Head Of Science

Role: Head of Science

Start: September 2024

Salary: MPS £35,368 - £47,152 / UPS £49,498 - £53,230 + TLR 1B £11,407

This is an incredible opportunity for a passionate and ambitious scientist to steer our team in our outstanding schoolin High Barnet! As we progress into year 6 of our new school, we are excited to open our Sixth Form - with strong interest already in our Biology, Chemistry and Physics offer alongside our rigorous Professional Pathways programme in science.

What is special about this role?

As leader, you will shape and develop a very committed and passionate team. Pupils in our school love science and have made strong progress in Key Stage 3 and 4, with a high take up of triple science. There is much excitement about Key Stage 5 with over 200 applications. Our fully equipped labs, based on the second floor of our new build, support a rich practical curriculum and we have extensive enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities from the British Biology Challenge to Eco-Schools clubs to Ethics in Science. This is an exciting time to take on leadership as we develop our Sixth Form offer and embark on year 12 for the first time. 

Who are we looking for?

Across school life, we embed high aspirations and a growth mindset in all of our children. We believe that every single child who joins us has the potential to be knowledgeable, articulate and successful. It’s important this resonates with all candidates. Equally important is subject expertise, which is critical to support strong curriculum planning and implementation. Read more about this role and our ideal candidate in our Job description & Person specification doc via our website arkpioneer.org/vacancies.

We will provide development and support for teachers new to leadership roles, ready to step up to curriculum oversight.

Why will you love our school?

There are lots of reasons! We’re lucky to be based in a brand-new building with top class facilities. We serve a wonderfully diverse community - we are non-denominational, mixed gender and two fifths of our pupils receive pupil premium funding. We’re led by our values - Aim High, Have Integrity, Be Kind and Model Determination and our team truly unite behind our vision. Curriculum is incredibly important to us and we’ve planned backwards from university readiness to give our pupils the very best in every subject discipline. We timetable collaborative planning and love to engage in ‘productive struggle’. Every team member is supported with coaching and tailored professional development, whatever stage they are at in their career. Our extended school day (we finish at 4 four days a week and earlier on Wednesday) allows us to offer a broad, rich curriculum and timetabled enrichment for every child - but we never have meetings after school. Our team say: ‘All staff are incredibly supportive and positive, and it is a great environment to work in’. Read more about our school & our recent Ofsted report on our website arkpioneer.org  

What are the benefits of working with Ark?

We are lucky to be part of the Ark network of schools, and to build on the successes of numerous exceptional start-up schools in our North London region. Ark offers bespoke professional development to all team members and the opportunity to plan and moderate with colleagues in the same discipline, beyond our own school gates. Joining our network opens a breadth of opportunities - many of our team have taken on leadership roles progressing from one of our sister schools. Ark employees have benefits beyond the classroom including everything from shopping discounts to a supportive and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme. In short, you won’t find a better network of schools to join! Read more about Ark at arkonline.org

Would you like to find out more?

If you’d like to speak to our principal confidentially about the role and/or arrange a visit let Chloe c.conces@arkpioneer.org know.

Safeguarding

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants. Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, visit arkonline.org/sites/default/files/Ark_safe_recruitment.pdf