Assistant Head Teacher - KS3 Quality of Education

Thank you for the interest you have shown in the role of Assistant Head Teacher at the Robert Napier School.

Following the recent promotion of an Assistant Head Teacher to the post of Deputy Head Teacher, we are looking to appoint an enthusiastic, experienced leader to lead the Quality of Education agenda for Key Stage 3.  Working under the direction of the Deputy Head Teacher, the successful candidate will oversee the progress and attainment of all students in Key Stage 3, ensuring they are engaged in high quality learning opportunities which enable them to be successful.  This is a pivotal post, which will ensure students transition into secondary school smoothly and providing them with the foundation which will prepare them for their studies in Key Stages 4 and 5.

The recruitment into this post is the final stage in the transition to the new leadership for the school.  In March 2021, the Head of School was promoted to substantive Head Teacher and the Executive Head Teacher promoted to Trust CEO.  The successful applicant will be joining us at an exciting time for the school, as it begins the next chapter of its journey.  Having undergone a period of rigorous review and significant changes to the teaching and learning strategies, quality assurance processes and curriculum, the school is establishing its presence as one of the leading schools within the Trust.

Built upon the school motto of Learn, Believe, Achieve, we look to engender the school values of respect, trust, perseverance, resilience, fairness and courage in all of our students, ensuring they are ready to contribute to their community when they leave us at the end of their studies.  The Assistant Head Teacher will lay the foundations of these whilst the students are in their care in Key Stage 3, which will be built upon as the students transition into key stages 4 and 5.

Based in the heart of the Medway Towns, The Robert Napier School is a non-selective, mixed secondary school of 1100 students, including 130 in the Sixth Form.  The school is an eclectic mix of the old and the new, with the original buildings constructed in the 1850s when the school was the original ‘Gillingham Grammar School’.  Since then, the school has grown to include a range of buildings, the most recent being the ‘Caxton’ block, formally opened in 2011.  The school has excellent facilities including state of the art ICT provision, a purpose built lecture theatre, retractable bleacher seating in the hall to accommodate up to 380 people, a permanent stage with full lighting and sound rig, a multi-use games area, large playing fields and excellent sports facilities.  The school also provides specialist Access to Mainstream Provision for vulnerable students, as well as a dedicated Visually Impaired unit.

The school is a proud member of the Fort Pitt Thomas Aveling Academies Trust.  Working in partnership with the Robert Napier School, the Trust is made up of Fort Pitt Grammar School for Girls, The Thomas Aveling School, Balfour Junior School and Phoenix Junior School.  All of the schools are located within a 5 mile radius and work closely to provide an outstanding education and opportunities for the children of Medway.

In January 2019, the school was delighted to be rated Good by Ofsted, having been rated requiring improvement and satisfactory in its three previous inspections.  This was well deserved recognition of the hard work and dedication of the staff to drive improvements.  The school continue to drive standards in all areas of the school, to ensure the students receive the best quality education and opportunities.

We value our staff, investing in their training and development at all stages of their career.  Comprehensive, individualised training plans are drawn up for all staff, designed to meet their needs and enable them to take the next step in their career.  New staff engage in a comprehensive induction programme and are allocated a subject specific mentor, as well as a dedicated coach all of which is aimed to ease your transition into the school.  

I hope you find this applicant pack informative.  If you have any further enquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact me, using the contact details at the end of this pack.  I am very happy to discuss any aspects of the role and am available throughout the Easter Break using Microsoft Teams or Zoom.  I look forward to receiving your application.