Head of Performing Arts Faculty (Drama and Music)

Our Performing Arts team is searching for a passionate and talented Head of Department to lead them.  

Your opportunity

You might be a qualified teacher of Drama or Music or both, but you’ll be the person to continue to drive one of the highest performing faculties in an already highly performing school. Buzzing with ideas and creativity, the team are a really close, fun and energetic bunch who love the school and love our students. We can offer you the opportunity to advance your career within a supportive academy environment. You will be part of a Federation established in developing practitioners and nurturing excellent future leaders, with unrivalled opportunities for progression; whatever your aspirations as a teacher, middle or senior leader, our Teaching School Alliance provides a range of bespoke courses and qualifications, including our Aspiring Leaders NPQML and NPQSL programmes to help you achieve your ambitions more quickly. 

What is our team looking for?

We look for talented individuals who want to be a part of transforming education in London, and helping create exceptional places of learning. We are always on the search for authentic teachers who enjoy what they do, who have great subject knowledge, charisma and have a strong sense of moral purpose.

The successful candidate will have:

• The potential and ambition to lead aspects of teaching and learning in the department
• Passion for education, drive, grit and ambition
• A flair for working with young people
• A great team player who will fit well with our optimistic and positive culture
• The ability to teach great lessons at both GCSE and A-Level
• QTS (or equivalent) and a relevant undergraduate degree

Please download the job pack for a full job description and person specification.

About Harris Academy Greenwich

Harris Academy Greenwich is a really happy and successful inner-city London 11-18 school with a thriving 6th Form, and a brand new state-of-the-art building.  It is the best possible school in which to train.

It is a school where we are as passionate about developing our staff as we are about developing our students.  It is a school where we strip out all the red tape and nonsense that goes on in too many places, and just focus on what works for our students.  It is a school where we concentrate on making sure our staff are happy and highly motivated throughout the year, with zero burnout.  Ever.

We are part of the outstanding Teaching School Alliance and offer an awesome training experience for our NQTs to ensure the best possible start to the best job in the world.

Why work at Harris Academy Greenwich?

Our staff often refer to their departments and the wider staff as ‘a family’. They came up with 20 reasons why staff should work here...there were lots more, but we couldn’t fit them all on one page! Check them out and our ‘About Us’ video on the school website. 

Also, we take workload issues seriously and we believe our Academy does more than any other to help staff maintain a sustainable and joyful life/work balance. Read more here.

“I’ve recently joined HAGR and am really happy here already – it’s very different to my last school. The support and training is great, and the systems just work. For example, the system for managing behaviour allows me to get on with the business of teaching. The kids are lovely but if you do have a problem you just email ‘on call’ and someone from SLT is in your room within three minutes to help you solve it.”  Bill, Geography

What are we passionate about?

“I have the great privilege of not only seeing young people grow and flourish, but providing opportunities for staff to step into their greatness in an environment that feels really safe and rewarding. We’ve worked hard on making this a brilliant place to work and learn – naturally we are all passionately student focused and we touch lives every day, but that shouldn’t come at the sacrifice of staff. I believe you can have it all in a school and experience tells me that happy teachers make great teachers so we work hard on that.

"We don’t grade lessons, we don’t create fear in the workplace and we certainly don’t burn out our staff. Indeed, we are incredibly mindful of our ‘life/work balance’ which I hope will be refreshing to hear for staff in other schools who feel constantly bashed and ground down by relentless pressure from above. What we aim to do is engage, motivate, energise. It’s such fun teaching here.”  George McMillan, Principal

What is the Harris Federation?

The Harris Federation is a highly successful group of schools who serve many of the most deprived areas of London. We are collaborative, enterprising and share a passion for turning lives around, yet each school is autonomous and free to set its own vision and strategy for how it does that. Each Harris school feels completely different in terms of culture, ethos and the day-to-day experience of staff. Perhaps this is the school you’ve been looking for.

Forget what you’ve heard about big, bad Federations. This is a school that really tries to keep staff morale high, that gives you a sense of purpose, a sense of autonomy, a sense of trust and continual support and challenge to achieve mastery.  Come pay us a visit and see for yourself.

We look forward to meeting you. If you would like a completely confidential chat with the Principal, please contact George McMillan direct by email: g.mcmillan@harrisgreenwich.org.uk.

It’s the 21st century: we welcome candidates who can only interview on Skype or Zoom due to logistics!

For any other queries please contact the HR Manager, Nicky Butler: N.Butler@harrisgreenwich.org.uk.

Please note: academies may hold interviews as and when applications are received, and this job may be withdrawn at any point without notice. You will still be able to add information until the closing date, but you will not be able to submit your application. With this in mind, you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Harris academies are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. In line with our commitments to safeguarding, the Harris Federation uses preferred agencies and is unable to work with any agencies where Terms of Business have not been agreed by both parties prior to an engagement.