Principal Designate Appointed

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Declan Jones as Principal Designate for Haberdashers’ Aske’s Borough Academy.  Mr Jones is currently the Principal of Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College, the Federation’s founding school, which he has led for the last ten years.

Following the Department for Education’s approval of capital funding to build the new school, an open national competition was held to find its founding Principal.  The appointment of Mr Jones is another exciting milestone in the preparations to open Haberdashers’ Aske’s Borough Academy, the Federation’s new secondary school.  The school, which is due to open in September 2019, will be built on the Old Fire Station site on Southwark Bridge Road, opposite Mint Street Park, with sports facilities on the adjacent Grotto Place site. 

Mr Jones is a head teacher with an enviable track record who is deeply rooted in the values and ethos of Haberdashers’ Aske’s schools.  During his ten years as Principal of Hatcham College, Mr Jones has steered that school successfully through four Ofsted inspections maintaining and strengthening the quality of provision reported on each occasion.  He also has extensive experience of opening and growing schools, having supervised the growth of the College into an all through school with the incorporation of Hatcham Temple Grove in 2008 and more recently with the opening of the Hatcham Temple Grove Free School in 2013.  That school was also judged outstanding by Ofsted in 2015.

Mr Jones will step down as Principal of Hatcham College this summer and will take up his new post in January 2019, following a sabbatical.  On appointment he will retain his position as Deputy CEO of the Federation, a role which gives him responsibility for staff talent management across the Federation and the development the Atlas Teaching School Alliance.  In this role he will be ideally placed to bring the full support of the Federation’s resources to bear to ensure the success of Borough Academy.

Of his appointment, Mr Jones said “I am thrilled to be taking up the post of Principal at the new Haberdashers’ Aske's Borough Academy.  Having been involved in the project from the start I know what a tremendous school this is going to be and I'm very excited about working in the Borough and Bankside community.  I'm proud of the traditions and excellence of the Haberdashers’ Aske's Federation and honoured to have the opportunity to bring a Haberdashers’ education to Borough.  There are so many unique and special things about that area, its history and its community and I know they will all contribute to the life of the school and make it into a truly fantastic institution that will serve the children and the community for years to come.”