Vice Principal

Working With Us

Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich opened in September 2009 and is part of the Outstanding Harris Federation. Our vision is clear: nothing is impossible, and everything is possible, irrespective of personal characteristics or background. Every problem has a solution. We believe we are more robust, resilient and determined as a team than as a group of individuals. We support, challenge and hold each other to account at all levels within the academy to ensure that our students achieve their potential, are motivated, engaged and fully prepared for life beyond our academy. The academy’s specialisms are Enterprise and Sport with a ‘can-do’ ethos of always improving upon your personal best. The Academy will accommodate 750 boys when full. Harris Boys' benefits from a state-of-the-art purpose-built building with the very latest facilities and equipment. The Academy offers a co-educational Post 16 with the nearby Harris Girls' Academy, together comprising capacity for 400 Sixth Formers. Harris Boys was judged to be an outstanding school by Ofsted in November 2023.

Academy Ethos 

We encourage our students to be critical thinkers and promote these skills throughout the curriculum. A student at Harris Boys' Academy will learn how to engage critically with foreign affairs, religion and society, issues of citizenship and the media, so they acquire the skills, and recognise the value of, thinking for yourself and thinking in a well-reasoned manner. 

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.