Aspiring Principals Programme - Vice Principal

What skills and experience we're looking for

Star Aspiring Principals Programme

The Aspiring Principals Programme forms part of Star Academies’ new Talent Strategy which focuses on harnessing and nurturing talent and accelerating professional growth, through a range of mechanisms.

We are currently recruiting to the programme and are seeking to employ a Vice Principal in Star’s first Christian faith school - King Solomon Academy (secondary phase) with a view to fast tracking them into the role of Principal, in a Star school, within three years.

Our programme responds to research into what effective headteachers, who took a fast-track route, found most useful and contributed to their success.

Evidence indicates that high quality support for leadership development, combining experiential, collaborative and formal learning, is an imperative. Most importantly:

• having in-school opportunities to take on a breadth of leadership roles and specific whole school responsibilities, including high stakes accountability
• leadership coaching provided highly effective school principal
• opportunities to discuss the impact their leadership actions on pupil outcomes and to problem solve with peers
• engagement in formal learning
• activities to build a professional identity and credibility as a leader
• securing expertise in leading the improvement teaching and learning, at scale

What you will get

Across the three years, working as a Vice Principal in a Star school, you’ll receive:

• a programme of leadership responsibilities, matched to your talents and identified gaps, to enable both professional growth and opportunities to demonstrate your impact on pupil outcomes
• regular leadership coaching from the principal of an outstanding Star school
• the opportunity to complete any National Institute of Teaching National Professional Qualification that matches your aspirations and development needs
• an annual bursary to spend on professional development or qualifications of your own choosing
• access to mentors in other Star schools according to need
• the opportunity to act as a Star Leadership Excellence Fellow, providing support for other schools
• visits to exemplary schools across England

On demonstrating your impact as a Vice Principal you will be appointed, as Principal, to a Star school.

Who we’re looking for

We are seeking experienced senior leaders in secondary schools, who have the capability to become a principal within 3 years.

• have the potential, commitment and track record to become a school principal
• have qualified teaching status or qualified teacher learning and skills status
• have senior leadership experience in the last 4 years such as deputy or assistant head/principal in a secondary school
• be able to demonstrate the impact you’ve had across a school
• be open to working in a school in a challenging context

What the school offers its staff

Star King Solomon Academy is an all-through Christian faith school for 4 to 16 year olds in central Birmingham. In addition to serving Christian children and families, the school welcomes children of all faiths and beliefs. We joined Star Academies in 2024 and, like all Star schools, we have a leadership specialism.

Our pursuit of educational excellence is based upon our fundamental belief that every pupil has the capacity to become a successful and inspirational leader.

Commitment to safeguarding

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.