Dear Applicant

We are so pleased that you are considering applying for the post of

Headteacher at Wixams Academy, a thriving, fully subscribed school at the centre of Wixams, a new town, to the south of Bedford. It’s a school that is on a rapid improvement journey. A lot of progress has been made since inspection in May 2022 when the school was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ particularly with the implementation of a rigorous centralised behaviour system and changes we have made to pupil voice across the school. The quality of education across the school is good and our outcomes in 2023 are pleasing and better than 2022 despite tougher national awarding. Pupils now behave well but this needs to be fully embedded into the school culture and ethos. Our approach to personal development is robust and was rated as Good by Ofsted in May 2022.

We are looking for a Headteacher who can build on this improvement work over the last year, but importantly can drive forward expectations and standards to so we can achieve exceptional outcomes for our pupils. It is an exciting moment for the school as the school is also expanding in size from a school with 932 pupils currently to up to 1750 pupils by 2030. There is a capital extension programme that will be completed by August 2023 with a state of the art 35 room teaching block, additional sports hall, and all-weather sports pitch.

The trust is also going through a period of change as we are currently publicly consulting on and working towards a merger with Knowledge Schools Trust to create a merged trust of 9 schools with a regional hub in the Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. This is an exciting moment for the right candidate to propel the school forwards.

Closing date: Tuesday 5th December 2023

Shortlisting date: Wednesday 6th December 2023

Interview dates: Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th December 2023