ONELAB College Principal in London

Welcome to ONELAB. ONELAB College exists to redefine education for young people aged 16–25 with SEND. We believe education should not be passive—it should be active, applied, and meaningful. Our model is built on a simple but powerful philosophy: Design > Make > Sell. Learners don't just study; they create, build, test, and bring ideas into the real world. Our ambition is to deliver an education that leads to:

• Independence
• Employment or enterprise
• Confidence and capability for life

Why This Role Matters

This is not a traditional Principal role. You are not stepping into a system to maintain it. You are stepping into a model to build, refine, and scale it. You will be the single point of accountability for educational delivery at ONELAB. That means:

• What learners experience day-to-day
• The quality of teaching and support
• The outcomes they achieve
• The integrity of qualifications
• The culture they are part of

If it happens in the learning experience, it sits with you.

What Makes ONELAB Different

• Real-World Curriculum: Learning is not theoretical—it is project-based, creative, applied, and enterprise-driven.
• SEND-First Design: We don't adapt a standard model. We design from the ground up for SEND learners.
• Outcomes Over Inputs: Success is not just attendance or completion. It is progression, independence, employability, and confidence.
• High Accountability Culture: We combine care and support, high expectations, and clear accountability.

What We Need From You

We are looking for a Principal who brings clarity, structure, and high expectations, alongside the ability to motivate, inspire, and lead others to deliver exceptional education. This role requires a leader who is both values-driven and outcomes-focused—someone who can build a strong culture while ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery.

Lead with Clarity and Purpose:

• Set clear, non-negotiable expectations for staff and learners.
• Define what 'good' and 'great' look like—and ensure these standards are consistently understood and met.
• Communicate priorities and expectations in a way that creates alignment and focus across the college.

Execute with Discipline and Strong Organisation:

• Ensure programmes are delivered consistently, smoothly, and to a high standard—every day, every cohort.
• Bring strong planning, organisation, and attention to detail to academic delivery and timetabling.
• Eliminate last-minute working and reactive delivery through clear systems and forward planning.
• Take ownership of issues and resolve them quickly and effectively.

Motivate and Lead People to Deliver Exceptional Quality:

• Build and lead a high-performing team, creating a shared commitment to delivering exceptional education.
• Bring the presence, credibility, and energy needed to motivate staff and gain their trust and buy-in.
• Combine high expectations with strong support, ensuring staff are both challenged and developed.
• Create a culture where people take pride in the quality of what they deliver.

Hold People to Account:

• Set clear performance expectations linked to learner outcomes and quality of delivery.
• Address underperformance directly, constructively, and without delay.
• Be confident having honest conversations and making difficult decisions when required.
• Ensure that standards are upheld consistently across all teams.

Balance Creativity with Rigour:

• Champion and protect the Design > Make > Sell model.
• Ensure that creativity and real-world learning are delivered with structure and consistency.
• Maintain full compliance with awarding bodies and regulatory expectations.
• Balance innovation with discipline to ensure high-quality outcomes.

Think in Systems and Build for Scale:

• Develop structured, repeatable delivery models that reduce reliance on individuals.
• Ensure consistency of quality across programmes and cohorts.
• Put systems in place that prevent problems, not just respond to them.
• Build an academic model that can scale without loss of quality.

Make Decisions that Protect Learners and Standards:

• Prioritise learner outcomes and educational integrity in all decisions.
• Be willing to make difficult calls to maintain quality and consistency.
• Act quickly when standards are at risk.
• Ensure that ONELAB's expectations are upheld over time—not diluted.

In Practice:

This role requires someone who:

• Notices when standards are slipping—and acts.
• Brings structure where there is inconsistency.
• Motivates people to do their best work, not just meet minimum expectations.
• Ensures that what is promised to learners is delivered—consistently and well.

What Success Feels Like:

When you are successful in this role:

• Learners are engaged, motivated, and proud of what they create.
• Staff are clear on expectations and delivering at a high standard.
• Programmes run smoothly, consistently, and on time.
• Qualifications are achieved with integrity and strong outcomes.
• The college is inspection-ready at all times.
• There is no confusion about who owns what—you own education.

