Head of Design and Technology

Do you ‘dare for greatness’? Come and join a team who are really making a difference… 

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 recruiting for our Head of Design & Technology 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.

Closing date: 6 December 2019 

The Role 

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. You will lead the professional community of Design & Technology to ensure high attainment of DT across the school. 

Key Responsibilities 

Leadership and Management of the Subject Team 

• Support, develop and line manage the department’s staff, through the provision of CPD, inset training days, supervising NQTs, ITT students and support staff, etc. 

• Monitor, evaluate and continually improve the quality of planning, teaching, and assessment of all members of the D&T 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 D&T 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 D&T, 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  

Qualification Criteria  

• Qualified to teach and work in the UK 

• Degree in an applicable subject  

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Experience of raising attainment in a challenging classroom environment  

• Experience of leading a team and/or developing others 

• Experience of having designed, implemented and evaluated effective, imaginative and stimulating Schemes of Work 

• Experience of improving the quality of teaching and learning through the development of schemes of work and high quality resources 

• Experience of leading successful enrichment which inspire and motivate learners 

• Experience of interpreting complex student data to drive lesson planning and student progress 

• Excellent understanding of both subject and general teaching pedagogy  

• Effective and systematic behaviour management  

• Knowledge of the national secondary education system, examinations and curriculum 

Personal Characteristics 

• Genuine passion for and a belief in the potential of every student 

• Deep commitment to Ark’s mission of providing an excellent education to every student, regardless of background 

• Excellent interpersonal, planning and organisational skills 

• Resilient, motivated and committed to achieving excellence  

• Reflective and proactive in seeking feedback to constantly improve practice 

• Commitment to regular and on-going professional development and training to establish outstanding classroom practice 

• Commitment to and understanding of professionalism in line with the National Teaching Standards 

Other  

• Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all students