Trinity Academy, Thorne, Doncaster

Vice Principal Behaviour Standards

Trinity Academy opened in September 2005 in a brand new £24m state-of-the-art building with the aim of having a transformational effect on the communities of Thorne and Moorends. By creating a disciplined yet compassionate environment where students and staff have the opportunity to work hard and achieve their personal best, the academic standards have risen dramatically; 5+ A*-C pass rates have risen from 34% to 97%, whilst the figure including English and Mathematics has seen an increase from 19% to an average of 60%. As a result the numbers of students staying on in the Sixth Form to take Level 3 courses has grown from 77 to 250+ and the number of students going on to University has increased every year from 11 in 2006 to 70 in 2013 – tangible evidence of the impact that Trinity Academy has had on the life chances of the young people of Thorne and Moorends.

The Academy has a distinctive Christian ethos where every individual is valued, their unique gifts and abilities are recognised and where their personal, moral and spiritual development is encouraged. The ethos is articulated to students, parents and staff as a set of Core Values which everyone can relate and aspire to and which genuinely influence all aspects of school life. These Core Values of Honourable Purpose, Humility, Compassion, Integrity, Accountability, Courage and Determination are the qualities which we seek to develop in every student, and ultimately the Academy judges its success on whether students live out these Core Values and leave the Academy with these values as an integral part of their character.

The success Trinity Academy has had in achieving these goals has been recognised by OfSTED who judged us to be an “Outstanding School” in March 2011. We have also received numerous national awards from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust for being the Most Improved Academy in England & Wales (2008) and the Most Improved Academy in Yorkshire & Humberside (2008, 2009 and 2010).

In December 2013, the Academy faced huge disappointment when the Office for Standards in Education deemed that it was necessary to place the school in ‘Special Measures’. While, over the last three years the Academy’s attainment figures have remained consistent, the current emphasis on progress places it below the national average for Mathematics, and in many of the EBacc subjects the achievement of students is not yet good. It was acknowledged in the inspection that the day to day running of the Academy is very smooth and that students are polite and courteous. However, achievement is not yet what it should be, and therefore, leadership and teaching quality have also been called into question. The Academy now seeks to act urgently upon the Ofsted recommendations and as such seeks an outstanding Vice Principal Academic who can be part of this exciting opportunity to take Trinity Academy on to the next level of achievement.

Trinity Academy is part of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation and is the sister school to Emmanuel College (Gateshead), The King’s Academy (Middlesbrough) and Bede Academy (Blyth).

Vice Principal Behaviour Standards– Main Responsibilities

The Vice Principal Behaviour Standardsis part of the Strategic Leadership Team which, chaired by the Principal, is responsible to the Board of Governors for:

  • Ensuring that the ethos underpinning all that the Academy stands for is founded upon strong and consistent principles in relation to:
  • Christian values;
  • the fullest possible support of students’ individual learning needs
  • Recommending the focus and detail for the annual Development Plan to the Board of Directors and, once approved, to implement, monitor and evaluate its delivery;
  • Identifying and addressing emerging issues including causes for concern amongst the student body;
  • Ensuring appropriate delegation so that all day-to-day responsibilities are being met.

Individually, the Vice Principal Behaviour Standards is responsible to the Principal for:

  • The promotion of Christian values in the leadership of the Pastoral care and discipline systems;
  • The highest quality of academic, physical and personal development of all students in the Academy delegated as appropriate through the relevant Assistant Vice Principal and Pastoral Heads;
  • Ensuring the highest standard of attendance and behaviour within the school through a rigorous system of behaviour management;
  • Any fixed term exclusions and recommendations to the Principal relating to any permanent exclusions;
  • The oversight and process of in year and September Admissions for all year groups;
  • The planning, monitoring, staffing, and training of the duty teams throughout the Academy;
  • Ensuring that there is an extra curriculum programme of activities for students, renewed each term;
  • The direction and work of the Assistant Vice Principal (Pastoral);
  • The line management of a number of departments, this includes :
  • Appraisal of staff within the departments concerned
  • Observe teachers and supply one lesson observation and feedback per year
  • Support HoD in the Departmental Development Plan process
  • Meet with HoD on a monthly basis to monitor departmental progress towards targets
  • Support HoD in the Audit Process
  • Be present at relevant Post Examination Analysis meetings
  • Carry out book monitoring with HoD
  • Line management of Department Health and Safety
  • Overseeing and pioneering all initiatives in respect of Outdoor, Residential and Overseas Education;
  • Leadership and oversight of Kings House (RED);
  • Senior member of staff responsible for Fire Safety in the Academy and the evacuation of the Academy in the event of a fire;
  • Appraisal of a number of designated staff;
  • The leading of assemblies as required;
  • Any other duties as required by the Principal, including an appropriate amount of classroom teaching.