Head of Chemistry

Head of Chemistry 

Highly competitive salary (TLR 2b £4,749 – salary negotiable based on experience) & opportunity to become a Lead Practitioner and/or Specialist Leader of Education (paid on Leadership scale)

September 2018

‘This is an outstanding school. Teachers have high expectations of their students, who respond by producing excellent work.’

‘The behaviour of students is outstanding. They are exceptionally keen to learn, and show real enthusiasm in lessons.’ (OFSTED, June 2015)

Do you want to be part of a team where you will help make a lasting impact on our students, many of whom are disadvantaged, and rapidly accelerate their progress?

Do you want to work in a school where you are free to teach, with impeccable student behaviour and unhindered by bureaucracy?

This new position has arisen due to the rapid expansion of the Academy, as well as our designation as a NCTL National Teaching School and National Support School. It is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious practitioner, who wants to lead the rapidly growing Chemistry curriculum area (up to A Level) and make a real impact on further driving up attainment and progress in Chemistry. You will also have the opportunity to support other Chemistry teachers as part of our Teaching School and Support School work.

Despite being a ‘secondary modern’ in a selective grammar school borough, our mind-set is that we are a ‘grammar school for all’. We are unapologetically ambitious for every child, no matter what their background, prior attainment or needs. Our goal is to prepare every student to be able to go to university or high-powered alternative. We believe in the traditional values of hard work and kindness.

Our Academy is a vibrant and exciting place to work and was graded as outstanding in all areas by Ofsted in June 2015. In 2016, Magna achieved a Progress 8 score of 0.52, placing us well within the top 5% of highest performing schools nationally.

We have very high expectations of our staff, but we value them highly, and treat work load very seriously. Our systems ensure you can really focus on your core purpose – teaching, in a sustainable way, unhindered by bureaucracy or poor behaviour.

What we offer:

• Great students who behave impeccably – you can make a massive difference to them
• Tight, robust behaviour systems
• Highly visible/supportive senior leaders who have your back
• Same-day centralised detentions, including homework detentions (you do not need to organise/run/chase them at all), helping to underpin impeccable behaviour, so you are free to teach
• A feedback policy focused on whole class feedback – you do not need to mark exercise books – we do not have onerous/impossible marking policies
• A centralised homework system at KS3 – you do not need to check/mark KS3 homework
• No formal graded lesson observations – just ongoing ‘no-stakes’ feedback, helping you to continuously develop – we believe that trusting our staff with autonomy helps to develop a strong staff culture
• Collaborative planning with centralised, shared units of work and resources
• CPD starts as soon as you are appointed
• Excellent ongoing CPD, career development and promotion opportunities
• A professional progression model to enable great teachers to remain in the classroom via our Lead Practitioner (LP) and Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE) routes
• State of the art facilities and a very pleasant location in beautiful Dorset

What we are looking for:

The successful candidate will be:

• an excellent teacher of Chemistry (up to A Level) and Science, who will play an important role in leading Chemistry into its next stage of development
• someone who does whatever it takes to ensure the life chances of all our students are maximised. They will blend extreme personal humility with intense professional will.
• totally aligned to our values and mission. If you are the type of person who fits with our culture, you will love working here.

You would have excellent progression opportunities for further promotion as the Academy, National Teaching School, National Support School and MAT continue to grow. As a Teaching School you would also have the opportunity to become a Lead Practitioner/Specialist Leader of Education (paid on the Leadership scale).

We actively welcome visits and would be delighted to show you around our Academy to fully appreciate our excellent learning environment.

How to Apply:

Please click on the “quick apply” button to submit an online application.

Please contact zchallis@aatmagna.org or 01202 604222 to arrange a visit.

If you wish to be considered for a Lead Practitioner/Specialist Leader of Education role in addition to the Head of Chemistry role, please outline this in your application.

Closing date for applications: 9am Friday 16th March 2018.

Learn more about Magna Academy at: www.aatmagna.org

Magna Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check before taking up the postst.