Head of College (Vice Principal)

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Highly competitive + Teacher Pension Scheme + 24/7 access to a free virtual GP Service + collaborative MAT network + additional LAT benefits.

We are now recruiting for the role of Head of College (Vice Principal) for Leigh Academy Rainham; a truly exciting leadership opportunity within a very successful and financially sound, mature and geographically local multi-academy trust that combines management freedom for effective leaders with secure central support that encourages collaboration for success.

Our successful candidate will be talented and a highly motivated leader with drive and commitment to excellence as well as strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate to a range of stakeholders. You will be joining a supportive, committed and passionate team who work hard to ensure that all of our students achieve their potential. We are looking for an experienced professional who can demonstrate strategic leadership and excellent management, and a proven track record of success in raising standards.

This is an exciting time to join our leadership team. You will be expected to play a key role in continuing to shape the strategic vision for Leigh Academy Rainham whilst ensuring that our students develop their potential, achieve academic success and develop our core values. Reporting directly to the Principal, Alex Millward, the successful applicant will be a key member of the senior leadership and will have significant autonomy in leading their assigned College. They will take on key strategic leadership responsibilities across the whole academy defined by experience, expertise and interest, and provide line management for key subject areas. This post provides an outstanding career opportunity to be part of driving our academy forward and to play a critical role in the next phase of the academy's development. We invite candidates to indicate your preferred areas of leadership responsibility in your application for consideration.

We wish to hear from you if you are committed to changing our education world and are:

• an enthusiastic, energetic and ambitious leader with a successful track record at secondary level;
• a motivational and inspirational leader with high expectations of staff;
• confident and able to communicate a clear vision for the school;
• able to develop children to reach their full potential regardless of background or circumstance;
• approachable and keen to work with staff across the Trust to ensure wide success;
• able to establish and develop excellent relationships with the community and other stakeholders.

To support your application, we recommend viewing the Job Pack by clicking here, which outlines the full role responsibilities and person specification. This will guide you in preparing a strong application and understanding what we're looking for.

Applying for this Opportunity

On the basis that interested candidates may be keen to visit the academy before making a formal application, you can arrange this by contacting Stella Poulter (Office Manager) - stella.poulter@rainham.latrust.org.uk. Visits will be offered and will be hosted by the Principal, Alex Cramlington. Please ensure you offer Stella a range of dates when you are available in your initial email to ensure we can coordinate a visit that works for both you and the academy.

Candidates wishing to have an initial conversation with the Principal about this role can also arrange for a telephone call. Those wishing to do so should also contact Stella Poulter (as above) in the first instance.

Closing date: Thursday 19th March 2026 (midnight)

Shortlisting date: Friday 20th March 2026

Interview date: Wednesday 25th March 2026

If you have any queries on any aspect of the application process or need additional information, please contact Holly Neve (Talent Manager) on 01634 412 263 or holly.neve@latrust.org.uk.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity

Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about it on our Careers site. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not discriminating on any grounds.