Head of MathematicsOutwood Academy Portland

Application Pack

Contents

Welcome Letter

Copy of the Advertisement

Outwood Grange Academies Trust Vision

Job Description

Person Specification

Child Safeguarding Policy

Explanatory Notes

How to Apply

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Welcome Letter

Dear applicant

Thank you for your interest in the position of Head of Mathematics working within the Outwood Grange Family of Schools.

Outwood Grange Academies Trust is an education charity that has a proven track record of revolutionary school improvement and transforming the lives of children and young people.

Outwood Academy Portland, places students at the centre of everything it does, with a focus on creating a culture of success, a positive climate for learning, and increased student attainment, achievement and social and emotional development. Following a recent Ofsted inspection Outwood Academy Portland was graded as outstanding in all 5 categories. Examination results place student progress within the academy well within the top 5% of all schools nationally, with 76% of students gaining 5A*-C grades including English and Maths on the new measure.

You will be joining a highly innovative, inspirational and ambitious organisation, so we are seeking an outstanding candidate who can realise the highest possible quality of services to support our educational vision, strong leadership and effective support to colleagues, to enable the organisation to achieve the best possible outcomes for students.

This is an exciting and very rewarding role and we look forward to receiving your application.

Yours faithfully

Sir Michael WilkinsChief Executive and Academy Principal

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Advertisement

Outwood Academy Portland, Netherton Road, Worksop, S80 2SFHead of MathsL7-L11 (£44,397 to £48,990) + Negotiable Recruitment Incentive

If you’ve got the talent, we’ve got all the support you need to become our Head of Maths.

Becoming Head of Maths in an Outstanding school is a big step. So we’re ready to give you all the support you need to become a great leader and take our achievements to the next level. From your first day, you’ll have a very experienced mentor – one of our outstanding Associate Directors of Maths from the Outwood Family of Schools – to guide you and encourage you to grow personally and professionally.

But that’s just the beginning. Every member of the team benefits from two hours’ CPD each week, along with opportunities to access courses through the Outwood Institute of Education. What’s more, we have three academies within Worksop, meaning you can build your experience across multiple schools.

You’ll find Outwood Academy Portland a warm and welcoming school, where students love to learn and every member of the community feels valued and engaged. We operate at the heart of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust, so there’s plenty of scope to build your career across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire and move into the highest levels of leadership.

So whether you’re a current Head or Deputy Head of Maths or an ambitious teacher looking for the next step up, it’s time we talked.

Please contact Dr Phil Smith, Associate Executive Principal, on 01909 471010 or Kathryn Greenhalgh, Senior Director of Maths, on 07590 351752 for an informal discussion, or to arrange a visit to the academy.

For further information and an application form please visit our website at www.outwood.com or email hr@portland.outwood.com

Closing date: 29 March 2015 at noon.

The Outwood Grange Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments will be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

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Ethos and VisionOutwood Grange Academies Trust VisionThe Trust places students at the centre of everything it does, with a focus on creating a culture of success, a positive climate for learning, and increased student attainment, achievement and social and emotional development. In raising standards for its own students the Trust will contribute to the raising of educational standards and achievement generally across the locality through the mutual sharing of knowledge, expertise and resources from across the education, business, industry and voluntary sectors and the wider regional, national and global communities.

The whole purpose of schools is that children come first and everything that is done must reflect this single goal. The Trust’s mantra is an all-encompassing ‘Students First’. It is an absolute priority that every student, irrespective of their starting point, succeeds and achieves. In order to do this, a high quality educational experience will be an entitlement for every student, with all parties; students, staff, parents/ carers, and the wider community working together to achieve these goals for young people within the community.

The Trust provides a high quality learning and cultural environment that inspires and motivates children and the wider community to engage/re-engage in education. The ‘Students First’ philosophy drives policy, practice and governance in order to achieve this.

Leadership development, succession planning, and capacity building are also major priorities for the Trust.

Academies within the Trust Outwood Grange Academy, Wakefield Outwood Academy Acklam, Middlesbrough Outwood Academy Adwick, Doncaster Outwood Academy Brumby, Scunthorpe Outwood Academy Bydales, Marske-by-the-Sea Outwood Academy City, Sheffield Outwood Academy Foxhills, Scunthorpe Outwood Academy Newbold, Chesterfield Outwood Academy Portland, Worksop Outwood Academy Ripon, Ripon Outwood Academy Shafton, Barnsley Outwood Academy Valley, Worksop Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate, Wakefield Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane, Wakefield Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate, Wakefield

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Job DescriptionJob Title: Head of Maths

Reporting to: The Principal Grade: L7-L11

Accountable for: Subject department

Overall purpose of the post:

The role of Head of Maths will involve leading your subject area to ensure outstanding outcomes for students. This includes Learning and Teaching, curriculum provision, standard of attainment and behaviour and safety within maths. As Head of Department you will provide a vision for developing your subject. You will provide highly engaging, relevant and innovative learning opportunities at all key stages to ensure students make exceptional progress in your subject and are provided with the skills they need to be successful in both the academy and their future lives. You will demonstrate outstanding learning and teaching in these areas, both in your own practice and leadership of others.

