Teacher of French & Spanish

Brand-new all-through mixed 4-18 comprehensive in Redbridge.

Contract: Part-time (Ideally looking for a candidate to work 2/3 days per week).

Nearest train station: Seven Kings

Ofsted: Outstanding in all areas (2014)

Thank you for your interest in the post of French and Spanish teacher at Isaac Newton Academy, an ARK School. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to introduce myself, to give some details about our school and to describe the kind of candidate we hope to appoint to this key position.

Isaac Newton Academy opened in September 2012 in Ilford, East London, in brand new, purpose-built accommodation. The Academy has been carefully designed with ARK’s philosophy in mind and has facilities and resources to support a rich and diverse 21st century curriculum. It has an intake of 180 year 7 students each year. The sixth form is about to open this coming autumn. When full, in 2018, the secondary school will be 1,250 students (900 11 – 16 year olds and 350 sixth formers). In 2014 the primary phase of the Academy opened to 90 reception-aged pupils. This too will grow year on year, until full in 2020. The Academy benefits from joining a number of successful secondary schools in the diverse Redbridge community as well as being part of the ARK Schools network.

I feel both privileged and excited to have been appointed as Isaac Newton Academy’s Principal. This is my third Headship but without doubt my most exciting leadership opportunity. The chance to create a new and outstanding school from scratch, designing the curriculum, policies and procedures, structuring the school day and year and appointing the staff, is a rare and golden one.

In June 2014 the Academy had its first full OFSTED inspection. It was graded outstanding in all areas.

MFL at Isaac Newton Academy is taught by a talented team of subject specialists, some very experienced, some newer to teaching, who plan collaboratively and share a commitment to the continuing development of their subject knowledge and MFL pedagogy. Students all study French and Spanish in Year 7. They then decide which of these languages to specialise in from Year 8 onwards. A large number of students choose to study a MFL at GCSE. Students study languages for two hours per week at KS3 and three at KS4. The department is generously resourced. The average class size is twenty six. The department has run very popular and successful trips to Barcelona and a chateau in France for immersion in the language. We also have annual visiting productions of Les Trois Mousquetaires and Don Quixote. We are opening our sixth form in September 2017 and we have had a lot of interest in both French and Spanish A levels. We also plan that our secondary MFL teachers will deliver MFL lessons to our KS2 pupils in the primary school from September 2017.

We are seeking an outstanding teacher of French and Spanish, with the possibility of a TLR for a candidate who has exceptional leadership potential.

First and foremost, I am looking for an individual who is committed to ARK’s six pillars and feels as passionately as I do about the school’s vision (outlined in the prospectus found on the Academy website). You will read that at Isaac Newton Academy we have extremely high expectations of ourselves and of each and every student. It is important that the post holder believes unswervingly that, regardless of background or prior attainment, every student entering the school has the potential to leave with a set of qualifications that will enable them to pursue their education at a top university. We set ourselves very ambitious goals, and the post holder will play a central role in ensuring that Isaac Newton becomes a truly great school. He/she will require determination, resilience, optimism and creativity in order to ensure that effective and efficient systems are in place to support every student to achieve their target grades.

It is my vision that Isaac Newton Academy will be at the centre of the local community, with opportunities for the students’ parents, siblings and neighbours to attend classes and benefit from the amazing facilities. I am looking to appoint a Head of MFL who shares this desire to enrich the lives of residents of Ilford and make the school a true community school.

And what you can expect from me as your Principal? I will be committed to providing you with the environment, support and resources necessary to carry out your role to an outstanding level. I will prioritise your professional development needs. I will ensure that you receive supportive and developmental line management and coaching.

If what you have read about Isaac Newton Academy chimes with your personal educational philosophy, I very much hope that you will consider applying for the post. This is a key role in the Academy and a challenging yet highly rewarding opportunity.

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Gina Webb, HR Officer, on 020 8911 6666 or g.webb@isaacnewtonacademy.org.

Visits to our school are encouraged; to arrange, please call 0208 911 6666.

To apply please go to https://goo.gl/LHRdFp. Please complete your application by 11am on Wednesday 10th May 2017. If you have any technical issues with the application form, please contact the recruitment team on 0203 116 6345 or schools.recruitment@arkonline.org.

Deadline: 11am on Wednesday 10th May 2017

Isaac Newton Academy, Redbridge
Principal: Rachel Macfarlane