Executive Principal - SPARK Blue Downs

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SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of affordable private schools. The SPARK Schools network provide transformational education innovation through Africa’s first blended learning model, which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their students effectively.

The blended learning model, which combines classroom teaching and online instruction, allows teachers to anticipate student needs and equips schools to provide personalized education at an affordable cost. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all.

SPARK Schools has a culture of collaboration, because getting South Africa to lead global education takes a team effort. We are innovators who strive for excellence through persistence and a sense of urgency to achieve SPARK Schools’ vision, mission and social transformational objectives. Our work environment is vibrant/cheerful, fast-paced/dynamic, engaging/stimulating, tech-enabled and data driven.

SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven, entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools and 5 high schools and serving over 17 000 families in 2026. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.

Reports To: Head of Schools

Direct Reports: Blue Downs Primary School Principal;
Blue Downs High School leadership team

Purpose of Role:

The Executive Principal is accountable for the overall instructional, operational, cultural and stakeholder success of the Blue Downs campus, with direct principal accountability for Blue Downs High School and management oversight of Blue Downs Primary School through the Primary School Principal. The role serves as the senior campus leader and is responsible for delivering strong scholar outcomes, a safe and well-run campus, aligned culture across both schools, and a coherent end-to-end scholar journey from primary through high school.

This role also leads the campus through the transition from temporary structures to a permanent facility, ensuring stability, safety, and confidence for scholars, staff, parents and the wider community while embedding the SPARK learning model, values and culture.

Role Outcomes:

• Blue Downs High School delivers strong academic, culture, operational and scholar

• experience outcomes under the direct leadership of the Executive Principal, including a successful matric programme and credible post-school readiness for scholars.
• Blue Downs Primary School is effectively led through the Primary School Principal, with clear oversight, support, accountability and alignment to campus-wide priorities and SPARK standards.
• The Blue Downs campus operates as one aligned campus with consistent culture, strong safeguarding, and a clear pipeline of high school readiness from the primary school into the high school.
• Operational gaps, particularly those that affect scholar safety, scholar experience, compliance and continuity, are identified early and corrected decisively across both schools.
• Parents and the broader Blue Downs community experience clear, empathetic and firm leadership, particularly through periods of change such as the transition into the permanent building.
• The Executive Principal successfully embeds SPARK learning models, values and ways of working while strengthening the leadership bench for future campus and regional leadership needs.

Responsibilities and Key Performance Areas:

Instructional Leadership and Scholar Achievement

• Serve as Principal of Blue Downs High School and lead the instructional programme to ensure strong academic achievement, sound teaching practice, and consistent implementation of the SPARK learning model.
• Lead and support the high school team to deliver strong scholar outcomes across all grades, with particular focus on matric readiness, matric performance, and post-school preparedness.
• Use scholar achievement, classroom observation, assessment, attendance and behaviour data to identify performance gaps, direct interventions and improve teaching and learning…