Role Overview:

The Principal is the senior academic leader of ONELAB College. You are accountable for:

• The curriculum and learning model (Design > Make > Sell).
• The end-to-end delivery of all programmes.
• The academic timetable and scheduling of delivery.
• The quality of teaching, learning, and assessment.
• The learning experience and outcomes of SEND learners (16–25).
• The achievement of recognised qualifications.
• The culture, behaviour, and engagement of learners.
• The performance and accountability of teaching and support staff.

This is a high-accountability execution role, ensuring education is delivered consistently, compliantly, and at a high standard.

Key Responsibilities:

• Curriculum & Learning Model: Lead and evolve ONELAB's Design > Make > Sell curriculum. Ensure learning is practical, project-based, and aligned to real-world outcomes. Integrate qualification requirements without compromising the experiential model. Keep curriculum relevant to learner needs and progression pathways.
• SEND-Centred Delivery: Deliver inclusive, high-quality provision tailored to SEND learners (16–25). Embed differentiated teaching and personalised learning. Maintain high expectations for all learners. Ensure compliance with the SEND Code of Practice.
• Academic Delivery & Timetabling (Core Accountability): Hold full accountability for the delivery of all programmes. Own and manage the academic timetable—ensuring effective, consistent delivery. Ensure clarity on what is delivered, when, and by whom. Deploy staff effectively and resolve delivery issues quickly.
• Culture, Behaviour & Engagement: Establish a positive, inclusive, high-expectation culture. Set clear standards for behaviour, engagement, and attendance. Ensure learners feel safe, supported, and motivated to succeed.
• Learner Outcomes: Own outcomes including progression, independence, employability, and achievement. Improve retention, engagement, and completion rates. Ensure learners progress into meaningful next steps.
• Faculty Leadership: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team. Set clear expectations and hold staff accountable for outcomes. Lead performance management and professional development. Motivate and align staff around delivering exceptional education.
• Quality & Awarding Bodies: Lead relationships with UAL and Pearson Edexcel. Ensure compliance, robust assessment, and strong achievement rates. Lead quality assurance, moderation, and inspection readiness.
• Safeguarding & Wellbeing: Ensure safeguarding compliance and a safe learning environment. Maintain strong learner wellbeing, attendance, and engagement. Work effectively with families and external professionals.
• Performance & Improvement: Use data to monitor performance and drive improvement. Address gaps quickly and maintain high standards. Ensure the college is inspection-ready at all times.
• Partnership with COO (Clear Boundaries): Define academic delivery and timetable requirements. Work with COO on staffing, systems, and operational support. Principal defines delivery. COO enables it.
• Industry Engagement: Build employer partnerships and real-world opportunities. Ensure learning reflects real-world expectations and pathways.

About You:

Experience:

• Significant senior leadership experience in education, with clear accountability for quality, delivery, and outcomes.
• Strong experience working with SEND learners, with a deep understanding of what effective, inclusive provision looks like in practice (essential).
• Proven track record of delivering high-quality, compliant education that leads to meaningful learner outcomes.
• Experience leading awarding body relationships, inspections, and quality assurance processes (e.g. Ofsted, EQA).
• Experience in experiential, project-based, or applied learning models (highly desirable).

Skills & Capabilities:

• Deep expertise in SEND pedagogy and inclusive practice, with the ability to translate this into consistent, high-quality delivery.
• Strong understanding of awarding body requirements, assessment, and quality assurance frameworks.
• Expertise in curriculum design, particularly in applied and experiential learning environments.
• Highly effective organisational and execution capability—able to bring structure, clarity, and consistency to delivery.
• Data-driven and outcomes-focused, using insight to drive improvement and accountability.
• Ability to lead and align multidisciplinary teams, building consistency across teaching and support functions.

Timelines:

• Application Period Open: 9-15 April 2026
• Interview Shortlisted Candidates: 20-22 April 2026
• Decision: 27 April 2026
• Offer Extended to Successful Candidate: 28 April 2026
• Contracting: 1 May 2026

Key Information:

• Full-time, Permanent
• Mondays to Fridays
• Onsite in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Competitive Salary
• Reports to Chief Executive Officer