The Role

This is a unique opportunity to lead a new free school in Stoke-on-Trent working closely with the SLT and a brand new team of teaching and support staff. 

Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams opened its doors in September 2024 in temporary accommodation, welcoming our founding cohort of 120 Year 7 students. Through collaboration with the Local Authority and the DfE's Free School program, Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams is an important addition to Stoke-on-Trent's educational landscape. For September 2025, we will transition into our state-of-art facility, expanding each year until reaching full capacity of 1150 students in 2030.

This role comes with unparalleled opportunities for development, progression, and influence as the academy evolves. 

We would welcome ECT's to apply for this role.

Why us?

· Lifelong Learning: At Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams, we are dedicated to fostering continuous professional development throughout your career journey. With an unwavering commitment to growth, we offer double the standard number of training days. This ensures you have abundant opportunities for learning, skill enhancement, and staying at the forefront of educational advancements.

· Thriving in a Collaborative Community: Joining Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams means becoming an integral part of the larger Co-op network, one of the UK's most successful Multi-Academy Trusts. You will become part of a dynamic community where peers connect locally and nationally sharing valuable resources, knowledge, and best practices.

· Streamlined Organisational Support: Our organisational structure is meticulously designed to support our staff. This strategic approach allows you the freedom to focus on your strengths, ultimately contributing to the enhancement of educational outcomes for the academy's students.

· Curriculum Excellence for Future Success: At Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams, our curriculum is crafted with support from central service subject directors. This results in a solid knowledge base and a depth of understanding in each subject.

· We Care:  At Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams, we are committed to creating something special, a culture of high expectations with the ways of being and our PACE principles at the heart of everything we do. Our goal is to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students and to foster a community where everyone feels valued and supported.

· Extended Learning Opportunities: Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams is introducing an extended school day to provide students with valuable additional time for comprehensive learning and skill development. This extended period will be dedicated to a well-structured enrichment program, offering a diverse range of activities designed to expand students' horizons, cultivate cultural capital, and nurture enduring interests that will shape their lives beyond their school years. 

This innovative approach to our school day and calendar enables the incorporation of an extra two weeks of holiday into the academic year, providing both students and staff with shorter, more rejuvenating term times.

If you have what we are looking for, we would love for you to take the initiative and apply to be part of a team that is not just building a school but shaping the future of education in Stoke-on-Trent.

All our values are based upon the values of the Co-op Group, which will inform our behaviours.

Self-help: We do not expect to be spoon fed – we will try to do things for ourselves in the right way and at the right time.

Self-responsibility: Everyone should act in a responsible way around the academy site and in the local community. We take responsibility for our own learning; we want to become independent learners.

Equality: We are proud to be part of a very multicultural academy, with students from all over the world; it is important that we treat each other with respect and accept that others may be different from ourselves. We should all of us have equal chances to succeed.

Equity: We want to look for the best in each other. Rewarding others fairly to encourage all types of achievement.

Democracy: We will contribute our ideas to make the academy a success.

Solidarity: We can achieve more by working together, rather than as individuals.

Our Values

Being part of the Co-operative Group, we are both guided and driven by the Co-op values which are embedded in everything that we do within our Academy - We strive to demonstrate the following ethical values in everything we do - they are our ‘Ways of Being’:

Succeed together

Do what matters most

Be yourself, always

Show you care

So, if you believe in our values, we would love to hear from you! 

We offer a wide range of benefits and rewards to recognise the part you play in our success:

Benefits include:

Our employee benefits package includes:

• You’ll get being a Co-op member, you’ll get a Co-op colleague discount card. This gives you a 10% discount in our Co-op Food stores. 
• Co-operative flexible benefits (discounted line rental and broadband package, family care advice and cycle to work scheme)
• Discounted gym membership and leisure activities which includes discounts on Merlin Entertainments (Sea Life, Legoland etc), Virgin Experience Days, SuperBreak and many more!
• Co-operative Credit Union: save directly from your salary and receive a competitive dividend. Borrowers can benefit from very competitive interest rates & terms (in comparison with other high street lenders)
• Co-op Funeralcare benefit
• Season ticket and rental deposit loans

And More! 



For more information about the Co-op Academies Trust, please visit: www.coopacademies.co.uk

The Trust is also committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage or civil partnerships.

Qualifications