Main duties and responsibilities:

The teaching of students and the associated pastoral and administrative duties in respect of those students in accordance with the aims and objectives of the academy.

Working collaboratively with Subject Directors from the Trust to maximise the outcomes for students.

Any additional duties as may be required from time to time by the Principal.

To use data to forensically track and intervene with students across the academy.

To monitor and evaluate the science curriculum.

Curriculum innovation.

Personal Contacts

External: Contractors, suppliers, parents, external agency professionals, other government and local authority staff, other staff from academies and schools.

Internal: Students, staff, Board and Academy Council members, parents and any other visitors to the Academy.

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GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

a) Planning and preparing appropriately differentiated courses and lessons;

Teaching the students assigned to you according to their educational needs, including the setting and marking of work to be carried out by the students in the academy or elsewhere.

Assessing, recording and reporting on the development, progress and attainment of all students.

b) Other Activities;

Consistently applying the academy’s behaviour policy at all times;

Promoting the general progress and well being of individual students and of any class or group of students assigned to him/her;

Providing guidance and advice to students on educational and social matters and on their further education and future careers, including information about sources of more expert advice on specific questions;

Completing the academy’s tracking systems;

Making records of and reporting on the personal and social needs of students;

Communicating and consulting with the parents of students;

Communicating and co-operating with relevant persons or bodies outside the academy;

Participating in meetings arranged for any of the purposes described above.

c) Assessments and reports:

Completing and analysing Praising Stars for all groups they teach and for the department in supporting the Head of Science.

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d) Performance Management

Participating in arrangements within the academy’s policy for Performance Management.

e) Further training and development:

Reviewing from time to time his/her methods of teaching and programmes of work.

Participating in arrangements for his/her further training and professional development as a teacher and manager.

f) Educational methods:

Advising and co-operating with the Principal, Subject Directors, Head of Department and other teachers (or any one or more of them) on the preparation and development of courses of study, for all students, appropriate teaching materials, schemes of work, methods of teaching and assessment and pastoral arrangements;

Responding to the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs, in accordance with the academy’s policy.

g) Discipline, health and safety:

Maintaining good order and discipline among the students and safeguarding their health and safety both when they are authorised to be on the academy premises and when they are engaged in authorised Academy activities elsewhere;

Ensuring that the Academy’s Child Safeguarding Policy is followed where there may be a concern;

Ensuring that personal knowledge of the academy’s health and safety policy is updated and the practices are in accordance with it.

h) Staff Meetings:

Participating in meetings at the academy as required.

i) Public examinations:

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Participating in arrangements for preparing students for public examinations and in assessing students for the purposes of such examinations.

Recording and reporting such assessments;

Participating in arrangements for students’ presentation for and supervision during such examinations.

j) Management:

Contributing to the selection for appointment, induction and personal development of all staff;

Co-ordinating or managing the work of supporting staff or volunteers.

Taking such part as may be required of him/her in the review, development and management of activities relating to the curriculum, organisation and pastoral functions of the academy and Performance Management of staff as directed by the Principal.

k) Administration:

Participating in administrative and organisational tasks related to such duties as described above, including the management or supervision of persons, providing support for the teachers in the academy and  the ordering and allocation of equipment and materials;

Attending assemblies, registering the attendance of students and supervising students, whether these duties are to be performed before, during or after Academy sessions.

Subject Specific responsibilities in addition to responsibilities as a Teacher

1. Ensure teachers in your subject area consistently deliver good or better lessons and maintain positive learning environments.

2. Create and implement a long term strategic vision for your subject area

3. Plan schemes of learning and lessons for science at Key Stage Three, Four and Five which are engaging and relevant to students’ needs and interests.

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4. Regularly review the curriculum offered, develop new innovative approaches for learning utilising ICT and new resources.

5. Track and monitor student performance across your subject area.

6. Ensure marking is regularly carried out in your area in accordance with academy marking policy and use assessment for learning to regularly share levels of achievement with students and parents

7. Report regularly to your line manager on current performance and develop intervention strategies to continually improve performance and achieve outstanding results.

8. Support and promote the professional development of teachers in your subject area in line with whole academy L&P policy. Provide training, mentoring and coaching where appropriate.

9. Maintain the highest standards of professionalism and consistently apply academy systems

Person SpecificationExperience Essentia

lDesirab

le

Experience of leading within a maths department and ability to demonstrate impact and improvement as a result of your leadership

Awareness of strategies available for improving the learning and achievement of all students

A good understanding of curriculum developments in maths

Qualifications

A good honours degree in mathematics

A teaching qualification together with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

Skills

Able to use a range of teaching and learning strategies and demonstrate how these and develop them in your colleagues

An understanding of how Assessment for Learning can improve student performance and how to embed this within your department

Confidence in the use of standard computer packages and how these can be used to enhance student learning

Able to use student level data to raise standards

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Able to motivate and lead a team of staff, to raise the expectations of students

Creative problem solving together with willingness to take on and develop and try new approaches and ideas

Ability to relate to students in a pleasant and sympathetic manner and to recognise potential safeguarding issues

Able to communicate both orally and in writing to students and their parents

Other

Satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check

Health assessment

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Child Safeguarding PolicyThe Trust is committed to Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of all of its students. Each student’s welfare is of paramount importance. We recognise that some children may be especially vulnerable to abuse e.g. those with Special Educational Needs, those living in adverse circumstances. We recognise that children who are abused or neglected may find it difficult to develop a sense of self worth and to view the world in a positive way. Whilst at the Academies, their behaviour may be challenging. We recognise that some children who have experienced abuse may harm others. We will always take a considered and sensitive approach in order that we can support all of our students.

