ABOUT OAKLANDS COLLEGE
Oaklands College is a large further education provider in Hertfordshire, serving over 8,000 students across campuses in St Albans, Welwyn Garden City and Borehamwood, alongside a growing online presence and arable farm. Established in 1921, the College has a strong heritage of delivering responsive, high-quality education and supporting students to achieve their ambitions and contribute to their communities.
The College offers a broad range of academic and vocational programmes, including A-Levels, apprenticeships, higher education and specialist courses in areas such as engineering, construction, business, creative industries and elite sport. It is nationally recognised for its outstanding provision for learners with mild and severe learning difficulties, with a significant proportion of students receiving additional support.
Oaklands is ambitious and forward-looking, committed to expanding opportunities for young people, adults and apprentices to develop skills, reskill or upskill for the future. This is underpinned by a strong focus on high standards, innovation and collaboration between staff and students, ensuring learners are well prepared for progression into employment or further study.
Recently recognised with strong Ofsted judgements, the College continues to build on its reputation for excellence. Despite a challenging further education landscape, Oaklands remains a vibrant and supportive community, proud to be ranked 7th nationally for the achievement of young people and within the top 10% overall.
THE FUTURE
As Oaklands College expands, it is entering a significant phase of growth, building on over 100 years of educational excellence in Hertfordshire. With a clear mission to prepare learners for work, careers and life, the Group is adapting to meet the demands of a changing skills landscape.
Its strategy is centred on delivering high-quality teaching and learning, strengthening employer partnerships, and aligning the curriculum to local, regional and national priorities. Investment in modern, technology-enabled facilities will further support innovation and growth.
A key strength is its integrated model, bringing together further and higher education, apprenticeships, professional training, elite sport and commercial activity. This approach, alongside strong employer engagement will support workforce development and regional economic growth.
Looking ahead, Oaklands College aims to expand its reach while maintaining its strong community focus, positioning itself as a leading provider that develops talent, supports industry and delivers meaningful social impact.
SUMMARY OF POST
The Deputy Principal Curriculum & Performance will provide visible strategic and operational leadership across the College, acting as Welwyn Garden City and Borehamwood Campus Lead but with accountability for operational oversight for the full breadth of the College’s curriculum offers.
The role provides leadership for the design and delivery of a high‑quality, inclusive and future‑focused curriculum, aligned to local, regional and national skills priorities, meeting the needs of students, employers and communities, and driving sustained improvement in outcomes.
The postholder holds strategic responsibility for and will ensure excellence in teaching, learning and assessment across all provision types, with the explicit ambition of working Towards an ‘Exceeding Expectations’ Ofsted judgement and positioning Oaklands College within the top quartile of colleges nationally for quality, outcomes and impact.
SENIOR SCOPE & ACCOUNTABILITY
The postholder holds senior responsibility for:
Curriculum strategy, planning and performance across all provision types: 14-16, 16-19 study programmes including NEETs, Adult learning (funded and full price), Leisure learning, Higher Education
Operational responsibility for the delivery and performance of our apprenticeship, work based and international programmes
Teaching, learning, assessment and curriculum quality
Curriculum contribution to inspection, quality assurance and external regulation
Digital, data and AI enabled quality and assurance
Senior campus leadership and operational oversight within remit
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Curriculum Strategy, Development & Growth
Provide strategic leadership and executive ownership of a coherent, ambitious College wide curriculum strategy, ensuring alignment with skills priorities locally, nationally and globally, national policy, funding and regulatory frameworks, employer demand and labour market intelligence.
Provide strategic oversight of apprenticeships, work-based learning and employer-led provision, ensuring high-quality delivery, strong employer partnerships and positive student outcomes.
Own and lead the annual curriculum business planning process, ensuring curriculum decisions are financially sustainable, evidence led and aligned to strategic growth priorities and the Colleges physical estate masterplan.
Drive curriculum growth and portfolio optimisation, ensuring provision is responsive to demand, clearly differentiated in the market, financially viable, and explicitly aligned to the College’s estates masterplan and capital developments.
Ensure strategic coherence and progression across all ages, levels and pathways, including clear internal progression routes and strong transitions into higher education, employment and apprenticeships.
Provide executive oversight of curriculum innovation and new programme development, including higher level and higher education provision, ensuring quality, relevance, compliance and scalability.
Provide strategic oversight and assurance for all college trips, visits and international residentials, ensuring high-quality educational value, robust planning, and full compliance with safeguarding and risk management requirements.
2. Teaching, Learning, Assessment & Quality
Provide senior leadership and strategic ownership of teaching, learning and assessment across all curriculum areas and provision types, ensuring consistently high standards of practice.
