The posting
Principal
Contract: Permanent
Actual Salary: L20 - L24 (£82,654 - £91,158)
Start Date: January 2027 or at the earliest opportunity thereafter
Your opportunity to lead a specialist SEMH provision where every member of staff is proud to support students in developing a strong sense of self, a sense of place and a sense of community.
Cabot Learning Federation is seeking to appoint an inspirational and dedicated individual to lead Lime Hills Academy, a happy and welcoming school filled with wonderful students and committed staff. This exciting opportunity offers the successful candidate the chance to work alongside other specialist and alternative provision leaders to ensure that children with an EHCP are supported to achieve their full potential, ‘level up’ their educational outcomes and remain fully engaged in their learning through specialist facilities and carefully designed learning programmes.
Lime Hills Academy is a truly special place that has continued to evolve and develop over the past four years. As we look towards the future, we are seeking to appoint a new Principal who will build on this strong foundation and continue to drive the Academy forward, with inclusive excellence at the heart of everything we do. The successful candidate will lead and inspire a fantastic team of dedicated staff, while benefiting from the support and expertise of an Executive Principal.
All of our students have an EHCP with a primary designation of SEMH, and we take our responsibility for every young person entrusted to us extremely seriously. We are committed to creating an environment where every student feels valued, understood and supported. Our staff are nurturing, trauma-informed and committed to maintaining the highest expectations for every student, regardless of their starting point.
Still a relatively new school, Lime Hills Academy offers an exciting opportunity for the new Principal to make a lasting impact and truly put their own stamp on the Academy. We are looking for a leader who can build on our achievements to date, inspire our staff and students, and lead Lime Hills confidently into its next phase of development and excellence.
Full details of the role and requirements, including the job description and person specification, can be found in the attached candidate information pack.
Why CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 37 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:
KEY DATES
*School tours: w/c 21st & 28th Sept 2026
Closing date: 5th October 2026 at 11:59pm
Shortlisting: 6th October 2026
**Interviews: 13th & 20th October 2025
*We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact the academy/site directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
**This is a two-day process (a first full assessment day, with the final interview on day two).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.
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 on page 24 of the Candidate Information Pack 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. The application form will highlight how many characters you have used/if you reach the limit.
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.