The Trust’s Child Safeguarding Policy applies to all adults, including volunteers, working in or on behalf of the Trust.

‘Everyone in the education service shares an objective to help keep children and young people safe by contributing to:

Providing a safe environment for children and young people to learn in education settings; and

Identifying children and young people who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, and taking appropriate action with the aim of making sure they are kept safe both at home and in the education setting’

Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education DfES 2007

The Trust pays full regard to DfES guidance ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’ Jan 2007. We ensure that all appropriate measures are applied in relation to everyone who works for the Trust who is likely to be perceived by the children as a safe and trustworthy adult including e.g. volunteers and staff employed by contractors. Safer recruitment practice includes scrutinising applicants, verifying identity and academic or vocational qualifications, obtaining professional and character references, checking previous employment history and ensuring that a candidate has the health and physical capacity for the job. It also includes undertaking interviews and, where appropriate, undertaking List 99 and Criminal Records Bureau checks.

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Explanatory NotesApplications will only be accepted from candidates completing the Trust’s Application Form. Please complete ALL sections of the Application Form which are relevant to you as clearly and fully as possible. CVs will not be accepted in place of a completed Application Form.

Safeguarding Children & Young PeopleWe are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks.

Candidates should be aware that all posts in Outwood Grange Academies Trust involve some degree of responsibility for safeguarding children and young people, although the extent of that responsibility will vary depending on the nature of the post. Please see the job description enclosed in this Application Pack for further details.

Accordingly this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore all convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those regarded as “spent” must be declared.

If you are currently working with children, on either a paid or voluntary basis, your current employer will be asked about disciplinary offence, including those related to children or young people (whether disciplinary sanction is current or time-expired), and whether you have been the subject of any child protection allegations or concerns and if so the outcome of any investigation or disciplinary proceedings. If you are not currently working with children, but have done in the past, that previous employer will be asked about these issues.

Where neither your current or previous employment has involved working with children, your current employer will be asked about your suitability to work with children, although it may where appropriate, be answered not applicable, if your duties have not brought you into contact with children or young people.

Interview ProcessAfter the closing date, short listing will be conducted by a Panel, who will match your skills/experience against the criteria in the Person Specification. You will be selected for interview entirely on the contents of your application form, so please read the Job Description and Person Specification carefully before you complete your form.

All candidates invited to interview must bring the following documents: Documentary evidence of right to work in the UK Documentary evidence of identity that will satisfy DBS requirements such as a

current driving licence including a photograph and/or a passport and/or a full birth certificate

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Documentary proof of current name and address (i.e. utility bill, financial statement etc.)

Where appropriate any documentation evidencing change of name Documents confirming any educational or professional qualifications that are

necessary or relevant for the post

Please note that originals of the above are necessary. Photocopies or certified copies are not sufficient.

We will seek references on shortlisted candidates for Trust based positions and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications before interview. Any relevant issues arising from references will be taken up at interview.

In addition to candidates’ ability to perform the duties of the post, the interview will also explore issues relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including:

Motivation to work with children and young people Ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries

with children and young people Emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours Attitudes to use of authority and maintaining discipline

Conditional Offer: Pre-Employment Checks

Any offer to a successful candidate will be conditional upon: Verification of right to work in the UK Receipt of at least two satisfactory references (if these have not already been

received) Verification of identity checks and qualifications List 99 check Satisfactory DBS Disclosure Verification of professional status such as QTS Status, NPQH (where

required) Satisfactory completion of a Health Assessment Satisfactory completion of the probationary period (where relevant) Where the successful candidate has worked or been resident overseas in the

previous five years, such checks and confirmations as may be required in accordance with statutory guidance

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For teaching posts

Verification of successful completion of statutory induction period (applies to those who obtained QTS after 7 May 1999)

Verification of medical fitness in accordance with DfES Circular 4/99 Physical and Mental Fitness to Teach of Teachers and Entrants to Initial Teacher Training

You should be aware that provision of false information is an offence and could result in your application being rejected or summary dismissal if you have been selected, as well as possible referral to the police and/or DBS and/or other relevant investigating bodies.

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How to ApplyTo apply please complete the Outwood Grange Academies Trust application form. Your supporting statement should address and evidence the selection criteria detailed in the Person Specification.

Closing Date:

Sunday 29 March 2015 at noon

Interviews:

TBC

Applying:

Completed application forms may be returned in electronic format to:-

hr@portland.outwood.com

If you would prefer to submit a paper application form, please return to:

Human ResourcesOutwood Academy PortlandNetherton RoadWorksopNottsS80 2SF

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