Assistant Headteacher, Teaching and Learning

Thank you for visiting our employer profile. We hope you’ll enjoy learning more about the excellent opportunities at The Dorcan Academy and living in the nearby area.  Our staff are prepared to "go the extra mile" for our enthusiastic students and we are well supported by parents and highly committed trustees.

We have been on a journey of improvement over the past seven years and in July 2022 were judged GOOD in all categories by Ofsted which is a major achievement. In our school students are ready to learn and ‘low level disruption is rare’. Ofsted were impressed with the excellent behaviour of our students both in lessons and around the school. We pride ourselves on being an ‘academy of opportunity’ for all with excellent relationships between staff and students.

Vision and Values – our Ethos

Our vision is to become an outstanding school of first choice at the heart of our local community

We will do this through our:

• Culture – An inclusive school where everyone is valued, cared for and nurtured in an extraordinary way
• Curriculum – Students acquire ‘powerful knowledge’ and skills that prepare them fully for the world, work and for their wellbeing, delivered through outstanding teaching
• Character – Students stand out as model citizens, showing kindness, respect and doing their best
• Community – All stakeholders use their unique gifts and talents to serve others and enable them to flourish

We aim to provide a multitude of learning opportunities within a vibrant, creative and inclusive environment, where students can discover their strengths, talents and interests and pursue them to the highest standards to become the best they can be.

As well as attaining the highest academic standards possible, we want students to thrive in all areas of life, developing creatively, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Ultimately, we want our students to stand out as model citizens of whom society can be proud.

Day to day life, with its expected and unexpected events, its twists and turns can have an impact on our mental health. It is our aim that time spent at The Dorcan Academy has a beneficial impact on everybody’s wellbeing. Our goal is that all stakeholders know where to seek support in times of challenge, in order to promote a happy community.

Our Ethos is based on our five Core Principles which guide our actions on a daily basis.

• Belonging – Each of us is unique, of great worth and valued within our school community for who we are
• Purpose – We all have the ability to learn and achieve great things through working hard and doing our best
• Aspiration – Our students are capable of excellence and are entitled to access the best knowledge and curriculum opportunities
• Perseverance – Achieving greatness requires resilience and the ability to keep going when others have given up
• Achievement – True success is becoming the best version of yourself that you can be

Our Values: Be Kind, Show Respect, Do your Best

Our Motto: Aspire to Greatness

‘Our actions become our habits, our habits become our character, our character is who we are’ (Aristotle)

Our Character Virtues

We will seek to develop in all our students the character virtues of:

• Honesty - Telling the truth at all times
• Integrity - Acting out the Dorcan values all day, every day, even when no-one is looking
• Compassion - Showing empathy, sensitivity and kindness towards others
• Courage - An inner strength, self-belief and confidence to stand out from the crowd and to stand up for what is right
• Generosity - A willingness to ‘go the extra mile’
• Gratitude - Being thankful and appreciative for, and to, others
• Personal responsibility - Being accountable for the actions which you have control over, in order to make wise choices
• Resilience - Being able to ‘bounce back’ from struggles and setbacks; having a Growth Mindset
• Self-Discipline - The drive, determination, self-control and commitment to work hard and do your best at all times

Your personal development

• A supportive and bespoke staff induction programme is offered when you join and we can offer you:
• High quality professional development, including an additional £1000 Bursary to support your CPD if you are an Early Careers teacher (Years 2 – 4)
• Additional non-contact time if you are an Early careers teacher or NQT
• Unrivalled support from the leadership team
• Excellent specialist facilities and resources
• Committed staff who ‘go the extra mile’
• Motivated, enthusiastic students who are ready and eager to learn

The school’s culture is aspirational, based on very high standards of work and behaviour, with everyone doing their best and enabling our focus to be on learning and progress for all our students.

Learning has always been at the heart of the school. Our students benefit from a rich, diverse and challenging curriculum that provides them with significant choice to meet their needs. The high quality of teaching at the school means that students not only make good progress in their lessons but also enjoy their learning. We want our students not only to achieve academic excellence, but also to develop confidence and skills to equip them for life beyond school and through excellent extra curricular provision.

You can also get a taste for life at Dorcan by watching Student Tour available on YouTube.   The Dorcan Academy Tour - YouTube

The area: we are located on the eastern edge of Swindon, within easy reach of the scenic Cotswolds and nearby Bath, Bristol and Oxford. Swindon has a good selection of affordable housing and a very popular outlet shopping centre and is just one hour from London by train.