Teacher of Dance and Drama

Closing date: 12:00pm, Wednesday 14 March 2018
Interviews to be held week commencing: 19 March 2018

Surbiton High School is part of United Learning, a large and growing group of schools aiming to offer a life changing education to children and young people across England. Schools within United Learning work as a team and achieve more by sharing than any single school could. Our intranet site, United Hub, is just one example of how we share resource and communicate across sites, helping to simplify work processes and manage workloads for an improved work-life balance. We reward our staff: with good career opportunities, better pay, benefits, and ultimately the satisfaction of supporting schools in their quest to give every child the opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential.

To inspire, encourage and empower our students to achieve their very best in the subjects of Dance and Drama, Surbiton High School seeks to appoint an outstanding practitioner to support the development of Dance in school and retain the high standards of Drama. This is an exciting opportunity for a talented and innovative teacher to add to both the School’s Dance and Drama provision. The successful candidate will be able to develop the standards and opportunities in academic and co-curricular Dance and Drama. GCSE and A-Level Drama are popular subjects with our students and numbers taking Dance GCSE and A-Level are growing since the addition of the subject to the curriculum over two years ago.

A successful candidate will ideally be able to teach to GCSE in both subjects and A-level in at least Drama or Dance from September 2018. The role will also include some KS3 Drama teaching. We are looking for a dedicated and approachable individual who is also an ambitious and visionary practitioner of Dance and Drama. This role within the School will offer the person appointed an exciting opportunity to contribute to the varied work of this flourishing department.

The Drama and Dance Department at Surbiton High School is well established and is responsible for a range of co-curricular activities and productions each year. All pupils study Drama in Years 7, 8 and 9; there is a significant number of pupils who take it as an option at GCSE (Eduqas syllabus) as well as a healthy number at A-level (Edexcel syllabus). GCSE Dance was launched in September 2015 and has received a strong level of pupil interest since then, with A-Level being introduced in 2017.

Staffing in the department currently comprises one part-time and three full-time academic teachers as well as a Director in Residence. Pupils throughout the School are well motivated and results in public examinations are excellent. Each year, the department produces a Year 7 Production, a Year 8/9 Production, a Senior Production and the Whole School Musical, which is performed at the Rose Theatre in Kingston; recent musical productions have included Beauty and the Beast, Oliver!, Grease, Annie and High School Musical. There are also a number of GCSE and A-level showcase evenings as well as a range of co-curricular Drama clubs. The Teacher of Dance and Drama will support the Head of Dance in our extensive dance-based co-curricular clubs as well as supporting the dance elements within the Musical.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan Schemes of Work for GCSE Dance and Drama as well as A-Level in at least one of the two subjects which will enable pupils to achieve well in all aspects of the curriculum.
• Support and run aspects of our wide range of co-curricular Dance and Drama clubs to challenge and extend our students’ knowledge and understanding of these subjects outside the classroom. Clubs will be somewhat determined with the successful candidate’s skills / areas of interest in mind.
• Support with choreographing and directing the annual Whole School Musical.
• Run after-school rehearsals, as applicable, to teach pupils the choreography.
• Design rehearsal sessions that develop pupils’ understanding and knowledge of Dance and/or Drama and Theatre, as well as promising a successful outcome for the production.
• Create a positive and welcoming rehearsal environment in which pupils will thrive.
• Assist on other department productions, as required.
• Deliver occasional expert workshops:
• Run one-off workshops on specialism area(s).
• Run seminars / talks on relevant topics.
• Support Options’ Evenings and taster sessions for GCSE and A-level Dance and Drama to promote the subjects.
• Build links with other areas in the School and in the wider community.
• Help to prepare and coach candidates for Dance auditions or for further Dance study.
• Support on Dance and Drama GCSE and A-level theatre visits, when required.
• Help with the upkeep of the department’s technical and design equipment, where applicable.
• Act as a mentor to Performing Arts Scholars.
• Participate in major School events such as Open Days.
   

The successful candidate will be likely to fit the following profile, though other relevant qualifications, skills and experience will also be considered:

The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, be able to manage their own time and work efficiently and effectively with a high degree of self-motivation. The candidate will have excellent subject knowledge and significant experience of working with young people.

• A degree or conservatoire-level training in Dance or a related discipline, or significant professional experience (similar levels of experience in Drama are desirable)
• A postgraduate teaching qualification (QTS desirable but not essential)
• The ability to inspire, motivate and support pupils and colleagues in a successful and dynamic school
• Personal warmth to gain the confidence of pupils, staff and parents
• Ability to communicate concisely and sensitively, both orally and in writing, to a variety of audiences
• Positive, enthusiastic and energetic approach to life
• Committed to Surbiton High School’s ethos and strategic vision

Surbiton High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Please note that the School reserves the right to appoint at any stage during the recruitment process.

For any queries relating to the role or your application, please email recruitment@surbitonhigh.com

To Apply

Please apply online by clicking on the following link: https://unitedlearning.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/1163627?cid=1567

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