Job Title: Principal
Contract: Permanent
Actual Salary: L30 - L34 (£105,595 - £116,456)
Start Date: September 2026 or sooner
Are you ready to lead with purpose, inspire with vision and shape the future of Hanham Woods Academy:
Hanham Woods Academy is currently seeking an energetic and dynamic individual to join the senior leadership team as a new Principal. We are looking for someone with experience of strategic school leadership, building teams and developing staff, and planning and delivering raising attainment programmes. Applicants should be equally familiar with leading change management projects, and with innovating processes which have a tangible impact on pupil outcomes.
It is critical that the successful candidate will be adept at quickly building and nurturing positive and purposeful relationships throughout the school community with colleagues, students and families. An ability to make and justify difficult decisions is required, along with a demonstrable commitment to equality.
Our new Principal will also be committed to working closely with supportive colleagues from across the CLF and the wider education sector while upholding the highest standards of personal integrity and conduct. They will embody professionalism, honesty and loyalty in all that they do.
About Hanham Woods Academy:
Hanham Woods Academy is a secondary school located within the outskirts of Bristol and South Gloucestershire, delivering education to more than 800 pupils aged 11-16. It is one of the most improved academies in the South West, and has a growing reputation both locally and regionally.
While we appreciate the unique setting in which the academy is placed, we work hard to challenge students from a variety of backgrounds to be the best they can be in all areas of life. Our mission here is simple: we want to give people the best chance of success, underpinned by our ethos of 'Dream Big, Work Hard, Be Kind'. We want students to 'climb the mountain' in order to achieve success both academically and by developing a confident, resilient and hard-working character.
Why CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 36 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters. We particularly encourage applicants from those groups in order to represent the students we serve, as well as wider underrepresented groups including gender, transgender, age disability, sexual orientation or religion.
What we can offer you:
• Access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
• Comprehensive induction and ongoing support for career development and wellbeing.
• Sector-leading professional development entitlement and opportunities.
• Collaboration with colleagues across the trust through subject communities and specialist networks.
• Shared CLF curriculum, written and curated by trust experts, reducing individual teacher workload.
• Career enhancing and progression opportunities within the trust and through the CLF Institute.
• A collaborative culture which supports workload.
• Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
• A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
• Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking and many more!
Recruitment timeline:
Academy Tours: w/c 9 March 2026
Closing date: 23 March 2026 @ 11.59pm
Shortlisting*: 24 March 2026
Interviews**: 30 March & 1 April 2026
We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact our Senior Operations Manager Linda Hall at Hanham Woods Academy.
* We may longlist candidates and visit you at your place of work/meet with you virtually, prior to shortlisting, depending on location.
**This is a two-day process (a first full assessment day, with the final interview on day two).
How to apply:
Please complete a full application form via the Eteach website. As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs – a full education and employment history must be provided through the application form.
Please note: there is a requirement for you to include requested information within the Supporting Statement section of the application form. This information will be reviewed during short-listing, as part of your application for this role. The Supporting Statement section does not allow anything over an 8,000-character limit - this is equivalent to 2/3 pages of text in Word, depending on spacing/formatting used.
Please also note that updates regarding an application, which could include an invite to interview, will be sent to the email address used when registering an account.
As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process please let us know how we can assist.