Head of Computer Science

At Ark Elvin Academy we are working hard to give all our pupils an excellent education and are looking for committed teachers and support staff to join us at this exciting stage in our school improvement journey. Our team of enthusiastic, high expectations staff are doing what it takes to rapidly improve our school and deliver the outstanding education our community needs and deserves. We are deeply committed to our mission:

“To ensure that every pupil leaves Elvin confident, articulate, and culturally aware; able to pursue careers they are passionate about, contribute to society and live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives.”

In our recent OFSTED inspection (October 2019) it was recognised that Ark Elvin Academy:

“Pupils, parents and staff all agree that Ark Elvin Academy has improved out of all recognition. Pupils are proud of the school.”

“The headteacher and leaders have very high expectations…… Staff want all pupils to succeed in every area of their lives, not just academically.”

“The school is a calm, safe and supportive place for pupils. Pupils behave very well in lessons. They get on well with one another and with adults. At breaktimes the atmosphere in social areas is friendly. Pupils say they feel safe and bullying is not a problem. If there is any, it is dealt with quickly.”

We are a large non-selective secondary school in the London borough of Brent, with excellent transport links to central London.  We are committed to ensuring teachers can focus on teaching and have the opportunity to refine and develop their practice in the classroom and develop their leadership skills, we have:

• twice as many training days as is standard

• weekly professional development for all staff

In recruiting for our Head of Computer Science we are seeking the following from applicants:

• A commitment to our school improvement process

• A growth mindset

• High standards of professionalism and courteousness

• The potential to be an exceptional leader

You will become part of a close knit professional community of enthusiastic colleagues who benefit from the training, guidance and support from both the Ark network, one of the country’s top performing school groups and our North London region of schools where we work closely with four outstanding schools; Ark John Keats Academy, King Solomon Academy, Ark Academy and Isaac Newman Academy.

Job Description: Head of Computer Science

Reports to: Assistant Principal

The Role

Computer Science and Digital Literacy are growth subjects at Ark Elvin Academy as we seek to harness the power of emerging technology to be at the forefront of digital learning. As Head of Department, you will lead, develop and manage the effective delivery of an outstanding curriculum which enables the highest level of student progress and attainment in Computer Science; and drive our ambition to become a digitally literate school.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Management of the Subject Team

• Manage departmental budget, resources and learning environment

• Oversee and maintain all health and safety documentation within the department

• Lead behaviour management in the department, securing strong routines for learning, consistent with the school’s policy, and liaising with tutors and parents when necessary

• Develop strong partnerships and ensure regular communication with parents

Improving Teaching and Learning

• Be accountable for student progress in Computer Science and Digital Literacy across the school at all key stages, ensuring that all students achieve results in line with, or better than, value-added predictions

• Lead joint practice development across the department subject teams, ensuring that outstanding practice is shared with all staff in the department and the wider school

• Model outstanding teaching and lead collaborative planning and development, including the sharing of resources and best practice within the department

• Monitor the work of the department through rigorous and regular lesson observations, work scrutinies, and provide detailed, constructive feedback

• Monitor the identification of and provision for students with individual needs, and develop differentiated learning and teaching methods and schemes of learning

• Liaise with other department heads on a regular basis to ensure curriculum and learning goals are met across all subject areas and to exploit cross-year and cross-curricular links

• Keep up to date with any changes in learning and teaching related to Computer Science, DfE guidance, assessment regulations, etc. and ensure staff are kept informed

Curriculum and Assessment

• Be responsible for maintaining and tracking student progress across the department, analysing all relevant data to make data-driven changes to the curriculum design and intervention strategies and using the data to monitor the performance of subject staff

• Plan, deliver, monitor and evaluate the curriculum provision and enrichment for all year groups within the department

• Predict student outcomes and set ambitious targets

Teaching Responsibilities

• Set high expectations so that all students are inspired, motivated and challenged to reach their full potential, and in doing so meet their progress and attainment targets

• Plan and teach well-structured, differentiated lessons that are aligned to the school and/or network curriculum and cultivate every student’s intellectual curiosity

• Use data to inform teaching and learning, identify areas for intervention and provide feedback to students, staff and families in order to promote progress and outcomes

• Manage behaviour effectively to create a safe, respectful and nurturing environment so that students can focus on learning

• Work collaboratively with both school and network colleagues as a committed team member, building successful, high performing teams

• Participate actively throughout the network, by attending relevant meetings, and, as appropriate, delivering network-wide training and initiatives

• Work with colleagues, students and families to develop a strong school community

Other

• Carry out other reasonable tasks as directed by Principal