Chief Executive Officer

About Us

About Us

The City of London Academies Trust is driven by a mission to deliver exceptional outcomes and transformative life chances for every pupil, regardless of their background. We are seeking an exceptional, high-calibre leader with a proven track record in complex settings.

At COLAT, we are driven by an unwavering ambition to secure the highest possible outcomes for some of London’s most disadvantaged pupils. We aim for all our schools to match the performance of the highest performing schools in the country. Our operating model, informed by the practices of the country’s most successful schools, is designed to deliver consistently high standards and outstanding outcomes.

Our success is rooted in a clear and distinctive educational philosophy. We operate a structured approach, grounded in the belief that excellent behaviour creates the conditions for exceptional learning. We prioritise uncompromising standards, ensuring that every lesson is calm, focused and purposeful. Our curriculum is knowledge-rich, academically rigorous and highly ambitious, with a programme of enhancement, designed to secure strong outcomes for pupils, particularly those facing the greatest disadvantage.

We are proud of what has been achieved, but we are not complacent. We are a learning Trust, committed to building on the strengths of our current model while remaining open to ambitious thinking about how best to prepare young people for a rapidly changing world. We want our pupils to leave school not only with strong academic outcomes, but with the confidence, knowledge, resilience and character to thrive in adult life.

Through our sponsorship by the City of London Corporation, we are uniquely placed to open doors for our pupils and expand their horizons. We want to maximise these opportunities, while continuing to strengthen the wider offer available to students, including our basketball and football academies, and our cultural provisions.

We are also determined to lead thinking about how best to educate children with additional needs. We believe that, where schools create the right environment and equip teachers with the right tools, the overwhelming majority of pupils can thrive. Our next CEO will be expected to build upon this strengths-based and resilience-focused approach across the Trust.

The national education landscape is changing, and we want COLAT to help shape that future, not simply respond to it. We are seeking a leader who can engage confidently with the Government’s education agenda, influence it where appropriate, and ensure that the Trust continues to lead the way in providing the best possible education for our students. We strongly believe that our approach to date has benefitted our students, but we are aware we live in a rapidly changing world and are open to how we evolve given this.

We intend to grow from 12 to 20 schools by 2030, and this growth must strengthen rather than dilute what makes COLAT distinctive. We are looking for a CEO who can lead our expansion with clarity, discipline and ambition, ensuring that every school in the Trust continues to provide an excellent education and exceptional opportunities for pupils, including those growing up in the most economically deprived families.

About the Role

This is one of the most significant opportunities in education for an exceptional leader.

Our new CEO will inherit a strong platform for success: a high-performing Trust, a clear educational philosophy, a talented workforce and the unique connection with the City of London Corporation. Working closely with the Trust Board, you will shape the future direction of the organisation, ensuring every strategic decision remains focused on improving outcomes, expanding opportunities and transforming the life chances of young people across our schools.

Leading a high-performing Executive Team and academy leaders across our schools, you will drive the next phase of the Trust’s growth and development. You will provide the strategic vision, challenge and support required to ensure our academies continue to deliver exceptional outcomes, while building on the culture, standards and consistency that define COLAT as we grow.

You will galvanise leaders across the Trust behind a shared commitment to exemplary behaviour, outstanding teaching, a rigorous curriculum and exceptional pupil achievement. You will also ensure that COLAT continues to develop its wider offer, maximise the opportunities created through its City of London Corporation sponsorship, and prepare pupils for the changing world they will enter beyond school.

This role requires a leader who can combine absolute clarity about standards with openness to innovation; someone who understands the power of consistency across a multi-academy trust, but who is also capable of leading thoughtful development as the Trust grows and the national agenda evolves.

About You

This is a rare opportunity to build on an established record of success while working with Trustees, executive leaders and school leaders to realise an ambitious vision: ensuring every COLAT academy is among the highest-performing schools in the country and that every pupil, regardless of background, receives an exceptional education.

You will be an outstanding leader with educational credibility, strategic insight and the ability to inspire confidence across a complex stakeholder landscape. You will have made a significant contribution to leadership, culture, behaviour and student outcomes , and you will be able to demonstrate that you have delivered significant improvement for pupils, including those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

You will understand the success COLAT has achieved through its current philosophy and will be committed to developing this. You will be confident operating within a structured model and will understand that outstanding behaviour, culture and academic achievement are inseparable where disadvantaged pupils thrive academically and personally.

At the same time, you will bring the curiosity, confidence and strategic judgement to help COLAT build on its strengths. You will be open to new ideas, able to lead the Trust’s response to the national education agenda, and ambitious for the wider development of pupils, including through enrichment, character, resilience and opportunity.

You will share our determination and objective: to build and sustain exceptional schools, transform life chances, and ensure that every pupil, regardless of background, receives the education and opportunities they deserve.

Application details

For further details, please refer to the attached application pack. If you would like an informal discussion about the role with the current CEO or Chair of Trustees, please email enquiries@cola.org.uk

If you share our ambition, align with our educational philosophy, and wish to join our dedicated team of professionals, we would be delighted to hear from you. Candidates must address the person specification in no more than two sides of A4, font size 11. Applications should be submitted via MyNewTerm.

Closing date for applications: 9.00am, 28 September 2026.

Interviews will take place on: 14 and 15 October 2026.

City of London Academies Trust supports Equal Opportunities Employment.

City of London Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Staff are expected to share this commitment and undergo appropriate checks in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, including enhanced DBS checks and a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the standards that flow from the Trust’s vision and values.

The role is covered by part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 and therefore the ability to speak fluent spoken English is an essential requirement for this role.

City of London Academies Trust Company Registration No. 04504128.