Head of Performing Arts

Drama specialism with ability to teach Music

Westfield Academy is looking to appoint a passionate and inspiring Drama teacher with the ability to lead the Performing Arts department (comprising Drama, Music and Dance). This post will appeal to experienced Drama teachers with the drive to join a developing department.

Our successful candidate will provide professional leadership to a team of teachers and support staff, have responsibility for delivering high-quality teaching with the aim of helping students develop a broad base of skills through practical and theoretical work at both Key Stage 3 and 4.

A full job description is available, but in addition our successful candidate will:

• Contribute to the overall ethos, work and aims of the Academy
• Be accountable for student progress and development in Performing Arts in every year group as the Academy grows.
• Raise standards of student attainment and achievement within the whole curriculum area and to monitor and support student progress.
• Plan, prepare and deliver purposeful and productive lessons to assigned classes.
• Be prepared to innovate and devise imaginatively varied ways of Drama and Music.
• Contribute imaginatively to the co-curricular and extra-curricular of the Academy as required by the Head of Faculty or Deputy Headteacher, and be prepared to run or assist with activities beyond lesson times and on Saturdays when required.
• Ensure that they are familiar with the Academy’s health and safety guidance and be responsible for their own health and safety and that of their pupils.
• Be prepared to undertake the pastoral role of a form tutor

Why work at Westfield?

At Westfield, one size doesn’t fit all. We are not and never will be a selective Academy. We believe that it is our duty to cater to the wide variety of needs of all our students. Our numbers have increased dramatically over the last few years, as has our reputation.

You will join a caring supportive staff team with access to great sporting facilities and to a comprehensive wellbeing program. We are looking for talented individuals and are determined to develop your careers to their full potential. Most of our senior staff and middle leaders have been supported in their developmental journey, including our Senior Leads for CPD and Pastoral Support & Inclusion.

To flourish with us, you need to be hard-working, flexible, engaging and professional. You need to have high expectations for yourself, your colleagues and your students. Working at Westfield is rewarding but hard work, and you will need enthusiasm, creativity and a great sense of humour, alongside a willingness to throw yourself into all aspects of Academy life.

About us

We are an over-subscribed, high-performing, non-selective Academy. We have been a consistently “Good” OFSTED school since 2012, with our most recent inspection being December 2019. Our students have consistently achieved some of the best exam results in Southwest Hertfordshire.

In December 2016, we moved into a ‘new build’. This gave our students the learning environment they deserved, and they have thrived in it.

Our ethos is built on the words Believe | Strive | Achieve. We believe that students should have the highest possible aspirations for their future, and that through our support and hard work they should be able to achieve whatever they wish for.