Marsden Heights Community College is a secondary academy serving the local community of Brierfield and Nelson, in Burnley, Lancashire. It is a popular and vibrant 11–16 secondary school at the heart of its local community, with over 1,050 pupils on roll. Leaders have created an inclusive and caring school environment, with a strong focus on personal development and Education with Character. Students are respectful and behave well; lessons are calm and free from disruption.

With the forthcoming retirement of the Principal at the end of this academic year, we are now looking for a new leader to show the same dedication and commitment, who can take the school forward in its improvement journey. The new leader will be inheriting a school with strong foundations, a broad and ambitious curriculum, a willing and engaged staffing body, and a huge amount of potential. The values of the school are hard work, trust and fairness and this is evident within the classroom and beyond – with good behaviour, respectful relationships and pupils enjoying their learning. The next Principal needs to be committed to continuing to build this positive and inclusive culture whilst securing further improvements in academic standards.

The incoming Principal will have the commitment, determination and empathy to bring pupils, parents, staff and the wider community with them, as they strive to move the schools into its next phase of improvement, with the vision to make the Academy exceptional. They will be committed to the highest standards and expectations for all pupils, including and especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

United Learning is a big group of schools – with over 75,000 pupils and more than 10,000 staff – so we have the capacity to support you educationally and operationally. At the same time, we are values led and base all that we do on good relationships, so you will be joining a big family. Reporting directly to the Regional Director, you will be supported both personally and professionally, benefitting from the strength of a national Group who will support your development and that of your staff and school.

We are committed to fairness, diversity and inclusion. We are currently working hard to improve representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic leaders at headship level and to raise our proportion of women leaders to match their representation in our wider workforce. Whoever you are, if you have a strong track record of improving young people’s education and a drive to do more, we very much look forward to hearing from you.

We fully recommend that you take the opportunity to make an informal visit prior to making your application to see the school for yourself. Please contact Tracy Laverack at our recruitment partner Academicis. Tracy can be contacted by email tlaverack@academicis.co.uk or by phone on 07554 118 997 / 01223 907979.

All applications should be submitted via our recruitment partner Academicis. Further details can be found via www.academicis.co.uk/apply/

Please fill out the Application form here and email it to tlaverack@academicis.co.uk