Senior Science Technician
The John of Gaunt School, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9EHThis job expired on 28 March 2025 – see similar jobs
Closing date
28 March 2025 at 9am
Date listed
25 March 2025
Job details
Job role
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £28,163.00 - £30,060.00 Annually (FTE) The actual pro rata, per annum for this role is between £26,084 to £27,841
Senior Science Technician job summary
Senior Science Technician – Main Job Purpose
As a vital member of the science department, the Senior Science Technician will support the delivery of high-quality practical science education. This includes the preparation, maintenance, and organisation of equipment and materials to ensure lessons run smoothly and effectively. A key aspect of the role is maintaining health and safety standards, including regular equipment checks, ensuring compliance with safety regulations, and coordinating external inspections. The technician will also provide essential support to science teachers, ensuring a safe and well-equipped learning environment for all students.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Practical Support & Classroom Preparation
- Prepare materials, equipment, and teaching aids for practical lessons for all staff as directed by the Director of Learning.
- Ensure all equipment and resources are cleaned, tidied, and stored appropriately, maintaining a safe and hygienic working environment.
- Safely manage and clean up breakages and spillages, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.
- Set up practical demonstrations and experiments, helping teachers and students in conducting practical work safely and effectively.
2. Equipment & Resource Management
- Maintain and organise all laboratory equipment, chemicals, and resources, ensuring they are readily available and in good working condition.
- Carry out regular maintenance and calibration of scientific equipment, reporting any faults or issues promptly.
- Manage an inventory of resources, ensuring adequate stock levels and ordering new supplies as required.
- Coordinate the safe disposal of chemicals and biological materials, following CLEAPSS and school policies.
- Keep up to date with new technologies, equipment, and best practices in science education to enhance practical provision.
3. Health & Safety Compliance
- Ensure all science labs, prep rooms, and storage areas meet health and safety regulations and are kept in an organised and hazard-free condition.
- Conduct routine safety checks on equipment and materials, ensuring they meet CLEAPSS, COSHH, and other regulatory standards.
- Assist in the implementation and review of risk assessments for practical activities and experiments.
- Monitor and ensure that external equipment checks (e.g., fume cupboard inspections, PAT testing) are completed as required.
- Train and guide staff in the safe use of laboratory equipment and materials.
4. Support for Teaching & Learning
- Work closely with teaching staff to develop and improve practical activities, supporting the curriculum needs of KS3, KS4, and KS5.
- Support the delivery of extracurricular science activities, including science clubs, STEM projects, and open evenings.
- Assist with exam practicals, ensuring equipment and materials are prepared and set up according to examination board specifications.
- Provide technical advice and guidance to staff and students on the use of scientific equipment and experiments.
5. Supervision & Team Leadership
- Support and mentor new technicians, providing training and guidance on lab procedures and safety protocols.
- Assist in the recruitment and induction of new science technicians.
- Ensure effective communication within the science team, contributing to department meetings where required.
This role will involve contact with children and the post holder will be engaged in regulated activity relevant to children and will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check before appointment is confirmed. We will only submit a DBS application to the relevant disclosure service when a position is accepted.
We reserve the right to close the advert early should we receive sufficient strong applications, therefore, an early application is advised.This Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow Safer Recruitment procedures and all interviews, regardless of role, will include questions about approaches to safeguarding. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available on our website and follows all guidance in the most recent Keeping Children Safe in Education.
All posts involving direct contact with children are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exception Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.
Please note that by submitting an application, you acknowledge that we reserve the right to view any publicly available information published online (including social media platforms) as part of our shortlisting process, in line with current KCSIE guidelines.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and expect all staff to share this commitment. A copy of the school’s Safeguarding Children in Our School Policy and our Policy and Code of Conduct for Safe Practice are available on our website. An online profile search will be conducted and references will be sought on all shortlisted candidates prior to interview.
The post is subject to receipt of an enhanced DBS to include children's barred list checks. Disclosure will contain details of formal cautions, reprimands and final warnings, as well as convictions.
About The John of Gaunt School
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1252 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- The John of Gaunt School website
The John of Gaunt School is large and dynamic school with approximately 1270 students on roll. We are currently a single Academy and actively promote collaboration with our feeder primary schools through the Trowbridge Schools’ Social Enterprise - Collaborative Schools Ltd and the West Wiltshire Alliance; a partnership of 8 secondary schools and Wiltshire College. Our school roll is rising significantly each year and our reputation has accelerated over the last two years. We are now at the forefront educational practice and we are delighted that our recent changes are accelerating the progress of our students. We are part EQUA Mead Learning Trust. Details about EQUA Mead can be found on their website https://www.equamead.org/
School location
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