Director of Academics & Enrichment
| Posting date: | 13 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Leadership Scale L31 - £113,974 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 15 March 2026 |
| Location: | Sidcup, DA14 5AA |
| Company: | TKAT (The Kemnal Academies Trust) |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 3279 |
Summary
Job Advert
About Us
We are a group of schools with ambition for every child and pride in the communities we serve. We prepare young people for lives
of opportunity and contribution by offering a broad and rich education. And we know that it is the talented people who work here
who make this possible.
We are one of largest Multi Academy Trusts in the UK with over 3500 colleagues working together to serve over 22,000 children and
young people across our 45 school communities.
The Role
The Director of Academics and Enrichment exists to design, steward, and continuously strengthen the Trust’s academic and
enrichment offer. The role ensures that curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and enrichment are coherent, rigorous, and
consistently enacted across schools, while remaining responsive to context and specialism.
Working alongside other senior leaders the role provides high support and high challenge to ensure strong academic intent
translates into high-quality classroom practice, enriched pupil experience, and improved outcomes at scale.
For full details about this job, including the person specification please download the attached candidate pack (available via the
link on the right hand side of the page).
What You Will Lead
Academics and Enrichment Frameworks: Lead the design, quality and continuous development of the Trust’s academic and enrichment
frameworks, setting clear Trust-wide expectations for ambitious, inclusive curriculum breadth, depth and challenge grounded in
strong subject and pedagogical integrity.
Teaching and Learning Assessment: Provide high support and high challenge through clear Trust-wide teaching, learning and
assessment frameworks, ensuring consistent, high-quality implementation, accurate understanding of pupil progress, and a coherent,
rigorous qualifications strategy aligned to the curriculum.
Teaching Development and Instructional Practice: Lead the Trust’s approach to teaching development and instructional practice
across all career stages, setting clear standards for professional learning, coaching, CPD and supply quality, and overseeing
Early Career, teaching assistant and initial teacher training routes to ensure strong alignment with Trust pedagogy and
curriculum.
Standards Quality and Insights: Use data and evidence to evaluate the impact of curriculum, teaching and instructional
development, applying targeted support and proportionate challenge to ensure academic improvement activity is focused, rigorous
and evidence-informed.
System Leadership: Provide system leadership by working in close partnership with Directors of Education, contributing expert
input to Education Committee decision-making, and ensuring academic ambition and enrichment are embedded consistently across the
Trust.
The Leadership Profile We Are Looking For
Essential
* Significant senior leadership experience within education.
* Proven expertise in curriculum, pedagogy, and teaching and learning.
* Experience of leading teaching and curriculum improvement across more than one key stage, subject, or school.
* Evidence of using research, evidence and data to improve academic standards.
* Demonstrated ability to improve teaching quality through high support and high challenge of leaders and practitioners.
* Credibility to work with headteachers, Directors of Education, subject specialists and instructional leaders.
Desirable
* Qualified Teacher Status.
* Postgraduate qualification at Level 7 or equivalent experience.
* Experience working across a group of schools, a multi-academy trust, or an ITT context.
* Contribution to external networks, partnerships, or research-informed practice.
What Kemnal Offers You
* Generous Pension Scheme: Secure your future with substantial employer contributions toward your long-term financial wellbeing.
* A well being app that supports exercise, mindfulness, and everyday healthy practices.
* Retail and Lifestyle Discount Scheme offering savings both online and in store, supporting everyday living costs, and beyond.
* Cycle To Work Scheme, supporting affordable access to bikes and promoting active, sustainable travel.
* Family Friendly Leave Policies, helping colleagues balance professional commitments with caring responsibilities at different
life stages.
* Eight-Week Mindfulness Programme, expert-led mindfulness course to support and develop mental resilience.
* Counselling Support, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for colleagues and their eligible immediate family members.
* Tailored continued professional development, to support your in role and /or career progression ambitions.
How to apply
This is a role for a leader who believes that academic excellence and enrichment are inseparable and that a great education is
built through disciplined curriculum design, strong teaching and rich intellectual experience.
If you are an academic leader motivated by depth, coherence and impact rather than compliance, and who wants to shape teaching,
learning and enrichment across a large and diverse trust, we would welcome your application.
Next steps
1. Download the candidate pack and review the full job profile.
2. Complete our online application including a personal statement explaining how you meet the Leadership Profile.
3. Save the interview dates (in the candidate pack).
Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this
commitment. Offers of employment will be subject to the full safer recruitment process, including an enhanced disclosure and
barring service check.
Flexible working
We recognise the value of enabling our employees to develop their career and balance this with their commitments and interests
outside of work. We promote flexible working practices and opportunities to promote a positive work life balance.
Our Commitment - Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging
At Kemnal, we are committed to Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging. We embrace and celebrate differences, value individual
experiences, aspirations, and achievements, and continuously learn how to grow better together. We actively encourage applications
from candidates of all backgrounds, as we believe diversity strengthens our community and drives us forward.
Access to interview
Be Who You Are at Kemnal - should you be selected and invited to interview please let us know if you require us to adapt the
recruitment process to enable you to participate as your authentic self. We want applicants to be able to engage with us in ways
that support who they are and we are committed to making adjustments within the recruitment process and within the workplace.
