Head of Department - Drama

Are you an experienced Drama Teacher who is keen to start an exciting new role from September 2019? Are you ready for the next step in your career? We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic, motivated and engaging Head of Drama for a thriving and very successful department.

Mascalls Academy has a rare opportunity for an exceptional candidate to lead the Drama department, working within our highly collaborative and dynamic Performing Arts team to oversee the delivery of this subject.  Drama is thriving at Mascalls Academy; we have a cohort of over 60 students in Key Stage 4 and 20 Key Stage 5 students who we see flourish due to the passionate and inspiring teaching in the department. The students are engaged and energetic, thanks to our strong practice.  We are looking for an organised, flexible, emotionally intelligent leader who can inspire and motivate. If that's you, we'd love to hear from you!

Get to know our department…

• We offer both AQA GCSE and RSL CAPA for Key Stage 4 students.
• In Key Stage 5 students study AQA Drama and Theatre A level.
• A number of our students leave us to study drama as a higher education option or become actors.
• We have excellent drama facilities, including two studios with full sound and lighting equipment.
• We run trips to musicals, plays and even abroad for research purposes.
• We have a thriving extracurricular programme, including a KS3 Drama Club in the Autumn Term, a play for the upper school in February and a full scale musical every summer. Our productions have an excellent reputation locally and sell out in advance.
• We are fully supported by the Leadership Team in all creative endeavours.

We boast exceptional results;

• 2017 GCSE 100% A*- C
• 2017 A Level 80% A*-C
• 2018 GCSE 100% 9-4 (average grade of a 6)
• 2018 A Level 100% A*-C

Key objectives of the role;

• To agree and fully support the achievement of subject pupil progress targets to make a measurable contribution towards whole academy targets.
• To create, support and monitor the progress of subject development plans which contribute positively to the achievement of the academy plan.
• To provide regular feedback for subject colleagues in a way that recognises good practice and supports their progress against performance objectives resulting in a tangible impact on student learning across the whole subject area.
• To review and report regularly on the standards of leadership and teaching and learning and attainment across the subject area.
• To be consistent with the procedures in the academy’s self-evaluation policy and performance management policy.
• To consult with all subject teachers and assist with the formulation, communication and monitoring of the academy improvement plan ensuring that concerns and ideas are considered and all staff understand they key academy targets and the part they play in achieving them.
• To oversee and evaluate the team’s budget allocation to ensure the budget is spent in line with academy learning priorities and best value principles.
• To provide regular progress updates to the Senior Leadership Team so that it is aware of all successes, concerns and obstacles to progress.

The responsibilities outlined above are in addition to the National Teaching Standards.  The main message we’d like potential candidates to take away from this advert is that the Drama department at Mascalls is full of dynamism, talent, vitality and success among staff and students alike. Come and be a part of it.

Working at Mascalls Academy:  Mascalls Academy is a secondary school at the heart of the community and our small school model ensures that each and every student gets the personal support and challenge they need to reach their full potential.  The academy is divided into four colleges – Shackleton, Earhart, Luther King and Marie Curie Sixth Form College each having their own personality and range of specialisms, allowing them to be unique.

Mascalls Academy is a high achieving institution.  Our recent OFSTED inspection notes “ambitious leadership has established an ethos where staff are committed to driving standards up”, that Mascalls is a “happy place to be” and that “staff feel valued”.  Our judgement that we are a ‘Good’ school with ‘Outstanding’ leadership and behaviour is accurate. It is our vision to become ‘Outstanding’ in every category.  Our most recent inspection can be found here.

Mascalls Academy is a dynamic and exciting place to work and the fantastic leadership team are committed to making it great for people at all stages in their careers.  Our building and facilities are a mix of designs with two new buildings being modern, light and airy giving the academy a unique and special character.

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust:  As of 1st January 2019, our Trust is comprised of 23 geographically organised academies (11 secondaries, 11 primaries and 1 special) educating over 15,000 students, and employing over 2,500 talented staff.  We also have three further academies in development phase, due to open in September 2020.  The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North West Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training providers and a large teaching school. 

As part of Leigh Academies Trust you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust.  This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together.  You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

We strive to offer a range of benefits that all employees can take advantage of which we regularly review and add to - click here to view what you’d receive as a member of staff with Leigh Academies Trust.

Diversity at our core:  As a Trust we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals we all bring something unique to the role regardless of age, gender, race, beliefs or disabilities which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We require all staff within the Trust to complete an enhanced DBS check as part of our on-boarding process in order to safeguard our students.