Thank you for your interest in Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA) and Aldridge Education. We are a medium-sized trust where relationship and connection matter. Working to a set of operating norms, we recognise the absolute importance of our team of staff across all areas of our work.
We have two key themes to our work and we all play a part in achieving these, whatever our role:
All of our schools work in areas of considerable deprivation and all are building thriving, vibrant communities – with their own unique culture, yet grounded in some commonalities that we align around together. The gaps in attendance, suspensions and outcomes are our daily reality and our people walk towards these issues because they want to be part of the solution. We know that there are no easy answers, but we want to help our communities overcome obstacles to thriving in school, find success in their learning and have genuine choice in their futures as they leave compulsory education.
We know that engagement is at the heart of the change required – understanding the relevance of what you do at school, building strong relationships and using these to find engagement with the school’s routines so that you feel safe and connect with your school community. Bringing learning to life – showing its relevance and applying it to life beyond school – is a part of helping build that engagement. Our curriculum choices and our Aldridge Connect programme are two key components of our work.
Our norms say it all – we’re after excellence as our standard, done with integrity and championing equity so that all are able to find success.
DACA is located in the heart of the town of Darwen, a market town with a long manufacturing history. With strong road links and easy access to a range of cities, it also has beautiful scenery on its doorstep. Aldridge Education has four schools in the town, offering a unique opportunity for partnership and collaboration, including through our combined sixth form provision, affectionately known as D6. After a period of change, we are now looking to appoint our next substantive senior leaders to join our team. This is a fabulous opportunity for someone with skill, passion and an aligned vision to make their mark, as part of the Aldridge team in the town and the wider area.
I look forward to meeting you in due course and exploring the opportunities available for the right candidates. At Aldridge Education, we are in the work together!
Aldridge Education is a charitable trust of learning providers which includes primary, secondary, Studio Schools, UTCs and adult learning provision. We are a values-based, mission-driven organisation with a passion to reach those often deemed as the hardest to reach.
Partnership is at the heart of our work and, through teamwork and collective voice, we aim to achieve excellence in all that we do. School leaders and central staff partner together to deliver the highest standards in all areas of our work and in all of our schools. By doing this, our school leaders are free to focus on their most important work as leaders of learning and developers of people.
Aldridge Principals understand the urgency of their work. Running excellent schools requires leaders who can inspire students, put ‘excellence’ ahead of ‘easy’ and who can project urgency about supporting sector-best destinations for every learner through outstanding outcomes, wide-ranging enrichment and exemplary culture. They have a passion for learning and the classroom; they prize integrity; and are self-reflective and humble in their leadership.
Because Aldridge Principals are passionate about equity and opportunity, they have a desire to influence beyond their own school doors. They see the benefit of being part of a MAT, sharing best practice, and supporting their colleagues.
As they build excellence and grow leaders from within, they are ready to share what they have learned in the interests of supporting other schools and leaders, particularly within the Trust.
In return, our principals receive the support of a highly experienced executive team and benefit from a wide range of partnership activity with both education and operational members of the Trust’s central team.
We believe that education should be stimulating, enriching and enjoyable.
We don’t define the word ‘win’ – that’s about the individual’s choice – but we want every learner we work with, whatever their age, background or protected characteristic to have the chance to find out what they love and be sufficiently qualified, skilled and passionate that they can make a living and build a life from doing it.
At Aldridge Education, we believe that every parent wants the best for their children. As we align this with the knowledge that “the UK has one of the steepest socio-economic gradients in education among similar countries (OECD 2001),” we are left with the clear message that something has to change in education in order to create the type of playing field that allows everyone to ‘win’.
Great schooling is the heart of our mission – because great schooling leads to great learning. And great learning leads to genuine choice and high-quality destinations – which set our learners up for the good life they choose for themselves.
Curriculum and culture are at the heart of great schooling and between them, they encompass our four school improvement levers:
Curriculum is perhaps one of the most all-encompassing words in the educational lexicon – it means so much. Our sector has the taught curriculum and the hidden curriculum. We have timetabled lessons and enrichment programmes. Ofsted talks about curriculum intent, implementation and impact. Other people talk about curriculum design, or ‘architecture’. It’s a huge topic full of different meanings and emphases for different people!
We’re talking about student culture here. Every school has a student culture, whether it is written down or not. In fact, real student culture is not what is written down in a document, it’s what is seen as you walk around a school. It’s how students conduct themselves, what staff expect of everyone in the building and what the ‘default’ is – what happens on a day-to-day basis in the reality of a typical school day.
How does that culture get set? Well, it is either set with intentionality and purpose or it grows itself within the gaps; it’s either set by leaders or it’s set by students: Aldridge schools choose the former.
We believe that we need to define the culture or the culture will define us.
Located in the heart of Darwen, DACA is a co-educational, inclusive and diverse school serving students aged 11–18. Our student body reflects the vibrancy of the local community, with young people arriving from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and experiences that enrich academy life.
Our facilities support an ambitious and creative curriculum and include specialist areas for science, technology, sports and the arts. Students benefit from modern learning spaces, access to high-quality digital resources, and a campus designed to inspire curiosity, collaboration and achievement. Partnering with other Aldridge campuses in Darwen, DACA is at the heart of D6 – our collaborative sixth form provision.
DACA is proud to provide the Aldridge Connect programme to all students, ensuring that each learner leaves us fully equipped for high-quality destinations.
Our young people have only one chance at their education. We have to make it count!
We value strong relationships which are built upon principles of nurture and inclusion. We seek to be a community where every member is treated with respect, courtesy and dignity. We celebrate individuality and diversity, and we expect all interactions to reflect fairness, kindness and mutual understanding.
DACA aims to provide an exceptional education at the heart of a dynamic community. We inspire our students to excel by fostering ambition, confidence, creativity and a lifelong passion for learning.
We seek to leave no-one behind and are committed to being a fully inclusive community.
We seek to bring learning to life through our Aldridge Connect programme, our entrepreneurial ambitions and a focus on high-quality teaching that closes gaps for all.
DACA is committed to providing students with the opportunity that will allow them to realise their potential in all aspects of life and learning
JOB DESCRIPTION
Role: Principal
Contract: Permanent (6-month probationary period), 35 days annual leave, TPS, employee benefits platform, cycle to work scheme
Reporting to: Executive Principal
Salary type: Competitive salary
Summary
The heart of the role of Principal at Aldridge Education can be found in these five key responsibilities cited by research from the Wallace Foundation:
Specific responsibilities
Instructional leadership
Quality delivery of teaching and learning
School culture
School management
PERSON SPECIFICATION
All of the following criteria are considered essential unless otherwise noted.
Qualifications
Experience
Other skills and qualities
Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to DACA. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 5th February 2026.
Applications should consist of:
Should you wish to discuss further details about the role in strict confidence, please get in touch with:
www.daca.uk.com 