Head of History

Head of History

Based at The Forest Academy -IG6 3TN

Salary: M1 to UPS3 plus TLR 2b (Outer London)

Required: September 2026

Thank you for your interest in becoming Head of History at The Forest Academy.

We are incredibly proud of our recent achievements - The Forest Academy is one of the top 25 fastest improving schools in London based on 2024 results at Key Stage 4. We now need a leader who has the knowledge and skills to help us to secure even higher outcomes for our students.

The Forest Academy is on an exciting journey, and we are looking for a leader who is committed to making a difference to the lives of our students. We are seeking to appoint a dynamic and inspirational leader who is ambitious and has a real passion for History. The successful applicant will have high expectations and will be a reflective practitioner who is always keen to develop and improve their teaching. They will appreciate their role in helping our students to have high aspirations, and they will share our belief that our students deserve an exceptional curriculum and the very best teaching. They will, like us, believe in our students.

To book a meeting with the Interim Principal, please email admin@theforestacademy.co.uk.

Ofsted, 2023, said:

· "Leaders and governors have high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)."

· "Pupils feel safe and are happy...Pupils are polite and considerate of others."

· "Staff have a positive working relationship with pupils, which reflects the school's culture of respect."

· "Leaders have designed an ambitious and well-ordered curriculum for all pupils...Teachers have strong subject knowledge and are specialists in their subjects."

· "Pupils learn in a calm environment and their attendance is high. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school."

Students enjoy studying History at The Forest Academy and department meetings are rooted in developing the expertise of our staff. The Computing department has a strong collaborative culture which makes it an exciting learning environment with staff that have a passion and drive to share excellent lessons and learning experiences with TFA students. The department works hard to enthuse our KS3 students and to prepare them for KS4 and KS5 study. We currently offer History GCSE and A level. We are looking for a leader who is eager to consolidate and build on excellent practice within our enthusiastic team.

We know that great leaders are always keen to develop and learn. We therefore work closely with our middle leaders to ensure that they are experts in curriculum development who can work creatively and thoughtfully with their teams to shape the curriculum.

We are committed to ensuring workload is manageable in all positions, and post-holders have enough additional time to carry out their responsibilities. We are a school which trusts teachers and leaders to make the right decisions for their areas of responsibility.

We are an approachable leadership team who are laser focused on ensuring that teaching and learning is always improving, and who are committed to the professional development of our staff. Staff at TFA enjoy their work because they know that they make a difference for our students each and every day. Relationships are a real strength at TFA, and staff enjoy the 'thank you's and 'good morning's that they get from our friendly and respectful students. Staff also enjoy the career progression and development opportunities available at TFA and more widely across the Trust, as we are careful to identify the leaders of tomorrow and to nurture talent. The Staff Forum helps to ensure that communication is strong between staff and the leadership team, and we are committed to ensuring that our staff do not spend time on unnecessary data entry or paperwork.

We welcome initial expressions of interest and discussions about the role. Please email admin@theforestacademy.co.uk marking the email 'FAO The Interim Principal' if you wish to book a meeting.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and expects all members of staff to share this commitment.

Enhanced DBS (with list checks) is required for this post.

The below documents must be read prior to applying for this role and will be factored into interviews:

Keeping Children Safe in Education

BMAT - Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Further information and an application form can be found at Vacancies - Beacon Academy Trust

Please forward your electronic applications to recruitment@beaconacademytrust.co.uk

Please note we reserve the right to close or extend this position depending on application numbers, therefore we would urge candidates to submit an application as soon as possible.

We are incredibly proud of our recent achievements - The Forest Academy is one of the top 25 fastest improving schools in London based on 2024 results at Key Stage 4. We now need a leader who has the knowledge and skills to help us to secure even higher outcomes for our students.

The Forest Academy is on an exciting journey, and we are looking for a leader who is committed to making a difference to the lives of our students. We are seeking to appoint a dynamic and inspirational leader who is ambitious and has a real passion for History. The successful applicant will have high expectations and will be a reflective practitioner who is always keen to develop and improve their teaching. They will appreciate their role in helping our students to have high aspirations, and they will share our belief that our students deserve an exceptional curriculum and the very best teaching. They will, like us, believe in our students.