about meeting ambitious targets set by their teachers.’ (OFSTED 2017)

It is our ethos of "Aspire, Discover, Achieve" that was recognised and praised in our recent inspection, and which contributed to Harris Academy Beckenham being judged as ‘outstanding’ in every category. In addition, the outstanding progress made by our students, placing us as the most successful school in Bromley (Progress 8 2016), vastly impressed the inspectors.

We have a harmonious community with excellent relationships between students and staff, and our students have a focused and mature attitude towards their academic studies.

‘Pupils’ conduct around the school is exemplary and the school is a calm and orderly environment.’ (OFSTED 2017)

Our ethos at Harris Academy Beckenham aims to create outstanding scientific learners, as we train our students in resilience, reflectiveness, resourcefulness and reciprocity. These crucial skills underpin an enterprising attitude to learning and have already had significant impact on our students’ progress. In order to equip our students with the skills required to be confident and eloquent writers, readers and speakers, our innovative WORD programme is placed at the heart of our curriculum.

Our focus on raising aspirations at every level has contributed to this excellent performance, and we intend to sustain and improve these results further year on year. Harris Academy Beckenham is an enriching, innovative and swiftly improving academy, with a brand new premises from September 2017.

Come and see us in action: visits to Harris Academy Beckenham are strongly encouraged and very welcome. Please call 0208 650 8694 or email info@harrisbeckenham.org.uk to arrange a time to come in or an informal conversation with the Principal.

Arranging a visit to Harris Academy Beckenham

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email Kassy.OKeefe@harrisfederation.org.uk.

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