Head of History
Dame Alice Owen's School, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 2DUThis job expired on 20 April 2023 – see similar jobs
Start date details
Required for September 2023
Closing date
20 April 2023 at 12pm (midday)
Date listed
31 March 2023
Job details
Job role
- Head of year or phase
- Head of department or curriculum
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Key stage
- Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5
Subject
- History
Working pattern
- Full time: Full Time, Permanent Post
Contract type
- Permanent
Pay scale
- MPS/UPS
Additional allowances
TLR 2b
What skills and experience we're looking for
The Governing Body of this highly successful, partially selective, mixed school invites applications for the post of Head of History. We seek a highly motivated and energetic candidate to join and lead our very successful and well resourced History department. The role will involve ensuring an innovative, relevant and challenging curriculum across all Key Stages, that staff are challenged and supported and that high standards are maintained and progressed in all lessons. You will monitor the assessment and achievement of pupils as well as reviewing, evaluating and developing standards of teaching and learning across Key Stages. You will lead the History department with a focus on developing teaching and learning strategies and the curriculum to keep History a fresh, exciting and relevant subject for all students.
What the school offers its staff
In the 2022 A level examinations, 44% of all grades were A* with 91% of grades being awarded A*-B. In GCSE examinations, students achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.74 and an average Attainment 8 score of 75.8 with 40% of all grades being a grade 9 and 95% of students achieving 5 or more grades 9-4 including English and Maths. 50% of GCSE History results were awarded a Grade 9, 77% were graded 9-7 and over 90% at grade 5 or above; 58% of A Level History results were graded A* with 94.2% graded A*-B.
The school provides an excellent range of staff development opportunities. This is currently led by Lauren Common, Assistant Headteacher and our team of ASTs/SLEs with responsibility for teaching and learning. All staff members are encouraged to continue their personal development and undertake further qualifications if they wish.
We have a commitment to ensuring staff undertake minimal cover and wherever possible none at all.
The Governing Body is committed to admitting the children of staff in line with our admissions procedures.
We fully appreciate the time and consideration which go into applying for a new job. If there is anything we can do to help you through this process, please do not hesitate to ask.
We very much look forward to receiving your application.
Commitment to safeguarding
The school is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. Please take time to read our Safer Recruitment and Safeguarding and Child Protection policies available in the vacancy section of our website.
Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Dame Alice Owen's School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 1479 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Dame Alice Owen's School website
- Email address
- recruitment@damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk
HEADTEACHER’S WELCOME
Thank you for your interest in applying to Dame Alice Owen’s School. Though much of the information we have about our school is available on our website, we know you
are busy so have put some key information in this pack to help you understand who we are and what we do.
Our school was founded 400 years ago by Dame Alice Owen, a remarkable philanthropist with an unusually modern vision for education. She established the first school in Islington and, as demand outstripped space, it moved to its current setting, in the Hertfordshire countryside, in 1976.
Today, Owen’s is an exciting place to work where “staff overwhelmingly feel well cared for” and behaviour is “exemplary.” [Ofsted December 2023] Ours is a school where teachers love talking about teaching and learning, where relationships between students and staff are positive and strong, and where we do what we can to keep workload manageable. We are never complacent; we are always looking for marginal gains in order to keep what we do reasonable, but exciting. It is the combination of interested students, dedicated staff, supportive parents, a rigorous and empathetic Governing Body and school leadership team (staff and student) which makes our school such a special place to be.
Dame Alice Owen’s School is a mixed, partially selective secondary school with approximately 1,440 students including over 400 in our vibrant and highly successful sixth form. Our school benefits from some of the most able students in the country. In the 2023 A level examinations; 60% of all A level grades were A*-A with 82% of grades being awarded A*-B. In GCSE examinations, students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 71.2 and a Progress 8 score of 0.63 with 24% of all grades awarded at level 9 and 95% of students achieving 5 or more grades 9 – 4 including English and Maths. Many of our school leavers from Year 13 have offers from top universities to choose from, including an average of 24 places at Oxbridge each year.
We were delighted to be recognised as ‘The Sunday Times Regional School of the Decade’ in 2020 and the country’s highest ranking non-fully selective state school of the year many times over. Securing a place at Owen’s has been described as “winning the lottery” in the Good School Guide, “the golden ticket” in Tatler and Ofsted judged us “outstanding” in all categories in December 2023, with no areas for improvement.
If you’d like to come and join us, we would love to meet you and talk to you more. Please call to arrange a chat, if you would like to, or just send us your completed application pack. I look forward to meeting you
Hannah Nemko
Headteacher
WHY WORK AT OWEN'S
At Dame Alice Owen’s, we appreciate that when staff are well looked after, and conditions are right for learning, students and staff thrive.
Owen’s has a relaxed, supportive environment, the atmosphere is friendly and collegial and staff are nurtured and supported. Students at Owen's are engaged, well-motivated and behavioural issues are rare and well managed. Therefore, it is a place where you can focus your energies on developing effective teaching and learning strategies and grow as a practitioner. The Senior Leadership team are fully aware of the importance of a good work life balance and are mindful of this when supporting the teams they line manage. Meetings are kept to a minimum, as is cover, courtesy of a team of dedicated cover supervisors. There are regular, whole staff and departmental social events throughout the year, and, with a nod to our 400 year old traditions, Owen’s is often a fun and interesting place to be.
Teaching at Owen's is not just a job; it's a fulfilling and rewarding experience that goes beyond the classroom, positively shaping both students' futures and teachers' careers. If you would like to work in a school where your passion for education can truly flourish, Owen's is the perfect place for you.
In addition to this we also offer a variety of benefits including:
Access to an Employee Assistance Package, which provides staff with a wide range of health and wellbeing services including physio sessions and 24 hour access to a GP;
Excellent facilities and resources including a Fitness Suite which is open to all staff for certain hours outside of the school day;
Free on school site parking;
Staff child places, in line with our admissions procedures;
A great location - the school is situated on an attractive 35-acre site in the Green Belt. Central London is easily reached, in 15 minutes, by rail from Potters Bar and the school is close to motorway links.
Arranging a visit to Dame Alice Owen's School
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email recruitment@damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk.
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