Makerspace Facilitator
School 21
Stratford, Newham
- Expired
- Salary:
- Inner London (competitive based on skills and experience)
- Job type:
- Full Time, Fixed Term
- Start date:
- As soon as possible
- Apply by:
- 15 November 2018
Job overview
Apply by: Thursday, 15th November 2018 at 9am
Likely interview date: Week commencing 19th November 2018
School21 has just built an exciting Makerspace; now we need someone equally exciting to run it.
The Context
School21 in Stratford, East London is a non-selective, state-funded 4-18 school that believes in an education of head, heart AND hand. It teaches in a variety of ways including through projects set in real-world contexts.
As part of its commitment to this philosophy, it has recently remodelled its central hall into a Makerspace. This is a space made up of number of specialist studios located off a central multi-purpose arena for a range of different types of making – from product design and manufacturing to graphics, coding, animation, photography and fine art. It is part of the school’s Art, Design & Technology (ADT) Department and is gradually being equipped with a wide range of both low-tech and high-tech tools and machines.
The opportunity
The potential here is exceptional for the right person, to take the facility and turn it into something really special in the lives of the S21 pupils and their teachers.
We envisage the Makerspace being the home to four basic kinds of activity...
- timetabled lessons run by the Art and Design Teachers, from fine art to graphics, photography, digital media and product design for students in our middle, secondary and Sixth Form
- more fluid, untimetabled, drop-in sessions where students can visit before school, at lunchtime and after school (maybe even at weekends and in the holidays) to design, make, tinker and generally create
- timetabled cross-curricular sessions bringing pupils and teachers from other disciplines into the Makerspace for the making elements of a project
- exhibiting the beautiful work produced by the pupils
The job
This is potentially a big job, requiring high energy over a long day. It might not start that way, but we think it will grow. So we are very open to the idea of it developing into a job share, with one person running the mornings and one the afternoons.
In order to support the four activities outlined above, we envisage the Makerspace Facilitator(s) doing four things in the course of a typical day:
- Facilitating and supervising the design and make drop-ins and clubs
- Preparing resources for the teachers (both the ADT team and others) and teaching small groups - for example on how to use the tools and machines
- Technical duties maintaining equipment/resources and making purchases orders ans ensuring the the Makerspace studios are well maintained and equipped
- Helping to curate, set up and maintain exhibitions of work
You will be line managed by the Director of the Makerspace.
The right person (or persons)
We are sure that the right person or persons will make the job grow in ways and directions that we can’t envisage at the moment. So they might come from any number of possible backgrounds.
By training they might be designers and/or makers, artists and/or technologists. They might have a teaching background or be new to the world of education.
Perhaps their key capabilities will be in designing and making in a variety of media and technologies, and their fundamental attribute will be great enthusiasm and energy.
It might be someone who is an art teacher or practitioner in a primary school who is used to many and vaired projects, finding clever ways of resourcing activities and working with a range of students.
The key qualities we are looking for are:
- a passion for making
- an agile ability to work with a range of methods and media
- an ability to multitask
- great people skills both facilitating teachers and pupils
- being comfortable with the start up face of a new venture where there is uncertainty edge
- initiative to shape the role
- a belief that all children whatever their background can do extraordinary things
- being organised
What next?
Please fill in the applicationform (www.school21.org.uk)
Do come and visit or have a chat if you think you might be interested in the role. Please email Anne Shaker at careers@school21.org.uk
We are hoping to interview and appoint someone as soon as possible, so please don’t hold back.
School 21 is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding children.
About School 21
About School 21
School 21 is a pioneering 4 to 18 school in Stratford, East London, for girls and boys and children from all starting points and backgrounds. We are looking for the next cohort of teachers who want to continue to shape the school so that it stays at the forefront of innovation in education.
School 21 is a very special and different kind of place to work in. We empower staff to find their voice and their creativity. We offer collaboration and learning across ages and subjects. All staff have tailored programmes of professional development which results in extraordinary outcomes for the students. We offer multiple routes for progression through subjects and pedagogies. We believe strongly in developing the full potential of all staff.
The mission of School 21 is to empower young people to take on the world. Through a rich curriculum of ‘head’, ‘heart’ and ‘hand’ we want children knowing a lot, understanding themselves and making things happen. Our ‘dialogic approach’ to teaching helps children learn through talk and learn to talk and give everyone a voice.
We think schools should be places where children craft stunning work with real products, for real audiences and as a result of real teacher collaboration. Over the past few years our students have created immersive theatre productions depicting the French and Russian revolutions, built mechanical toys bursting with scientific craft. They have spoken out about human rights, ran campaigns to improve the biodiversity of Stratford and charted local history through photographs and poetry. Student work has been critiqued by directors and historians, professors and artists. All work is displayed, celebrated and challenged at termly Exhibitions of Beautiful Work where children tell us their stories of learning, drawing on their deep wells of oracy and well-being.
Please note that you are wholly responsible for fact checking in respect of the information provided by schools. Please also check for the latest visa and work permit requirements that may apply. Tes is not responsible for the content of advertisements or the policies adopted by advertising schools. Tes asks that all schools follow Tes' Fair Recruitment Policy.