Assistant Principal

Academy: Queensway Academy

Category: Teaching

Start Date: April 2026

Closing Date: Tue, Nov 25, 2025

Job Weeks: All Year Round

Hours: 32.5 hours per week

Type: Permanent, Full Time

Job Reference: NOV

Salary: Leadership Pay Scale Points 3-5 (£54,394 - £57,137 per annum)

Start Date: April 2026

We are seeking an exceptional leader to join our ambitious and highly collaborative Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Principal at Queensway Infant Academy and Queensway Junior School.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a school that is firmly on a path of rapid improvement. We are committed to raising standards and delivering an excellent education for every child, and we are looking for a leader who shares our passion and drive to make a lasting impact.

The successful candidate will be inspired by our vision: to nurture resilient, independent learners who are confident, creative, and valued. Our children benefit from a rich curriculum and a wide range of experiences beyond the classroom, helping them to thrive both academically and personally.

You will be joining a supportive and forward-thinking environment where your professional growth is a priority. We offer:

A personalised CPD programme tailored to your development

A structured and well-regarded induction process

Opportunities to shape and influence whole-school improvement

A culture of collaboration and shared ambition

If you are ready to take the next step in your leadership journey and help shape the future of our school, we would love to hear from you.

Before applying, please read the attached Recruitment Pack and Job Description, for more details about the role. We ask that you read this pack carefully, especially the "Planning your application" section from page 11. This will support your application ensuring you have the opportunity to tell us about your relevant skills, experience and qualifications that relate to the job description and person specification in addition to details of your references covering the last 5 years.

The main responsibility of this role will be:

Leading on ensuring the highest possible educational standards.

Creating a culture of exceptional teaching and an environment that nurtures development.

Supporting ECTs on their journey to becoming exceptional practitioners.

Leading professional development, making teaching and learning the key driver of improvement.

Developing and leading programmes for support staff to ensure every adult is an exceptional educator.

Being a role model for other staff as a brilliant practitioner, coach and mentor.

The ideal candidate will have:

An appropriate degree and Qualified Teacher Status

A very strong track record of impact and high performance, ideally against whole school priorities

Experience of effective middle leadership

Strong classroom teacher and primary experience

Good stakeholder engagement and management experience, including pupils, parents/carers and staff

Experience leading, motivating and supporting staff to achieve high standards

The statutory requirements concerning Equal Opportunities, Health & Safety, SEND and Child Protection

Queensway Infant and Junior Academies cater for children from Reception to Year 6 across the campus and are committed to raising standards and delivering an excellent education for every child.

The schools provide a safe and secure environment, both indoors and outdoors, where children can explore and learn through a wide variety of stimulating play experiences. With high aspirations for every child, we deliver a carefully sequenced academic curriculum that supports excellent learning and progress. Alongside this, our comprehensive pastoral and SEND support ensures that all children receive a high-quality education, enjoy their time at school, and achieve their full potential.

We also value the whole-school experience, offering a wide range of extracurricular activities, from sports to debating and musical opportunities. Queensway Academies are an exceptional place where pupils can build the foundation blocks for a successful future.

We are part of the Inspiration Trust, twice ranked as the country's top family of comprehensive schools for pupil progress, and strongly believe in the importance of giving the widest educational opportunities to all young people, regardless of their background. We have strong networks across the Trust, with opportunities to work with a diverse range of schools and partners. We are committed to offering excellent professional and learning opportunities for our staff, with a busy programme of continuing professional development courses delivered by some of the country's best educational thinkers and practitioners.

The Inspiration Trust is a Multi Academy Trust, committed to delivering the very best educational experience for the young people of Norfolk and Suffolk, across 17 schools. We are ambitious for our schools and communities and want to create Britain's highest performing federation of 3-19 schools and transform education in the East. Inspiration Trust specialises in transforming schools in disadvantaged areas and taking academies from failing to outstanding.

For information on what it is like to live and work in Thetford, click here.

Queensway Academies joined the Inspiration Trust family in May 2023. The school has not had an Ofsted Inspection since joining the trust.

When you join Inspiration Trust's thriving network of talented teachers, leaders and support staff, you join an organisation that supports you to be the best you can be. The Trust offers a varied professional development programme for employees.

We are committed to offering excellent professional opportunities for our staff, through careful support and personalised CPD. We offer a structured and specific induction programme.

The Trust also offers:

Generous holiday entitlement

Teachers' Pension Schemes with generous employer contributions

Health Plan and Employee Assistance Programme giving access to a range of services including claim back costs for Eye Care and prescriptions and access to 24/7 virtual GP Service and mental health support (Terms and conditions and restrictions apply).

Cycle-to-work scheme

Retail Benefits offering discounts with many shops and suppliers

Corporate membership of the Norwich Theatre Royal

Salary sacrifice schemes, including home technology, smartphones and healthcare plans, including Dental insurance and Gym membership discounts (Terms and conditions and restrictions apply).

Free Parking (on most sites)

• Some benefits are only available following successfully passing probation

If you would like to know more about this exciting opportunity, then please contact Kate Sparrow, PA to Principal ).

To apply for this role please click the Apply button to complete the online application form.

Closing date for applications: 12pm on Tuesday 25th November 2025

Interview date: Thursday 11th December 2025

Inspiration Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All staff appointments are subject to satisfactory references and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks. We are an equal opportunities employer.

When you start your application, you will receive several emails from our application provider, Vacancy Filler. Please be aware that some email providers may mistakenly mark these messages as spam. To avoid missing important updates, we recommend checking your spam or junk folders regularly throughout the application process and marking these emails as safe.