Head of Performing Arts

We are seeking to appoint an inspirational Head of Department who will demonstrate a clear vision for the delivery of a high quality provision in Drama and Music. The successful candidate will be an outstanding classroom practitioner with the commitment, energy and vision to lead our Performing Arts team and to guide and inspire our students to develop their abilities to the full. 

In Summer 2020, we are due to complete work on a new Arts Centre; a purpose built 380 person capacity theatre complete with retractable seating, LED lighting, sprung floor and art gallery space. We are very excited by the opportunities this project will provide our students as we further develop our performing arts programmes.  

What we are looking for: 

• A committed practitioner, who will want to attain the highest standards in teaching and learning and who will expect excellence from teachers and students 
• An experienced teacher who has already demonstrated leadership potential in their current post

Plymstock School is a highly successful school, which over the last three years has achieved one of the strongest Progress 8 scores in the South West, as well as the highest in the city for non-selective schools. We are a very popular choice with parents and are significantly oversubscribed. Plymstock is a suburb of Plymouth and lies approximately three miles to the east of the city. It is within easy access of the A38, and teachers commute from Cornwall, Dartmoor and the South Hams. 

Plymstock School is part of the Westcountry Schools Trust, a tight knit family of schools based around natural geographical proximity in the South West.  Formed in 2017, the WeST family currently consists of 22 schools, of which 7 are secondary and 15 primary.

WeST holds a firm belief in giving each child every opportunity to learn and succeed in all that they do.  Whilst we are a family of schools who share common values and beliefs, all our schools are unique and hold their own identity.  We believe that by working collectively, sharing what works well and jointly developing best practice, we are stronger together and can provide the very best education for our children in our geographical area.

Why work at Plymstock School?  

We believe that Plymstock School is a truly unique and special place to work. Our objective is simple – we want to be a world-class learning community that enables all young people to succeed. Our aspirations spread beyond the region and we are aiming to be in the top 1% of all schools nationally. 

Teaching and learning is at the heart of what we do at Plymstock. Our curriculum is broad, balanced and provides students with the opportunity to discover their hidden talents. We insist all staff have the highest expectations of every child, regardless of background, and use evidence-based practice in the classroom. Our school improvement plan is short, simple and focused on the classroom. Priorities are exclusively focused on teaching – specifically metacognition and building long-term memory. We aim to ensure that in every classroom our students experience consistent and highly effective teaching and learning.

Our standards of discipline are very high and consequently teachers really can teach at our school. Our behaviour management system is simple, quick and highly effective. We are a school that still subscribes to traditional expectations for behaviour, and you will find many things that you won’t see elsewhere, such as all students standing when an adult enters a classroom. 

We take workload seriously and have reduced the volume of meetings, addressed marking/feedback load, eliminated low-level disruption and importantly we listen to staff feedback and make positive changes wherever possible.  

Relationships between staff and students are great and a real strength of this school. Our staff are happy, morale is good and staff turnover is low – people want to work here. 

If you are still interested there are a number of questions we need you to consider next. Are you someone who… 

• believes in, and is committed to, our ambition to be world-class
• sees working with young people as a vocation or calling rather than just a job
• believes that improvement is continuous and that we can always learn more 
• will go the extra mile for our great students 
• stays positive, committed and won’t give up, even when times are tough 
• doesn’t have a big ego and is committed to the team 
• is polite and respectful to others, and understands the importance of strong and  supportive working relationships 
• has a good sense of humour 
• has an excellent attendance record 
• brings solutions and ideas, rather than problems  
• is open to new ideas and will always give something a try

If you can say yes to all of these and want to work in an exciting and dynamic environment, with an amazing group of students and a top-quality team of staff – then Plymstock School is for you and we would warmly welcome your application. Application forms should  be submitted  to recruitment@plymstockschool.org.uk 

If you would like additional information or to discuss this post please email recruitment@plymstockschool.org.uk 

Closing date: 9am Wednesday 22 April

Shortlisting will take place immediately following the deadline date but interviews will only take place once it is safe for us to do so.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS disclosure is required for this post.