Vice Principal
Ark Alexandra Academy, HASTINGS, East Sussex, TN34 2PGThis job expired on 18 May 2025 – see similar jobs
Start date details
September 2025
Closing date
18 May 2025 at 11:59pm
Date listed
6 May 2025
Job details
Job role
- Deputy headteacher
- Other leadership roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4
Working pattern
- Full time: 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday.
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- Ark Outside London Leadership Scale, points 21 - 25
What skills and experience we're looking for
Ideal candidates will have:
- Experience of leading, coaching and managing staff at a senior level and with a proven track record of success
- Experience of delivering life-transforming impact on the outcomes of pupils by raising teacher and leader quality across a range of departments
- Experience of leading a high achieving team of leaders within a complex school environment.
What the school offers its staff
What we offer:
- Salary higher than the national pay scales
- Twice as many training days as standard and network-wide events with Ark colleagues, held by the best minds in education
- Coaching for every teacher
- Access to the high-quality, professional development, including nationally recognised qualifications such as NPQSL and NPQH
- Opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the network.
Further information about the job
Vice Principal
Reports to: Headteacher
Start date: September 2025
Location: Hastings, East Sussex
Salary: Ark Outside London Leadership Scale, points 21 - 25 (£82,641 - £91,154 per annum)
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Closing date: 23:59 on Sunday 18 May 2025
Interview: Thursday 22 May 2025
A fantastic opportunity for an existing Vice Principal or experienced Assistant Principal to join a rapidly improving school with excellent support and an ambitious Senior Leadership Team.
Our school:
Ark Alexandra Academy is situated on the sunny south coast in Hastings, East Sussex and is the largest secondary in the Ark network. A popular school, Ark Alexandra has grown from a 10 to 12 form entry, operating on a ‘One School, Two Campus’ model, which brings with it unique opportunities for growth and development. The school is on an exciting and rapid journey of improvement under a new leadership team, which is underpinned by research and best practice.
We take a traditional and research-based approach to education with a primacy placed on cognitive science and what the best schools do. We are a no-nonsense, mobile phone free school, where staff can focus their efforts on teaching great lessons. We place a primacy on student rewards, House competitions, and extra-curricular activities including DofE (bronze to gold), Army Cadet Force and termly trips, ensuring our students develop the cultural capital they need to succeed.
The opportunity:
We are seeking an outstanding Vice Principal to realise our ambitious vision and make Ark Alexandra a world class school. You will have significant skills, drive and a proven track record of having had impact in a Secondary setting. You will understand the importance of working hard and creating a high performing team.
The exact responsibilities will depend on the skills of the successful candidate, and we are keen to hear from any strong leaders excited by the challenge of joining our school. Currently, we are looking for a leader who can demonstrate skills leading across Teaching & Learning, or Behaviour and Culture. A proven track record of impact in this area would be desirable, however, to help you gain experience in all aspects of school leadership, and preparing you for future progression, the exact role and specific responsibilities will be reviewed and agreed annually.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Assistant Principal or current Vice Principal to work in a high performing school within a successful network. This role would suit someone who has ambitions to be a Principal in the future and who is eager to have impact in all aspects of school leadership in a disadvantaged context.
As a member of the senior leadership team, you will be centrally involved in the overall leadership and management of the academy and will help to establish a school culture that maintains exceptionally high expectations for both staff and pupils. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across the network and will feed into the development of excellent practice beyond your own school.
How to apply:
To apply, please submit an application via www.arkalexandra.org/jobs/vacancies by 23:59 on Sunday 18 May 2025.
We welcome conversations about the role and visits to our school. Tours are available on 13 or 14 May 2025. If you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity or would like an informal and confidential conversation with one of the Headteachers, please contact Carol Sales, PA to the Headteachers, at c.sales@arkalexandra.org
Commitment to safeguarding
Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies.
Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Ark Alexandra Academy
- School type
- Academy, Church of England, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1431 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Ark Alexandra Academy website
- Email address
- c.sales@arkalexandra.org
We are committed to creating one of the top performing schools in the UK, right here in Hastings.
Ark Alexandra Academy is a popular secondary operating a ‘One School, Two Campus’ model since September 2024, offering unique opportunities for professional growth and development for our staff, and a more bespoke and supportive learning environment for our students.
The school is on a rapid journey of improvement, driven by a traditional, evidence-based approach and a culture of high expectations, which was reflected in a significant uplift in GCSE results for 2025. Highlights include:
• 65% of students achieved a 4+ in English and Maths
• A record 13% increase in students passing English and Maths
• Disadvantaged students and those with SEND saw an even greater pass rate in English and Maths of 16% and 17% respectively
• Indicative Progress 8 score has increased from –0.8 (2024) to +0.1 (2025), representing one of the biggest turnarounds in the UK
We uphold traditional values of discipline, courtesy and respect, and are a strict no mobile phone school, ensuring a calm and purposeful learning environment where students are ready to learn.
As part of the Ark network, Ark Alexandra Academy has access to the dedicated support of a highly successful MAT with a well-regarded CPD offer for leaders and teachers at all levels and a developing programme for support staff. In addition, the school is part of the Hastings DfE Education Investment Area giving an increased focus on the region, potential funding, and genuine opportunities for collaboration between schools.
Join us on this exciting journey to transform education in Hastings.
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