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“Pupils enjoy attending school. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils consistently meet these expectations.”
Ofsted, October 2022

A member of the United Learning group of schools and academies since 2013, The Cornerstone Academy has transformed into an excellent local school, rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in October 2022.  

Serving the Hamworthy area of Poole, the 11-16 school is the kind of place you can really make a mark for your career, with opportunities to be part of the school’s success from an early stage.   

“Leaders provide professional development to enhance teachers’ subject and pedagogical knowledge. Teachers speak positively of the support, encouragement and challenge they receive. Leaders manage staff workload effectively”. 
Ofsted, October 2022

To deliver outstanding outcomes for young people, exceed expectations and be an aspirational hub for our community.

Core Values

The United Learning core values were selected in consultation with United Learning students and staff across the country. The story of United learning values is reflective of our mission to put the young people we serve, at the heart of all we do.  Cornerstone is proud to be part of United Learning. Our ethos has built upon these 6 core values.

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Staff Testimonials:

Miss C Symons - Literacy Lead 
I joined The Cornerstone Academy as an NQT in 2003 and haven’t looked back! Being part of a close-knit and enthusiastic team is what really makes Cornerstone the special place it is and I love working with like-minded individuals who all want the best for our students. Although we are a small school, we are part of a much larger organisation. United Learning provides excellent CPD opportunities, promotion within the academy chain and offers a support network that is second to none.

Miss L Smith - Head of English
I first joined The Cornerstone Academy as a trainee teacher in the Autumn of 2017. I was nervous to begin with, but soon fell in love with the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the school and knew instantly it was somewhere I wanted to work. After completing my training and working in another United Learning school for three years, I made the long-awaited move to come back to The Cornerstone Academy to continue my career. Upon returning, it was clear that despite some new, beautiful, buildings the school still remained the warm and nurturing environment I had first stepped into, and loved, all those years before. In the few years I have worked here, I have witnessed our school go from strength to strength as it grows and develops whilst still maintaining the nurturing aspects that makes it such a wonderful place to work. With a team of hard working, caring and supportive staff each child at The Cornerstone Acadamy is seen as an individual and is nurtured to become the best version of themselves. I am excited for the future of The Cornerstone Academy as we continue to grow and develop. 

Mrs C Bowen - Year 8 Progress
I started work at Cornerstone in November 2022 and joined the reception/admin team. I then moved to the Year 8 Progress team in April, to develop my career. It has been a pleasure working alongside our students and offering support when they need it and also getting to know our students' parents. At Cornerstone, we have fantastic support from our colleagues, we are one big team and there is a sense of community between us all, which makes my job easier. I came to school at Cornerstone many years ago and it is amazing to see what Cornerstone has to offer our students and I believe it will only get better.

Mr D Elliot - English Teacher
My Cornerstone journey started in May 2011, when I was first employed as an invigilator.
I always wanted to be a teacher, but I left University without having any experience. I was employed as Teaching Assistant following on from my work as an Invigilator in September 2011, I saw this as a great opportunity to gain that experience to get myself onto a teacher training programme. There was one problem. I didn't want to leave Cornerstone!
A year and a half into the role, I was offered a move to become a Cover Supervisor, giving me even more classroom experience which again would enable me to become a teacher. Another year and a half later, and more invaluable experience gained, I was offered a position on a training programme provided by Cornerstone. This meant that I was able to train as the teacher I wanted to become; after gaining experience observing and working with fantastic staff, whilst also staying at the school that I had grown to love.
Since gaining my Qualified Teacher Status I have been provided with some fantastic training which has led to a TLR position involving the School's digital strategy. I have seen first-hand the changes that the school have been through, and I can't wait to see what's the future holds.
Cornerstone has truly made me into a great teacher, and the amazing staff, fantastic students and developing facilities makes me want to stay even longer.

Mr W Binder-Pollard - Assistant Principal
I joined the United Learning family in 2019! With the chain being so big, this enabled me to relocate my family to the South Coast and join The Cornerstone Academy as Head of Science which I have absolutely loved! I have most recently been appointed as an Assistant Principal. I love the small school setting that we have, as it enables us to really get to know every single student and really develop their character during their time here at The Cornerstone Academy!  

As part of United Learning we offer unrivalled career development opportunities and support to ensure you achieve your ambitions.

Core Benefits

• A contributory pension scheme, relevant to your role (including access to Teacher and Local Government Schemes)
• Occupational sick pay
• Tailored Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through the United Learning Institute.
• At least one guaranteed paid personal day each year, to use as you want.

