Director of Learning

What skills and experience we're looking for

The Governors of Acland Burghley School are seeking to appoint one or more additional Directors of Learning to join our established and highly successful senior leadership team. We are a popular, oversubscribed school with a confident and compelling plan for the future. We strongly welcome the exciting challenges posed by the education white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, which aligns very closely with the goals of our strategic plan.

At a time of significant change in the national educational landscape, we are looking to recruit a senior leader with the skills to help drive our school forward to the next stage of its development. Successful candidate(s) will be likely to be senior middle leaders of some experience who are able to evidence the impact that they have made on student outcomes over time, or an existing senior leader attracted by the chance to develop their career in an inclusive, mixed, community comprehensive school which places inclusion and creativity at the heart of its vision. They will have a desire to progress beyond their current post, and will be well placed to support us to drive up academic standards, especially amongst children facing disadvantage and those with SEND.

Directors of Learning in our school are highly effective classroom practitioners, who prioritise the leadership of learning. Roles are re-assessed in September each year, to meet service needs. Postholders will gain a wide range of experience in the role, developing the broad set of skills which will equip them to take the next step in their career within 5 years. This vacancy has arisen due to the promotion of the current postholder (appointed in September 2020) to a Deputy Headship in another London school.

In the run-up to the next Ofsted inspection, expected by October 2027, it is likely that the postholder(s) will be responsible for delivery of key areas of our plan, Creating Excellence Together, and in the further development of practice and self-evaluation around current development priorities. Candidates will need to demonstrate their thinking and creativity on how we secure continued improvement in results at GCSE and KS5, including their approaches to closing the gaps, inclusion and additional needs. Our future success depends on our ability to put in place high quality staff training and development: all candidates will need to demonstrate excellence in this regard.

Applications will be welcomed from any teacher and leader who feels that they meet the following criteria:

• An outstanding classroom practitioner with a deep commitment to inclusion and ensuring that every child reaches his or her potential;
• Clear knowledge and understanding of how school improvement mechanisms can make rapid impact on standards;

• A compelling vision for ensuring that academic excellence, creativity and personal growth are central to each child’s experience;
• Belief in every child’s entitlement to an excellent education which drives you to ensure that no child is left behind;
• Excellent team working skills, and the aptitude and adaptability to join a thriving and well-established team;
• Ability to articulate a clear vision for Creating Excellence Together in our context.

Situated close to Hampstead Heath in the heart of North London, Acland Burghley is a mixed, inclusive, community comprehensive school that enjoys high levels of parental support and a close collaborative relationship with other local schools. We are part of the popular and highly successful LaSWAP post-16 consortium with Parliament Hill, La Sainte Union and William Ellis Schools. We work closely with our orchestra in residence, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, to provide an outstanding curriculum offer for our students, including extensive work-related opportunities. We are a founder member of Camden Learning.

Above all, applicants for the post should demonstrate an uncompromising belief in the potential of every student, and the skills to build the capacity of staff at the school so that every child succeeds.

If you share our passion for ensuring high standards for all, and have the ambition to continue to transform provision for young people in our school, we would very much like to hear from you.

Your application form will form a central part of the process. In the statement, please outline how your career to date has prepared you for the challenges of this new role, and how you think that promotion into this role will deliver success for the children of Acland Burghley School.

Colleagues considering making an application are welcome to have an informal conversation with Martha Collins, Head of School, or Kat Miller, Director of Operations. To arrange an informal telephone conversation or a visit to the school, please contact Michelle Lineham, HR Manager on [email protected].

Closing date for applications: 9am Friday 17 April 2026

Interviews to be held Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May 2026

For further details of the post and to download an application pack please visit

Please note: we do not accept CVs.

Acland Burghley School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to undergo online vetting checks and an enhanced DBS Check.

What the school offers its staff

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Commitment to safeguarding

Acland Burghley School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS Check, online vetting check and to demonstrate full understanding of the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures.