Vice Principal

Working With Us

The vision of Harris Academy Clapham is a simple one. From our opening in September 2020, our academy is a place where ‘everything is possible’.

The Clapham curriculum is designed to meet the needs, aspirations and abilities of every one of our students. Our aim is to improve their life chances and enable them to make a positive contribution to the city and world in which they live.

At Harris Clapham, the curriculum is delivered through high-quality teaching. This is codified in our research-informed approach to pedagogy, which we call the Clapham Way. The following principles apply in our curriculum:

• Subject specific knowledge and skills come first
• Embedding and building on the basics – ensuring that every student acquires the vocabulary, literacy and numeracy skills to enable them to fully participate in society
• The curriculum must be rigorous and relevant by engaging with the best of what has been thought and said and acknowledging that knowledge is fluid and can be contested
• The curriculum must prepare for life in modern Britain and beyond, and enable Clapham students to understand their rights and fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act.

Through the Clapham academic, enrichment and pastoral curriculum we expect our students to develop powerful knowledge and the following values and character attributes that will enable them to achieve our vision that ‘Everything is Possible’.

Endeavour for excellence

• Learning to work hard and relish challenge.
• Learning to never give up.
• Learning to take sensible risks.
• Learning to always strive for the best for themselves and each other.

Integrity and honesty:

• Always acting with kindness.
• Treating others the way they would like to be treated.

Self-belief with a global view:

• Growing to have the agency to achieve their ambitions for themselves and the wider world.

Our staff are supported in their work and in developing their future careers via:

• A centralised behaviour system, with each year group supported by non-teaching pastoral leaders
• A programme of instructional coaching, supported by the Step Lab platform
• Access to a wide range of National Professional Qualifications delivered by the Institute of Teaching
• Federation subject consultant support

Harris Federation professional development training days and networking support.

Main Areas of Responsibility

We are happy to negotiate individual responsibilities with you, but these could involve:

• Overseeing the strategic management of data, assessment and target setting (including reporting achievement data to governors and external bodies as required), working with the Principal to set challenging and aspirational whole academy targets.
• Leading on teaching, learning and assessment across the academy, providing the necessary Professional Learning opportunities to ensure the highest of standards are maintained in the classroom and in student outcomes.
• Leading on effective behaviour and inclusion, ensuring that the needs of all students are met within and beyond the classroom.

As a member of the Academy Leadership Group, you will need to meet these general expectations:

• To collaborate to build and realise the shared vision of excellence and high standards
• To play a major role in determining strategy
• To contribute actively towards the formulation and implementation of all academy policies and procedures
• To agree challenging subject targets, and ensure rigorous monitoring, evaluation and review of progress towards these 
• To ensure high quality teaching and learning in line managed faculties
• To manage delegated budgets effectively
• To attend academy leadership meetings
• To engage in the process of appointing new staff
• To participate in duties lunch/break/before and after school
• To contribute to assemblies
• To share in the management of student disciplinary incidents
• To actively participate in the monitoring, evaluation and review of teaching and learning in line managed faculties

What We are Looking For

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• QTS and a good undergraduate degree (or equivalent)
• Minimum of three years' experience at senior leadership level, at least once as a deputy/ Vice Principal
• Experience of delivering high quality INSET to teaching staff
• Proven success in raising achievement as a subject leader across at least two key stages
• Evidence of leading, supporting and managing others, both individuals and teams, ensuring high quality performance
• Successful experience of processes of monitoring, evaluation and review
• Good level of ICT skills and experience of how new technologies can be used to raise achievement
• Recent experience of involvement in innovative curriculum development
• Experience of presenting to a wide audience
• Ideas of how Language, Literacy and Numeracy can be used across the curriculum to raise standards
• Experience of embedding innovative strategies for improving teaching and learning in a whole school situation
• Experience of managing and implementing change successfully at whole school level
• Experience of using coaching as a model for ensuring on going professional development particularly with subject leaders

Applying for this Position

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.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.