Are you passionate about making a real difference to the lives of young people, especially those who need it most?
Are you ready to take the next bold step in your leadership journey?
Do you thrive on the challenge and reward of working in communities where your impact truly matters?
If so, we’d love to hear from you.
Chellaston Academy is seeking an exceptional Headteacher to lead our large, inclusive, and ambitious school community. With over 1,800 students from years 7-13 and 200 members of staff, Chellaston Academy is a place where every child and staff member is inspired to realise their potential, through the values of Integrity, Care and Excellence.
Who We’re Looking For
We’re seeking a Headteacher who:
- Demonstrates integrity and care in all aspects of leadership, consistently striving for excellence.
- Is prepared to embrace the challenges and rewards of leading a large, high-profile, and oversubscribed school.
- Sets and sustains high standards every day, ensuring that outstanding practice and academic success become the norm across all areas.
- Is driven by a commitment to meet the needs of every child, particularly those who are most disadvantaged and those with SEND.
- Values and celebrates a child’s personal development as highly as their academic achievement.
- Possesses the leadership skills to unite a diverse and wide-ranging staff team, ensuring every member feels valued and supported.
- Champions collaboration and is eager to work closely with the Trust and the wider school community.
Why Us?
You’ll be joining us at a very exciting time. In January 2026, two strong Trusts, QEGSMAT and Djanogly Learning Trust, came together to form Tapestry Learning Partnership. This new chapter brings incredible opportunities for collaboration and growth.
Tapestry’s vision is for every child to succeed and flourish by providing an exceptional educational experience. We believe in the power of education to transform lives and are proud of our strong sense of community, our commitment to inclusion, and our culture of high expectations.
We’re looking for a leader who shares our values and is ready to build on the progress we’ve made.
As part of Tapestry Learning Partnership, you’ll benefit from:
- A supportive network of like-minded professionals who share a clear vision and values.
- High-quality, ongoing professional development for you and your team.
- A passionate, committed wider team focused on:
- Achieving the highest academic outcomes for all pupils.
- Driving social change through education.
- Providing exceptional pastoral care and enrichment opportunities.
- Bespoke support from the Trust’s central team, tailored to your school’s needs.
- Access to a range of employee benefits designed to promote health and wellbeing.
This is a fantastic opportunity to make a lasting impact in a school that is excited about its future.
PURPOSE OF THE POST:
Purpose:
- Provide strategic leadership and vision that ensures the school delivers an exceptional educational experience, where all pupils can flourish and succeed.
- Create and sustain an ambitious, safe, and inclusive culture where teaching, learning, and the personal development of all stakeholders can thrive.
- Lead and inspire staff to achieve excellence through effective management, professional development, and collaborative working.
- Ensure the school meets and exceeds statutory requirements, regulatory standards, and local/national accountability measures.
- Build strong, proactive relationships with students, parents, governors, staff, and the wider community to promote trust, engagement, and shared purpose.
Main Duties
1, School Culture
- Establish and sustain the school’s ethos and strategic direction in partnership with the Trust, and through consultation with local governors and the school community
- Create a culture where pupils experience a positive and enriching school life
- Uphold ambitious educational standards which prepare pupils from all backgrounds for their next phase of education and life
- Promote positive and respectful relationships across the school community and a safe, orderly and inclusive environment
- Ensure a culture of high staff professionalism
2, Teaching
- Establish and sustain high-quality, expert teaching across all subjects and phases, built on an evidence-informed understanding of effective teaching and how pupils learn
- Ensure teaching is underpinned by high levels of subject expertise and approaches which respect the distinct nature of subject disciplines or specialist domains
- Ensure effective use is made of formative assessment
3, Curriculum and Assessment
- Ensure a broad, structured and coherent curriculum entitlement which sets out the knowledge, skills and values that will be taught
- Establish effective curricular leadership, developing subject leaders with high levels of relevant expertise with access to professional networks and communities
- Ensure all pupils are taught to read through the provision of evidence-informed approaches to reading, particularly the use of systematic synthetic phonics in schools that teach early reading
- Ensure valid, reliable and proportionate approaches are used when assessing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum
4, Behaviour
- Establish and sustain high expectations of behaviour for all pupils, built upon relationships, rules and routines, which are understood clearly by all staff and pupils
- Ensure high standards of pupil behaviour and courteous conduct in accordance with the school’s behaviour policy
- Implement consistent, fair and respectful approaches to managing behaviour
- Ensure that adults within the school model and teach the behaviour of a good citizen
5, Additional and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- Ensure the school holds ambitious expectations for all pupils with additional and special educational needs and disabilities
- Establish and sustain a culture and practices that enable pupils to access the curriculum and learn effectively
- Ensure the school works effectively in partnership with parents, carers and professionals, to identify the additional needs and special educational needs and disabilities of pupils, providing support and adaptation where appropriate
- Ensure the school fulfils its statutory duties with regard to the SEND code of practice
6, Professional Development
- Ensure staff have access to high-quality, sustained professional development opportunities, aligned to balance the priorities of whole-school improvement, team and individual needs
- Prioritise the professional development of staff, ensuring effective planning, delivery and evaluation which is consistent with the approaches laid out in the standard for teachers’ professional development
- Ensure that professional development opportunities draw on expert provision from beyond the school, as well as within it, including nationally recognised career and professional frameworks and programmes to build capacity and support succession planning
7, Organisational Management
- Ensure the protection and safety of pupils and staff through effective approaches to safeguarding and health and safety, as part of the duty of care
- Prioritise and allocate financial resources appropriately, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and probity in the use of public funds
- Ensure staff are deployed and managed well with due attention paid to workload
- Establish and oversee systems, processes and policies that enable the school to operate effectively and efficiently
- Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk
8, Continuous School Improvement
- Make use of effective and proportional processes of evaluation to identify and analyse complex or persistent problems and barriers which limit school effectiveness, and identify priority areas for improvement
- Develop appropriate evidence-informed strategies for improvement as part of well-targeted plans which are realistic, timely, appropriately sequenced and suited to the school’s context
- Ensure careful and effective implementation of improvement strategies, which lead to sustained school improvement over time
9, Working in Partnership
- Forge constructive relationships beyond the school, working in partnership with parents, carers and the local and wider community
- Commit their school to work successfully with other schools and organisations in a climate of mutual challenge and support
- Establish and maintain working relationships with fellow professionals and colleagues across other public services to improve educational outcomes for all pupils
10, Governance and Accountability
- Understand and welcome effective governance, upholding the obligation to give account and accept responsibility
- Establish and sustain professional working relationship with those responsible for governance
- Ensure staff know and understand their professional responsibilities and are held to account effectively
- Ensure the school effectively and efficiently operates within the required regulatory frameworks and meets all statutory duties