Subject Leader - Mathematics

We are a high performing school and have a relentless focus on high standards in all that we do. We have a total belief that every student can be successful regardless of their starting point and we have a strong culture of excellence to achieve this. Students make exceptional progress during their time at Paddington and we are consistently in the top 1% of schools in the country for student progress.  

Paddington Academy is a mixed Academy for 1,200 students aged 11-18. The Academy was recently judged to be outstanding by OFSTED in March 2023 maintaining its outstanding judgement from 2011. Paddington has been described by the education minister as a ‘jewel in the crown of state education’. Our thriving and oversubscribed Academy also has a large Sixth Form with over 300 students. Students excel in our Sixth Form and achieve exceptional outcomes which enables them to achieve their next step which for the vast majority of students is university. 95% of students went to university, with 40% of those gaining a place at a Russell Group university in 2023.   

We ensure that our classrooms are disruption-free so our teachers can focus on the main thing – teaching and learning. We have effective behaviour systems in place which means that behaviour is well-managed and teacher time is protected. We are renowned for the positive environment and strong relationships between staff and students. We like to keep messages and systems simple and aim to reduce workload by doing so. 

Maths is one of the highest performing subjects at Paddington Academy. The average progress 8 score for maths over the last two years was over +1. Maths is our most popular subject at A level and is our highest performing subject at A level as well. Our students love maths and their families value it.

We are proud to offer our students a wide range of opportunities to engage with maths outside of the classroom, including the UKMT’s maths challenges, MESME’s Maths Circles programme, and extensive preparation for the MAT. Students also have the opportunity to study the Level 2 Certificate in Further Maths in Year 11 and Further Maths at A level. Last year, 100% of our Further Maths students achieved an A* or an A.

The role

We are looking for someone to lead our highly successful maths department. We are seeking to appoint an experienced middle leader or teacher looking for their next challenge to lead our ‘Outstanding’ maths department. 

As a maths team, we are always looking to improve. Explicit instruction is key to our approach to the teaching of maths. We know how important rigorous and responsive checking for understanding is in maths, which is why every student brings a mini whiteboard and a whiteboard pen to every lesson as part of their equipment. Our focus this year as a department has been on refining our modelling and developing consistent methods across every maths classroom.

As subject leader, you will develop the curriculum and teaching materials. You will demonstrate your ability to lead a team and develop other teachers, including trainee teachers. As well as being part of the middle leadership team at Paddington, you will have access to a national network of subject leaders for maths across United Learning.  

Paddington Academy is the lead school for United Teaching national SCITT and is a designated Teaching School Hub, so you will be able to access high-quality training at every stage of your career. We are fully committed to teacher and leadership development and training. 

The ideal candidate will: 

·      Be passionate about their subject.

·      Be committed to continually improving their teaching and learning.

·      Be committed to our ethos of high expectations.

·      Have the belief that every student can be successful.

·      Have the desire to make a real difference to the lives of our students.

·      Have experience of leading a Teaching and Learning initiative in their department.

·      Have excellent understanding of curriculum in their subject.

·      Have excellent subject knowledge and understanding of subject pedagogy.

·      Have evidence of excellent student attainment.

·      Keep up to date with current educational research.

·      Be a team player able to work effectively with colleagues across the organisation.

Why work at Paddington Academy?    

1. We are a highly successful school, rated ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED with GCSE results which consistently place us in the top schools in the UK for student progress for more than a decade.     
2. Teaching and Learning is at the heart of what we do. Every decision is driven by its potential to impact on student learning.    
3. Our approach to teaching and learning is informed by robust research and is constantly reviewed and tailored to our unique context.
4. We have a consistent and effective approach to behaviour which means teachers can focus on the main thing: teaching.
5. We are renowned for positive relationships between staff and students and serve a community of aspirational students.
6. We have a large and thriving Sixth Form with high academic standards: 68% of A level grades were A*-B and 40% A*-A.
7. We have been awarded a Platinum award for professional development. Our approach to CPD is personalised to ensure that every member of our community is provided with first class development opportunities.
8. We are the lead teacher training school for United Learning. Every teacher is a learner and we secure opportunities for staff to coach and mentor trainee teachers as a reciprocal learning experience.
9. We invest in the long-term career aspirations of our staff. We offer a well-established and successful pathway to educational leadership for teachers who aspire to lead in education.
10. Staff well-being is important to us and we believe in cherishing our staff. We work actively to reduce workload and to ensure our staff have support with any administration tasks so that they can focus their efforts.  

United Learning  

We are part of United Learning, the largest academy trust nationally, which offers 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 resources, 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. Our academies each have a rich CPD curriculum and an ongoing group-wide wellbeing programme. It's an ethos we call ‘the best in everyone’.