Flexible Benefits

• Childcare vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Gym membership
• Health screening
• Health cash plan
• Retail savings

Our pledge, to all our academy teachers, is that by working for us you will benefit from more pay, more time, and more support

This school is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, governors and volunteers to share the same commitment.

All posts are subject to an enhanced DBS clearance.

For more information, please email Ms S Arnold

Core Benefits

• A contributory pension scheme, relevant to your role (including access to Teacher and Local Government Schemes);
• Occupational sick pay;
• Tailored Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through the United Learning Institute. 

Flexible Benefits 

• Childcare vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Computer (including TV) and mobile phone discounts
• Dining card
• Gym membership
• Health screening
• Health cashplan
• Retail savings

About United Learning 

By joining The Cornerstone Academy you will also become part of United Learning - a unique group of independent and state schools working together to bring out the best in everyone. Our vision is to provide excellent education, which prepares young people to progress in learning and to make a success of their lives. United Learning focuses sharply on the evidence of what makes it more likely that young people will progress and succeed, apply that to classroom practice, allowing schools to continue to learn and develop. It is a priority to provide teachers with excellent professional support and development, so that every child receives an excellent experience.

The approach is underpinned by a sense of moral purpose and commitment to doing what is right for children and young people, supporting colleagues to achieve excellence and acting with integrity in all our dealings within and beyond the organisation, in the interests of young people everywhere. 

The development programmes offer access to tailor-made training no matter your career stage, alongside unrivalled opportunities for your career development across both the maintained and independent sectors. The Performance and Development Reviews (PDR) encompass personal aspiration, impact on pupil achievement and identification of continuous professional development and training that is right for you and your future. For more information please visit our dedicated careers site.

Staff Training and Development at The Cornerstone Academy

At The Cornerstone Academy we pride ourselves in offering a wide range of training opportunities both in house, through our academy network and through external agencies. All staff new to the academy will be provided with a new staff induction day at school and through a United Learning Induction Conference. We are aware that the beginning of a new school year can be overwhelming in terms of new information and so we also provide bespoke New staff training sessions throughout the year at key points. 
We run Teaching and Learning Briefings most week and these are bespoke to staff based on areas of need and development. A member of the Teaching and Learning Coaching Team will lead the first part of the session and then you will be in a deliberate practice group with other colleagues from other subjects to practice the new skill. As an academy we use many of the 'Teach like a Champion' techniques and it is during these sessions that we practice these to ensure that we are making the most out of all of our lesson time. 

Twilight Training

Most academic years we disaggregate at least tow of the INSET days to allow staff the opportunity to have extended training time afterschool. Often the twilight sessions are within department areas which allows for specific subject knowledge development or marking and moderation time (at mock and ROA time specifically). Other twilight training activities include safeguarding and SEN updates to ensure that all staff are well equipped for any changes that may have arisen and to keep up to date with specific key safeguarding knowledge. 

ECT Programme

If you are an Early Career Teacher joining us at The Cornerstone Academy you will have a formal induction programme using the Early Career Framework and a subject mentor who will observe and coach you. We use Steplab to support your training. You will have additional time on your timetable to allow for you to complete observations of good practice, complete your self study and have your mentor meeting. You will also have a professional mentor who will complete your formal assessments over the two years of the programme. One of the great things about working within a United Learning Cluster is that you will also meet termly (either in face to face twilight training session or virtually on TEAMs) with other ECTs from across the area which means you will widen your teacher network. 

Middle Leadership Development

If you are joining us as a new middle leader or have aspirations to become a middle leader you will have many opportunities to focus on your leadership development. We currently have a number of staff attending the online United Learning Middle Leadership programme which is a bespoke modular course for talented aspiring and recently appointed middle leaders in the United Learning group.  The programme brings together leadership expertise, theory and practice, and is immersed in educational context, which develops and accelerates our most talented leaders.

Senior Leadership Development

If you are joining us as a new senior leader or middle leader who has aspirations to become a senior leader you will have access to the United Learning Senior Leadership Programme. This is a bespoke modular course which brings together the groups most successful Senior leaders to share their expertise, theory and practice. You will have a chance to have professional dialogue with other leaders across the group to make strong partnerships and enhance your own thinking and practice.

NPQs - National Professional Qualifications

We have access to numerous NPQs (Leading Behaviour and Culture, Leading Teaching, Leading Teacher Development, Leading Literacy, Senior Leadership, Headship) and every year staff can apply for these programmes in the Autumn term.