Heads of Sixth Form - Bedford and Corby

The Bedford College Group is committed to helping individuals, communities and society flourish through education by raising aspirations and reducing inequality to create a sustainable future. The seventh largest college group in the country, with an income of just over £90 million, the college has over 18,000 learners and 2000 staff.

The college is now looking to appoint two exceptional Heads of Sixth Form to lead The Bedford Sixth Form and The Corby Sixth Form.  We are looking for individuals with the energy, ambition, and drive to deliver an outstanding offer of academic excellence. The successful individuals will be skilled leaders of people and be able to evidence they have had significant and demonstrable impact in supporting young people in realising their post 18 aspirations. The new Heads of Sixth Form will work in conjunction to provide strong, positive and inspirational leadership across the A Level offer.  

In these vital posts, you will provide leadership and management of the sixth forms ensuring all students have a high-quality learning experience via an outstanding provision.  You will also determine the overall direction and strategic purpose of the sixth forms by implementing innovative curriculum initiatives in collaboration with external stakeholders to ensure relevance of offer. 

Reporting directly to the Executive Head of Sixth Forms, our successful candidates will demonstrate a track record of excellence in teaching, delivering strong outcomes and leading on curriculum. We are open about the type of education institute that you come from, be it school, sixth form college or GFE college, and we are also flexible and encourage candidates stepping up into the roles, as long as relevant knowledge, passion and the ability to have a positive impact can be evidenced. 

This is an exceptional opportunity for experienced leaders, to work with a committed leadership team to drive forward plans for the next stages of our journey. If you share our vision to excel in all that we do and you have the drive and enthusiasm to create something special then The Bedford College Group is the place for you to progress your career. 

Closing date: Sunday 2 February 2025  

First stage Interviews via Teams: Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 February 2025

Final Interviews: Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 February 2025

To apply for the role, please do so via this website: Heads of Sixth Form - Bedford and Corby | Association of Colleges

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

·       Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.

·       Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.

·       Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.

·       Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.

·       Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.

·       Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions. 

About The Bedford Sixth Form 

The Bedford Sixth Form helps students to achieve their career aspirations through high academic success. We strive to offer a sixth form experience that’s different to school and one that will make our students stand out from the crowd.

Our excellent teachers are not only subject specialists but experts in teaching 16-19 year olds, so you will benefit from their focused knowledge and experience. What’s more, our beautiful period building offers you a legacy of excellent education combined with the latest facilities. 

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year. 

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.