Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust
Principal
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Principal - Addington Valley Academy
Salary: L24-L31 £94,322 - £111,202 (Outer London Teachers Leadership Group)
Location: Addington Valley Academy, Field Way, New Addington, CR0 9AZ
Are you looking for somewhere truly special to work? A place where you can help make special happen every day for students with autism and severe learning difficulties? Addington Valley Academy is a special free school in Croydon for children and young people from 4 to 19 with autism and complex learning needs. Since opening, we have grown into a vibrant community, offering places for students with a wide range of social communication, cognitive, sensory, emotional, and behavioural needs.
The new purpose-designed school is equipped to meet the needs of students and includes sensory gardens, indoor sensory rooms, a soft-play area, and a large cookery room along with other facilities to encourage students to learn skills to live independently. Students access specialist support enabling them to learn and achieve in a nurturing and aspirational environment.
At Addington Valley Academy, special happens through the passion of our staff, the progress of our students, and the shared commitment to creating the best possible outcomes for every learner. It’s a rewarding, inspiring place to work – where your dedication can truly make a difference.
We are looking for an experienced, ambitious and values-driven educational leader to become our next Principal. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a dedicated team, shape the future direction of the school, and make a lasting difference to the lives of learners with autism and complex needs.
The successful candidate will combine strategic vision with operational excellence, driving high standards across education, safeguarding, staff development, and school improvement while championing an inclusive culture where every learner can thrive.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide strategic leadership to drive outstanding outcomes for learners and continuous school improvement.
- Lead and develop a high-performing staff team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and professional growth.
- Ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, wellbeing, inclusion, and SEND provision across the school.
- Oversee the effective management of resources, staffing, and budgets to deliver sustainable success.
- Build strong relationships with families, governors, external agencies, and Trust leaders to support positive outcomes for learners.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Key Requirements:
- Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and substantial senior leadership experience within education.
- Proven experience of leading improvement and raising outcomes for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
- Strong knowledge of safeguarding, SEND legislation, and inclusive educational practice.
- Demonstrable ability to lead, motivate, and develop staff while maintaining high expectations and standards.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective partnerships.
Rewards & Benefits:
- Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
- Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
- Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme, Employee Car Lease Scheme, and Home Electronics Scheme).
- Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme, and Free Virtual GP Appointments.
- Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more).
- Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme).
About Our Trust:
Addington Valley Academy is part of Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust. We are a family of specialist education providers from pre-school through to further education across London, Surrey, Sussex, and Berkshire and fully represent all designations of special education needs and disabilities (SEND). To find out more about us, and what makes us a special place to work, please visit our website.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff, and partners.
Working together to transform lives is what we do, and across the whole organization, we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential.
As a large specialist education provider, we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college, and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities.
It is an exciting time to be part of OHCAT, and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realizing our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment.
Closing Date:
1st November 2026
Interviews:
The 10th & 13th November 2026
To help us manage applications effectively, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient suitable applications are received.
Safeguarding Statement
Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Appointments made will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013, and 2020. Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace for all.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Location