Assistant Principal: Head of School

Thurston Community College

Thurston, Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk IP31 3PB

Tel: 01359 230885

Email: recruitment@thurstoncollege.org

Website: www.thurstoncollege.org 

Principal: Maéve Taylor BA, NPQH

Current Roll: 1480; Years 7-11: 1344; Sixth Form: 136

Permanent Role

Assistant Principal: Head of School

 Full Time

Required to start January 2025 

Leadership: L13 - L17

The Opportunity?

We seek to appoint a well-qualified, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking Assistant Principal with the ability to support the further development of a positive culture and ethos where every child is empowered and inspired to achieve excellence.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and inspirational professional to join an open minded, collegiate and forward thinking leadership team.  

Our successful candidate will be a talented and highly motivated leader with the drive and commitment to effect change for individual students and promote the highest standards for all. You will be resilient and dynamic with high expectations, a can-do attitude and the ability to inspire both staff and students.  

Passionate about pastoral support, you will lead a team dedicated to developing our culture through ensuring our students in KS4:

• Have positive attitudes to learning, behave respectfully and maintain good attendance;
• Have opportunities for personal development, underpinned by making healthy choices, becoming good citizens and being prepared to thrive in an ever changing and diverse world;
• Are successful and make good progress.

We would welcome applications from existing Assistant Principals/Assistant Headteachers wanting to further their career in a larger school, as well as those from talented and ambitious Middle Leaders looking to take step up into senior leadership.

This is a wonderful opportunity for someone who has the energy to make a difference, to join a newly formed leadership team who have the shared ambition and drive to ensure that Thurston Community College is a place where all students and staff thrive and succeed.

Who are we?

Thurston Community College is a large popular mixed comprehensive school. It comprises of two distinct and specialist sites. Our Thurston Campus, for students in Years 7 to 11 is situated four miles east of Bury St Edmunds. Thurston Sixth is located in the nearby village of Beyton, offering a bespoke campus for students in Year 12 and Year 13 to study.  

Our purpose is simple; to inspire a love of learning, empower our College community with the knowledge and skills to help them make meaningful choices and contribute positively to the world in which we live to achieve excellence in all aspects of school life.

We require a Senior Leader who has:

• A proven track record in their current role, evidenced by strong student outcomes;
• The ability to lead effectively, but also someone who is a team player;
• A strategic vision and proven ability to make things happen and effect positive change;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• High quality organisational and management skills;
• Personal qualities to inspire, motivate, support and challenge others.

In return we will provide:

• An opportunity to help shape the future of the school using your skills and talents to make our vision a reality;
• Opportunities to develop both professionally and personally;
• An experience that will develop your leadership skills and pathway to future promotion to a more senior position.

We offer the opportunity to:

• Work with a dedicated staff who work effectively together to secure positive outcomes for our students including a team who provide administrative, pastoral and wellbeing support specifically for students in Key Stage 4;
• Join a talented Senior Leadership team with a shared vision and the energy and drive to bring about change;
• Benefit from ongoing Professional Development, including NPQ courses to support this role and future career aspirations;
• Make a difference to our talented and creative students;
• Benefit from our Employee Assistance Programme;
• Enjoy a rural location with free parking and convenient transport links to Cambridge, Ipswich and London.  

If you are excited by this post, its challenges and opportunities; if you relish the prospect of joining our team of committed and excellent staff; we very much look forward to hearing from you.  Please visit our website for further information or if you would like to discuss this post further please do not hesitate to contact recruitment@thurstoncollege.org. 

Tours for prospective candidates, with the Principal or a member of the Senior Leadership Team, are available upon request.

Applications should be completed electronically and returned to recruitment@thurstoncollege.org

Deadline: Midday Monday 20 January 2025

Interviews: W/C Monday 27 January 2025

Thurston Community College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Appointment to this post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check as well as other pre-appointment checks outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2024).