School jobs › Headteachers and senior leaders
Principal
Addington Valley Academy, Croydon, London
L24-L31 £94,322 - £111,202 (Outer London Teachers Leadership Group)
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About the job
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.
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, organisational and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective partnerships.
About Addington Valley Academy
- Type of school
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Pupils
- 140 (room for 150)
- Free school meals
- 46.2% of pupils
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Address
- Fieldway, Croydon, CR0 9AZ
Last inspected by Ofsted on 25 January 2023, before report cards were introduced. Read the report
More: Headteacher and senior leader jobs · Jobs in London
Jobs from Teaching Vacancies, the Department for Education’s free job service for schools, updated every night (last on 20 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Pupil Protect doesn’t charge anyone to apply or to advertise.
School details from Get Information about Schools and Ofsted’s inspection data (as at 30 September 2026), under the Open Government Licence.
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