Head of Drama/Drama Teacher

Job Description

Full time, from January 2020 (2 terms with the possibility of 3 terms)

Dunottar is a co-educational school for pupils aged 11-18 set in extensive grounds of 15 acres on the outskirts of Reigate. With a new Headmaster in September 2017, the school is on a very exciting journey.  The school is experiencing fast growth in pupil numbers and it is undergoing a £6.6 million capital development programme to accommodate future growth. Our new Sixth Form centre was completed in May 2019, with our new whole school Assembly Hall scheduled for completion in October 2020.

The Drama Department

Drama is a large part of Dunottar School life, with growing numbers of pupils opting to take GCSE and A Level drama each year. The department has a thriving co-curricular offering, with students participating in a whole school production at Dorking Halls, upper and lower school productions, a drama scholar showcase and the Shakespeare Schools Festival each year.

We seek to appoint a candidate with outstanding qualities of leadership; one who has the vision, enthusiasm and energy to develop further the work of the department alongside contributing to the exciting journey Dunottar is on. The post offers an exciting opportunity for someone with initiative and imagination to maintain and build on the growth of an exciting and popular department. Applications are invited from well-qualified and talented teachers for this key post. The successful candidate will have experience of teaching GCSE and A Level drama and will have a proven record of excellent results.

Head of Department Responsibilities 

Dunottar School values the highest level of professionalism in its Heads of Department.  It is expected that all HoDs will display a high level of knowledge and understanding of their subject area, and communicate this enthusiastically.  Heads of Department should have high expectations of the members of their department and the students being taught within the department.  It is the responsibility of the HoD to ensure that pupils being taught within the department encounter a stimulating and positive learning environment.  HoDs should inspire confidence and trust. 

Specific responsibilities include:

Managing Pupil Learning and Achievement  

• Ensuring that lessons within your department are innovative, relevant and exciting through departmental preparation and planning and through short lesson observations at least twice every half term. 

• Keeping abreast of current thinking and development in the subject area. 

• Ensuring all members of the department are teaching to the schemes of work and the examination specifications. 

• Making sure that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress.

 Leading and Developing Colleagues 

• Providing vision and leadership for the department. 

• Maintaining an effective team where members of your department feel supported and appropriately challenged. 

• Facilitating a regular exchange of ideas within your department e.g. reading groups, clubs, trips. 

• Ensuring that members of the department get an appropriate range of experience within the department. 

• Ensuring communication is good within the department and across departments. 

• Work collaboratively with existing members of the drama department to create inspiring and thought-provoking theatre.

Organisational and Financial Awareness 

• Submitting an annual departmental budget to the Headmaster

• Controlling departmental spending through the year to remain on budget. 

• Managing the budget for school productions.

• Ensuring the department is effectively resourced. 

• Controlling the departmental INSET budget. 

Co-curricular responsibilities

• To assist and support with the direction of the whole school musical

• To be prepared to take responsibility for performances throughout the year

• To maintain and cultivate the strong collaboration between the drama and music departments. 

Health and Safety 

• Ensuring that Health and Safety requirements of the school are adhered to. 

• Co-ordinating the department to ensure that departmental areas provide a stimulating environment for teaching. 

• Signing off on risk assessments produced by members of the department. 

Resources 

• Ensure teaching is enhanced through a range of relevant resources 

United Learning

Dunottar School is part of United Learning, a large, and growing, group of schools aiming to offer a life changing education to children and young people across England.     Our schools work as a team and achieve more by sharing than any single school could. Our subject specialists, our Group-wide intranet, our own curriculum and our online learning portal all help us share knowledge and resource, helping to simplify work processes and manage workloads for an improved work-life balance.     As a Group, we can reward our staff better: with good career opportunities, better pay, benefits, and ultimately, the satisfaction of helping children to succeed. We invest in our staff wellbeing through an ongoing group-wide wellbeing programme. It's an ethos we call ‘the best in everyone’.

  

Person Specification

Professional Qualifications & skills

• A record of good academic achievement including a relevant honours degree 

• PGCE/QTS  

• Excellent oral and written English 

• Evidence of continuing professional development

Personal qualities

• High levels of personal and professional integrity 

• Commitment to outstanding teaching 

• High degrees of self-confidence, personal energy and dynamism 

• Personal warmth, good rapport with pupils, colleagues and parents 

• Excellent oral and written English skills 

• Excellent organisational skills 

• Appropriate levels of personal presentation 

• Confident use of ICT 

 
Teaching and Learning

• Excellent knowledge of the relevant curriculum 

• Evidence of creative and innovative approach to teaching & learning including the appropriate use of ICT 

• Commitment to improving, monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning 

• Ability to make all pupils feel valued and involved in your lessons 

• Confident use of ICT and proficient in the use of iPads in the classroom 

Philosophy and Ethos

• A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people 

• Be willing to contribute to our busy extra-curricular programme of activities involving trips and clubs 

• High expectations for pupil attainment, personal development and conduct 

• Commitment to best practice in pastoral support and student welfare 

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and the post holder may perform other duties reasonably required by the Headmaster. 

The School reserves the right to make an appointment at any stage during the recruitment process.