About Us
We are a group of schools with ambition for every child and pride in the communities we serve. We prepare young people for lives
of opportunity and contribution by offering a broad and rich education. And we know that it is the talented people who work here
who make this possible.
We are one of largest Multi Academy Trusts in the UK with over 3500 colleagues working together to serve over 22,000 children and
young people across our 45 school communities.
The Role
The Director of Academics and Enrichment exists to design, steward, and continuously strengthen the Trust’s academic and
enrichment offer. The role ensures that curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and enrichment are coherent, rigorous, and
consistently enacted across schools, while remaining responsive to context and specialism.
Working alongside other senior leaders the role provides high support and high challenge to ensure strong academic intent
translates into high-quality classroom practice, enriched pupil experience, and improved outcomes at scale.
For full details about this job, including the person specification please download the attached candidate pack (available via the
link on the right hand side of the page).
What You Will Lead
Academics and Enrichment Frameworks: Lead the design, quality and continuous development of the Trust’s academic and enrichment
frameworks, setting clear Trust-wide expectations for ambitious, inclusive curriculum breadth, depth and challenge grounded in
strong subject and pedagogical integrity.
Teaching and Learning Assessment: Provide high support and high challenge through clear Trust-wide teaching, learning and
assessment frameworks, ensuring consistent, high-quality implementation, accurate understanding of pupil progress, and a coherent,
rigorous qualifications strategy aligned to the curriculum.
Teaching Development and Instructional Practice: Lead the Trust’s approach to teaching development and instructional practice
across all career stages, setting clear standards for professional learning, coaching, CPD and supply quality, and overseeing
Early Career, teaching assistant and initial teacher training routes to ensure strong alignment with Trust pedagogy and
curriculum.
Standards Quality and Insights: Use data and evidence to evaluate the impact of curriculum, teaching and instructional
development, applying targeted support and proportionate challenge to ensure academic improvement activity is focused, rigorous
and evidence-informed.
System Leadership: Provide system leadership by working in close partnership with Directors of Education, contributing expert
input to Education Committee decision-making, and ensuring academic ambition and enrichment are embedded consistently across the
Trust.
The Leadership Profile We Are Looking For
Essential
* Significant senior leadership experience within education.
* Proven expertise in curriculum, pedagogy, and teaching and learning.
* Experience of leading teaching and curriculum improvement across more than one key stage, subject, or school.
* Evidence of using research, evidence and data to improve academic standards.
* Demonstrated ability to improve teaching quality through high support and high challenge of leaders and practitioners.
* Credibility to work with headteachers, Directors of Education, subject specialists and instructional leaders.
Desirable
* Qualified Teacher Status.
* Postgraduate qualification at Level 7 or equivalent experience.
* Experience working across a group of schools, a multi-academy trust, or an ITT context.
* Contribution to external networks, partnerships, or research-informed practice.
What Kemnal Offers You
* Generous Pension Scheme: Secure your future with substantial employer contributions toward your long-term financial wellbeing.
* A well being app that supports exercise, mindfulness, and everyday healthy practices.
* Retail and Lifestyle Discount Scheme offering savings both online and in store, supporting everyday living costs, and beyond.
* Cycle To Work Scheme, supporting affordable access to bikes and promoting active, sustainable travel.
* Family Friendly Leave Policies, helping colleagues balance professional commitments with caring responsibilities at different
life stages.
* Eight-Week Mindfulness Programme, expert-led mindfulness course to support and develop mental resilience.
* Counselling Support, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for colleagues and their eligible immediate family members.
* Tailored continued professional development, to support your in role and /or career progression ambitions.
How to apply
This is a role for a leader who believes that academic excellence and enrichment are inseparable and that a great education is
built through disciplined curriculum design, strong teaching and rich intellectual experience.
If you are an academic leader motivated by depth, coherence and impact rather than compliance, and who wants to shape teaching,
learning and enrichment across a large and diverse trust, we would welcome your application.
Next steps
1. Download the candidate pack and review the full job profile.
2. Complete our online application including a personal statement explaining how you meet the Leadership Profile.
3. Save the interview dates (in the candidate pack).
Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this
commitment. Offers of employment will be subject to the full safer recruitment process, including an enhanced disclosure and
barring service check.
Flexible working
We recognise the value of enabling our employees to develop their career and balance this with their commitments and interests
outside of work. We promote flexible working practices and opportunities to promote a positive work life balance.
Our Commitment - Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging
At Kemnal, we are committed to Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging. We embrace and celebrate differences, value individual
experiences, aspirations, and achievements, and continuously learn how to grow better together. We actively encourage applications
from candidates of all backgrounds, as we believe diversity strengthens our community and drives us forward.
Access to interview
Be Who You Are at Kemnal - should you be selected and invited to interview please let us know if you require us to adapt the
recruitment process to enable you to participate as your authentic self. We want applicants to be able to engage with us in ways
that support who they are and we are committed to making adjustments within the recruitment process and within the workplace.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.