Head of Drama
Saffron Walden County High School
Essex
- £30,000 - £46,525 per year
- Expired
- Salary:
- MPS/UPS + TLR2
- Job type:
- Full Time, Part Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2024
- Apply by:
- 23 April 2024
Job overview
We are looking to appoint an energetic, ambitious and talented Head of Drama to our enthusiastic and dedicated department. The Head of Drama would lead the team in providing joyful learning, and outstanding progress and outcomes, for all students.
SWCHS is a thriving and happy learning community where students make excellent progress. The school provides a vibrant and dynamic learning environment underpinned by a culture of collaboration and effective pastoral care. Ensuring that staff and students thrive, are nurtured and developed, and enjoy the fantastic opportunities on offer is at the heart of everything we do.
SWCHS is also host to the award winning, international venue Saffron Hall. The Head of Drama will work in collaboration with Saffron Hall, and the Director of Music, to give young people access to world-class experiences of performing productions in this outstanding venue, and other drama spaces within the school.
The SWCHS drama department has a reputation for excellence with high results reflecting the exciting quality of teaching and learning. Teachers are innovative when developing their skills in the classroom and thrive on collaboration. The successful applicant will work with a dedicated team to shape and deliver an engaging curriculum, varied and vibrant extra-curricular opportunities including productions, and a programme of professional development for colleagues.
What we offer:
- An open and collaborative community which trusts and supports its teachers
- Motivated and well-behaved students who are keen to learn and participate in lessons
- Cross-curricular collaboration and a rich extra-curricular programme
- A comprehensive programme for Early Careers Teachers (see below)
- Extensive CPD opportunities including National Professional Qualifications
- Coaching and mentoring opportunities open to all
- High-quality research-based professional development
- Exciting professional development programmes helping you aspire to leadership
We would like you to:
- Demonstrate enthusiasm, energy, and passion for your subject
- Have excellent subject knowledge and the ability to deliver an engaging curriculum
- Have the capacity to teach Drama across key stages 3-5
- Be keen to form positive relationships with every learner and be determined to help them make good progress
- Be a positive team player who likes to work with, and support, others
- Be keen to continue to develop your practice, sharing what works best with your team
We welcome applications from those interested in full-time or part-time work.
We operate a Bike to Work scheme and there is an early years nursery on our site.
Support for Early Careers Teachers: Saffron Walden County High School was an early adopter of the Early Career Framework. We are also an accredited Appropriate Body for Early Career Teachers. We are therefore extremely well placed to be able to provide the best quality mentoring, coaching and CPD in your formative years of teaching.
What our colleagues said in our recent staff survey:
"Induction for new staff was useful and supportive."
"I feel staff wellbeing is given a high priority here and staff benefit from it."
"I am proud to be part of a school where every teacher matters and every student is cared about. I really value how much I am invested in and known personally by the senior leadership team, and the efforts the school puts in to ensuring its staff are happy and developing professionally."
"I believe this school has helped me grow as a teacher, in my teaching abilities, academic understanding and leadership skills. Having worked elsewhere, I know that this is rare and it has made me feel like this school is a great place to develop my career."
"I have really appreciated all the opportunities there are at SWCHS for staff. I have benefited from and enjoyed the chance to participate in leadership programmes, CPD and trips."
Attached documents
About Saffron Walden County High School
- Saffron Walden County High School
- Audley End Road, Saffron Walden
- Essex
- CB11 4UH
- United Kingdom
“Saffron Walden County High School is an outstanding school providing an outstanding quality of education for all its students.” – OFSTED 2012
Saffron Walden County High School is committed to providing education of exceptional quality for its local community. That we have been successful in this goal is shown by our examination results, our University successes, by our drama and musical performances, by our sporting activity and by the many and varied activities our pupils are involved in.
Our top priority is to ensure that each student makes the greatest possible academic progress. We want all our students to aim high and fulfil their academic potential. We believe that pupils achieve highly when those around them expect high standards and when they consistently experience teaching which is stimulating, challenging and enthusiastic. Whilst our approach to teaching and learning is both creative and innovative, our expectations around student conduct are explicit and consistent.
We are a big school - on the outside. It is that which allows us to provide an exceptional range of skills, expertise and resources but we are small - on the inside. We do not lose sight of the individual. Our skilled and professional staff is dedicated to supporting every child in all they do. This ensures that our pupils are happy and secure in their time with us and that that they achieve their full potential.
Examinations are not the only measure of educational success. That is why we place so much emphasis on providing extra-curricular opportunities. Participation in these activities enables our students to develop a wider range of interests and also to acquire essential personal skills which will be of great benefit to them in their future careers. There is something for everyone at County High, from the Duke of Edinburgh Award to Chess Club. Many pupils learn musical instruments, so we have two orchestras, a Concert Band, a Junior Band, a Jazz Band, choirs and many other ensembles. Regular concerts provide valuable opportunities to practise musical skills before an appreciative audience. The quality of our drama productions is well documented – all pupils have many opportunities to take part in studio or large scale productions – an immense range of modern theatre is presented. Art Club, opportunities to perform in dance productions….small wonder that we are one of the few recipients of the Arts Council’s Artsmark Platinum Award.
Saffron Hall, our magnificent auditorium, opened in September 2013. This offers unparalleled world class opportunities for our students and further enhances our Arts provision.
Sport is a real strength of the school. The PE department has a strong commitment to providing both competitive and recreational opportunities in all major sports. Anybody who is keen and wishes to improve their standard is welcome to attend the many sports clubs. Our Sports Centre provides a rich environment to develop sporting skills. As with the Arts, excellence of our provision has been recognised by the Sportsmark Gold Award.
County High is an exciting and dynamic place to work. We are a learning community and seek to develop all of our staff by providing structured opportunities for professional development that improve pupil outcomes. We have a range of development groups, an active Research Community and an extensive collaborative network of partnerships with other schools, colleges and universities. Our work in Initial Teacher Education, CPD and leadership development has recently been recognised through the award of National Teaching School status.
County High is a memberl of Saffron Academy Trust which includes Alec Hunter Academy in Braintree, Katherine Semar Infants and Junior Schools and R A Butler Infant and Junior Schools.
This is an enormously exciting time to be joining Saffron Walden County High School. We were delighted to have the school’s achievements so overwhelmingly endorsed by Ofsted in May 2012, and are now focusing on the next stage of the school’s development. We are also greatly excited that the work of the Saffron Academy Trust and the Saffron Alliance (our teaching school network) are bringing considerable professional development opportunities for staff at all levels and the potential to further enrich the education provision for our students.
We hope you will wish to play a leading role in shaping the next stage of County High’s development.
We welcome your application to join us.
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