St John Rigby College via Peridot Partners

Listing Details

Job title: Principal & CEO

Organisation: St John Rigby College

Location: Wigan, North West

Salary: c.£120,000

Organisation Type: Sixth Form College

Subject Area: Senior leadership, CEO, Principal

Contract Type: Full-time

Sector: Education, sixth-form, further education college

Contract Term: Permanent

Closing Date: 9 a.m. Monday 3rd February

Link to apply: https://www.peridotpartners.co.uk/jobs/principal-ceo-st-john-rigby-college/

Company Profile (Peridot Partners): https://www.peridotpartners.co.uk/

Contact email/contact recruiter: Dan Baxter | dan@peridotpartners.co.uk

Advert Copy

With a mission underpinned by its Catholic faith and supported by the Archdiocese of Liverpool, St John Rigby College, a highly successful sixth-form college seeks to appoint an innovative and inspirational leader to guide them into a bright future as they continue delivering outstanding, inclusive and aspirational education to young people in and around Wigan.

Location: Wigan, North West

About St John Rigby College

St John Rigby College (SJR) is a highly successful sixth-form college situated just 3.5 miles to the west of Wigan town centre and set within a dedicated 30-acre estate. Having formally served as a Boys’ Grammar School, SJR was established in 1972 as a co-educational sixth-form college under the trusteeship of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary two years ago, the College continues to provide high-quality post-16 provision for young people who come predominantly from Wigan and West Lancashire.

The quality of our provision and the high standards set by the organisation have recently been recognised by various inspectorates. Most recently, SJR was awarded an ‘Outstanding’ grading by the Catholic Schools Inspectorate (CSI) (Dec 2023), which was then followed by Ofsted awarding the same grade through their latest inspection (Jan 2024).

Outside of the formal rigour of inspection, on a day-to-day basis, our college is a genuinely warm, welcoming and inclusive place for both our staff and our students. Dedicated to the memory of martyr St John Rigby, the College has an underpinning ethos built upon the values of faith, courage, commitment, integrity and freedom. Collectively we are devoted to our organisational mission, to dedicate ourselves to the education and development of the whole person and supporting all students to realise their full potential.

About the role

Following the announcement of our current Principal’s plans to retire in summer 2025, St John Rigby College is looking to appoint the next leader of our organisation and support the Governing Body in achieving its ambitions of delivering an outstanding, inclusive, and aspirational education offer for young people in and around Wigan, supported by the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Our Catholic faith underpins the mission of our college, and this is a reserved post that requires the post-holder to be a practising Catholic.

As the new Principal & CEO of St John Rigby College, you will have the privilege – and as Accounting Officer, the responsibility – for the overarching success that our college will achieve in the years ahead.

You will be taking over a college which is already outstanding, but SJR is a college that doesn’t plan to stand still. We have set high standards for our students and ourselves and have high expectations for our future.

Who we are looking for

Our success over the last 15 years, has been achieved through dedication, hard work and commitment. We now seek to appoint a new Principal & CEO who can bring the same drive and aspiration to our college, leading us into the years ahead.

Our culture and ethos are the golden threads that weave their way through every aspect of our college. You will be an inspirational and visionary leader who will bring people on the next step of our journey with you.

You will work collaboratively with your team to find solutions to challenges, whether those challenges are focused on curriculum development, funding, or other such barriers, whilst bringing your sector experience and reputation as a credible, respected leader to make key decisions for the betterment of our college – and always with the best interests of our students at their centre.

We feel it is vital that our next Principal & CEO is equipped with an excellent understanding of the ingredients of an outstanding curriculum. Candidates will need to be able to demonstrate their understanding of how to develop such provision and how to lead and inspire a workforce able to deliver it.

Candidates will need to provide evidence of their financial literacy and their ability to safeguard our financial health as our Accounting Officer. Moving forward, we will need to be mindful of our ability to maintain a healthy financial position and the risks associated with doing so. With ongoing funding challenges, factors that may affect recruitment numbers, and an estate that needs to remain fit for purpose, you need to implement strategies to consistently generate surpluses so we can reinvest.

We hope to appoint an innovative and inspirational leader who can direct us towards an exciting and ambitious future for our college.

This will be a future that further improves our reputation as an outstanding organisation across the sector, continues to promote the welfare and development of our staff, whilst most importantly ensuring that our students are able to realise their hopes and dreams.

Peridot Partners and St John Rigby College are, together, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

For further information about the role and to register your interest, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners: https://www.peridotpartners.co.uk/jobs/principal-ceo-st-john-rigby-college/