Ensure robust curriculum-level quality assurance processes are embedded across all areas, working in partnership with the Deputy Principal Quality, Student Success & Inclusion to secure continuous improvement.
Set, communicate and hold leaders to account for clear expectations around classroom practice, training, assessment design, feedback quality and student experience, aligned to College policy and inspection standards.
Champion evidence informed, inclusive and innovative pedagogical practice, including blended and digital delivery, ensuring approaches are scalable, impactful and improve engagement, accessibility and outcomes for all students
3. Performance, Inspection & Regulation
Take senior accountability for curriculum and training delivery and outcomes across all provision types to secure Exceptional standards under EIF and Outstanding under SCCIF, ensuring consistent standards, clear accountability and robust evidence base across curriculum.
Use performance data intelligently to understand student context, identify risk, drive improvement and support high quality, timely decision making at curriculum and provision level.
Ensure curriculum leaders and teachers systematically track, evaluate and are held accountable for the quality of their provision in relation to in year student progress, achievement, retention and destinations, and that this intelligence is used to intervene early for students at risk or not achieving their potential.
4. Digital, Data & AI-Enabled Practice
Lead digital transformation, ensuring the effective, ethical and well governed use of systems, data and AI to enhance TLA processes, quality, student experience, safeguarding, efficiency, inspection readiness, for continuous improvement.
Oversee the development of curriculum staffs’ digital capability and the effective use of learning technologies.
Model the responsible, authentic and effective use of AI within the role to enhance efficiency, ensuring ongoing awareness of developments, risks and best‑practice guidance.
5. Senior Leadership & Contribution
Act as designated Campus Lead, providing highly visible, values driven leadership with a regular on site presence (minimum three days per week on campus, unless otherwise agreed) specifically at key student transition times, to ensure an active senior leadership profile across all campuses.
Collaborate with the Deputy Principal Quality, Student Success & Inclusion to ensure coordinated campus leadership, maintaining appropriate senior leadership coverage across all sites and providing support and deputising where required.
Lead campus operations and assurance through a structured duty rota, working with Duty Managers to review incident and behaviour trends weekly, oversee campus tidiness, presentation and functionality, and liaise with the Director of Physical Infrastructure on estates, facilities, health and safety.
Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with employers, stakeholders and sector bodies to inform curriculum planning, growth and reputation.
Hold responsibility for budgets within the role’s remit, ensuring robust financial planning, monitoring and control in line with Financial Regulations, and strategic deployment of resources to achieve sustainability and value for money.
Provide student experience led leadership input to capital developments and new builds, ensuring learning environments are future focused, curriculum driven and aligned to strategic growth, and that campus level intelligence informs senior leadership decision making.
6. General Duties
Act as Deputy for senior postholders as required, exercising delegated authority within agreed reporting lines and the Group Scheme of Delegation, and providing leadership continuity and assurance in alignment with the Chief Education, Performance & Growth Officer and Deputy CEO.
Represent the Group externally as a senior leader, acting on behalf of the Chief Education, Performance & Growth Officer and Deputy CEO and, where appropriate, the Principal & CEO, in line with Group values and strategic priorities.
Contribute to Executive and Corporation reporting, assurance and decision‑making within areas of responsibility.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Criteria:
Educated to degree level or equivalent professional qualification.
Teaching qualification or equivalent professional recognition, appropriate to senior curriculum leadership.
Significant senior leadership experience within FE, sixth form or higher education and experience leading large, complex teams.
Proven leadership of curriculum strategy, quality and performance improvement at scale.
Proven track record of developing and delivering curriculum aligned to local, regional and national skills priorities.
Strong understanding of labour market intelligence and employer led curriculum planning.
Strong understanding of Ofsted EIF and accountability for inspection outcomes.
Working knowledge of higher education quality assurance, QAA expectations and OfS regulation.
Senior‑level understanding of English, maths and core skills improvement.
Confident use of data and performance intelligence to drive improvement and assurance.
Experience leading the effective and ethical use of digital systems and data to improve curriculum quality and outcomes.
Financially astute, with experience managing substantial budgets and resources.
Credible, values‑led senior leader able to inspire, challenge and hold leaders to account.
Strong people management, performance leadership and change management skills.
Demonstrable understanding of how to use AI tools appropriately and effectively within the role, with a commitment to keeping knowledge up to date.
Desirable Criteria:
Experience across multiple provision types (14–16, 16–19, adults, HE or apprenticeships).
Experience within a multi‑campus or group organisation.
Postgraduate or senior leadership qualification.
Experience of securing Outstanding / Exceeding Expectations inspection outcomes.
Experience of digital or AI‑enabled curriculum transformation.
Experience across further and higher education inspection regimes.
Experience of organisational or cultural transformation.
COMPETITIVE SALARY
