Subject Leader of Performing Arts (Drama specialist)

Permanent, Full Time

September 2022 start

Disruption free classrooms? Polite and respectful students? A supportive and highly visible SLT? Join Kingsley Academy, fast becoming one of the most impressive schools in the country.

Kingsley Academy is a school with a growing reputation for excellence not just in West London but nationally. Just 3 years ago, our school was in a very different place but with hard work, a culture change and simple and effective systems and structures our school has been completely transformed and is unrecognisable. We are now an Ofsted ‘Good’ school for the first time in our school’s history. Ofsted share that ‘the school has rapidly transformed in a short period of time, behaviour is consistently strong and a culture of respect, collaboration and mutual support permeates the school’. 

About our school:

At Kingsley Academy, we believe in morally driven education, and our staff and students model our academy ‘DNA’. The Principal and Senior Leadership Team are highly visible, proactive and ‘walk the talk’. They teach key exam groups, and ‘own’ whole school behaviour and culture. We operate a centralised approach towards behaviour. This means that we do not expect our teachers to have to run detentions or make negative phone calls home. That is all done centrally by the Senior and Pastoral teams. Our school corridors and classrooms are calm orderly places. Our staff and students deserve disruption free classrooms, every lesson, every day and we support our teachers to make this a reality. Want to see what this looks like in reality? Then take a look at our school tour, which shows a typical day at the academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWflMm0kUJQ&t=1s 

At Kingsley, we also believe in ensuring that teaching is a sustainable profession. By this, we mean that we eliminate unnecessary meetings and pointless paper tasks and instead put our time and energy into pedagogy, curriculum and supporting our students to achieve exceptional outcomes. We know that this is key to unlocking the very brightest futures for them. We run after school intervention every day for our Year 11 students, with all staff expected to contribute to an after school session once per week. In return we promise to reduce meetings and after school events unless they are absolutely necessary, and in particular have refined our school calendar so that between December and April, our sole focus can be supporting our students with their studies and readiness for their examinations. 

At Kingsley staff work hard, but we work in a collaborative, open and supportive way. We invest in staff development and work with colleagues to overcome any barriers or challenges that they may face.

An absolute strength of our school are our students. Visitors to our school (including supply teachers on the rare occasion that they visit) comment on our students’ polite and respectful attitudes, impressive behaviour and thirst for learning. Low level disruption is extremely rare and our students are committed to their learning. We believe in disruption free classrooms, every lesson, every day.

Our aim is to establish Kingsley as ‘a school at the heart of our community, developing knowledge, ambition and kindness to prepare students for success at university and the world beyond’. We are passionate about achieving social justice for our students and believe firmly that it should not be about where you come from that determines how successful you are in life.

About the role:

An exciting position has become available for a Subject Lead of Performing Arts working alongside our Director of Faculty for PE & Creative Arts to raise aspirations, progress and attainment for all pupils who study Performing Arts at Kingsley Academy. Performing Arts encompasses, both Drama and Music at Kingsley. They are both popular subjects at the school with an excellent, well planned and resourced curriculum, and high numbers of uptake at Key Stage 4. We do not currently offer any Performing Arts courses at KS5 but are open to reviewing this in the future.  The successful candidate will need to be a Drama specialist and will actively secure the commitment of Performing Arts to the vision, direction, climate, culture and policies of the Academy and lead by example at all times. 

You will also be expected to:   

• Lead the Performing Arts team and work with all colleagues who deliver their subjects as well as work collaboratively with other colleagues on relevant trips, visits and interdisciplinary topics.     
• Actively work with the Director of Faculty on raising standards of teaching, achievement and progress within Drama and Music so that all students can achieve excellence.

In exchange, we can offer you: 

A happy and harmonious school community, where staff are valued and respected (in our most recent staff survey 96% of staff said that they enjoy working at the school) 

• A centralised behaviour system - no detentions, no negative phone calls home! 

• A sensible approach to meetings - if they don’t need to happen, we don’t have them. 

• A dedicated staff wellbeing co-ordinator and working party 

• A centralised approach to planning, to ensure that we are all sharing our resources and minimising workload 

• A strong professional learning offer, with pathways to middle leadership 

• A teaching Principal and Senior Team who work on an 'open-door policy, who 'walk the talk' and are approachable, visible and proactive 

• An epic Christmas Party and Summer Barbecue!

If this sounds like a good fit, then we encourage you to apply for this fantastic role.

Closing date: 22nd May 2022 

In line with our safeguarding practices, we are unable to accept CV’s, and apply today.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. All candidates are advised to refer to the job description and person specification before making an application.

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate will be required for all posts. This post will be subject to enhanced checks as part of our Prevent Duty.

Academies Enterprise Trust embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. Job share, part time and flexible working opportunities will be considered. 

We are a Disability Confident Employer and there is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.