Head of Science
Grace Academy Coventry
Coventry
- Quick apply
- Expired
- Salary:
- MPS/UPS + TLR (value dependant on experience)
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- From Easter or September 2020
Job overview
Head of Science | From Easter or September 2020
This an exciting time to join Grace Academy! Having recently had a successful Ofsted we are looking to expand our team.
If you are looking for a new challenge? If you want to be part of an outward looking forward thinking school then Grace Academy Coventry may be the place for you. We are a rapidly improving school and are currently celebrating our best GCSE results ever and under the leadership of a new Principal we are continuing to raise standards.
We are pleased to offer this fantastic opportunity for an inspirational, ambitious and passionate science teacher to lead the department. The Science department’s vision is to develop students with secure knowledge of the curriculum content which creates enthusiastic learners who are able to understand, appreciate and make sense of the world around them.
This intent has seen our outcomes shift significantly in previous years, eventually resulting in a progress score of +0.11 for the 2018/2019 academic year. This made Science the highest performing core subject and put the department above national average for outcomes. For 2018/2019 our disadvantaged, SEN and HPA progress scores were all above the national average for these sub-groups.
We have a three-year upward trajectory of results whereby students leaving with two or more GCSE’s has shifted from 27% in 2017, to 45% in 2018, eventually moving to 65% in 2019. Similarly, students leaving with at least one GCSE in Science has progressed from 33% (2017), to 59% (2018) where in 2019 it was 75%.
Over the previous years we have built and embedded our 5 year Curriculum Map which has clearly sequenced lessons, building on pupils’ knowledge each year. The Curriculum Map ensures in Years 7 and 8 the key principles of science are taught to lay down the foundations for Years 9, 10 and 11.
We assess the impact of this curriculum through our unique approach to marking which uses ‘Progress Checkers’ fortnightly which are marked and put into their folder by the student. Our intent was centred on the students ‘knowing more’ to allow them to figure out more.
On a day-to-day basis we use the following strategies:
o Our starters are always a ‘Do Now Activity’ which takes the form of retrieval questions which test prior learning
o Weekly homework is sequenced by term and quizzes the students on areas they will have covered up to that point
o Low-stakes quizzing: teachers quiz every lesson in the form of 5-10 retrieval questions on any area covered in the curriculum to that point which are recorded in the students ‘low-stakes quiz book’
We prepare our students for either AQA Trilogy: Combined Science or AQA Biology, Chemistry and Physics. At sixth-form, we offer our students the opportunity to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics at A-level. We also, provide the BTEC Applied Science course which was implemented during the 2018/2019 academic year.
We pride ourselves on our caring ethos with a strong and genuine focus on staff wellbeing, putting development and wellbeing at the heart of our work. We work hard to look after our pool of talented staff who are encouraged to grow, develop and work collaboratively. Regular CPD sessions are built into our directed time to ensure that all our staff are able to develop their strengths in their current role as well as to prepare for the next steps in their career.
About you:
We are looking to appoint a highly skilled, experienced and strong science teacher who will lead, motivate and inspire others. The successful candidate will have prior line management experience and the skills and ability to lead a forward-thinking department, focused on developing engaging learning experiences and a challenging and inspiring curriculum that enthuses and enables students to pursue science to the full extent of their ability.
School visits are welcome and encouraged.
How to apply
For more information and to apply, please contact Mike Sherwin on:
T: 0116 253 2389 / 07525 889925
E: academygrace@hays.com
W: https://microcontrib.hays.com/web/grace-academy/home
Closing date for applications 10am Monday 27th January 2020
About Grace Academy Coventry
Grace Academy is a welcoming and caring community where our core values of Limitless Potential, Intentional Excellence, Mutual Respect, Genuine Integrity and Amazing Grace underpin all that we do through ‘The Grace Way’. Our Values are central to our ethos, day-to-day curriculum, extra-curricular activities and pastoral structures. We are aspirational and proud of who we are as we fundamentally believe that all our students should thrive at school and that they have the Limitless Potential to succeed.
We have amazing students here at Grace who deserve the best possible life chances. We encourage students to be praised and recognised for their achievements whilst at the same time being challenged to meet our high expectations of them.
At the centre of all we do is the focus of what is best for our students; we not only focus on the academic excellence of students but also work with students on supporting them to be the best people they can be. My team and I pride ourselves on making decisions from a position of integrity. As a parent myself, I strongly believe that if it is not good enough for my children, then it is not good enough for Grace students. This is even more important in the current climate, as we put student wellbeing and aspirations at the heart of all that we do. We believe it is important for all students leaving Grace Academy to have the self-belief and qualifications they need in order to follow the path they have chosen; that students do not limit themselves and that staff and parents work together to support them in raising their expectations and aspirations. This is without doubt a strength of the school where we achieved ‘outstanding’ in our Ofsted inspection for Personal Development.
We value our staff and pride ourselves on our caring ethos with a strong and genuine focus on staff wellbeing. We are committed to developing our staff at all stages of their career, both internally and externally. This was recogrnised as a strength of Grace in our recent Ofsted inspection: ‘The school has implemented a well-thought-out, professional development programme for staff. Staff workload is carefully considered, which staff appreciate.
We have a friendly, innovative and exciting community in which to work and offer a variety of attractive benefits, such as an onsite gym and use of the sporting facilities, free eye care vouchers, refreshments available throughout the day, free lunches when on duty and the opportunity to be a part of the Staff Wellbeing and Workload Committees.
Grace Academy joined the Tove Learning Trust in April 2019. We are a close knit family of schools that have a shared vision and purpose: to deliver outstanding educational experiences that lead to inspiring outcomes. Each academy has a strong individual identity and tailors their educational provision to serve their local community. Academies within the Trust collaborate to share expertise and maximise opportunities and experiences for our staff and students.
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