Start date:    January 2019

Salary:          Highly Competitive

The Role

As Director of Languages, you will lead, develop and manage the effective delivery of an outstanding Spanish curriculum, which enables the highest level of student progress and attainment. You will lead the professional community of language staff and promote outstanding teaching and learning and a strong school culture within a nurturing and rigorous environment.  Additionally, you will ensure that students are prepared and ready to complete community language GCSE/A-Level when appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Management

·         Lead, develop and line manage the languages department, through the provision of CPD, inset training days, supervising NQTs, ITT students and support staff, etc.

·         Monitor, evaluate and continually improve the quality of planning, teaching, and assessment of all members of the languages team

·         Manage departmental budget and resources effectively and efficiently

·         Lead behaviour management in the department, securing strong routines for learning, consistent with the academy’s policy, and liaising with tutors and parents when necessary

·         Develop strong partnerships and ensure regular communication with parents and carers

·         Lead the preparation and support of EAL students in community language GCSE/A-Level

Improving Teaching & Learning

·         Model outstanding teaching and lead collaborative planning and development, including the sharing of resources and best practice within the department

·         Be responsible for tracking student progress across the faculty, analysing all relevant data to make data-driven changes to the curriculum design and intervention strategies and using the data to monitor the performance of subject staff

·         Be accountable for student progress in languages across the school at all key stages, ensuring that all students achieve results in line with, or better than, value-added predictions

·         Monitor the work of the department through rigorous and regular lesson observations, work scrutinies, and provide detailed, constructive feedback

·         Lead joint practice development across the faculty subject teams, ensuring that outstanding practice is shared with all staff in the faculty and the wider school, and work with other department heads to exploit cross-year and cross-curricular links

·         Plan, deliver, monitor and evaluate the curriculum provision and enrichment for all year groups within the department/ faculty, consulting with the relevant subject leaders

·         Monitor the identification of and provision for students with individual needs, and develop differentiated learning and teaching methods and schemes of learning

·         Participate actively throughout the network, by attending relevant meetings, and, as appropriate, delivering network-wide training and initiatives

·         Work with colleagues, students and families to develop a strong school community

Other

·         Actively promote the safety and welfare of our children and young people

·         Ensure compliance with Arks data protection rules and procedures

·         Liaise with colleagues and external contacts at all levels of seniority with confidence, tact and diplomacy

·         Work with Ark Central and other academies in the Ark network, to establish good practice throughout the network, offering support where required

This job description is not an exhaustive list and you will be expected to carry out any other reasonable tasks as directed by your line manager.

Person Specification: Director of Languages

Qualification Criteria

·           Qualified to teach in the UK

·           Degree in languages or related subject

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

·           Demonstrable commitment to raising attainment of all pupils in a challenging classroom environment

·           Experience of having designed, implemented and evaluated effective, imaginative and stimulating schemes of work and of leading successful enrichment programmes

·           Experience of improving the quality of teaching and learning

·           Experience leading a team and/or working to support the significant success of others, including professional development and effective management of underperformance

·           Experience of interpreting complex student data to drive lesson planning and student progress

·           Experience of delivering the GCSE Spanish curriculum with strong student outcomes

·           Mastery of and enthusiasm for languages and language development

·           Effective and systematic behaviour management

·           Knowledge of the national secondary education system, examinations and curriculum

Behaviours

·           Genuine passion for and a belief in the potential of every student

·           Commitment to ensuring the successful and rapid language acquisition of EAL students

·           A robust awareness of keeping children safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and understanding how and when to take appropriate action

·           Deep commitment to Ark’s mission of providing an excellent education to every student, regardless of background

·           Excellent interpersonal, planning and organisational skills

·           Resilient, motivated and committed to achieving excellence

·           Reflective and proactive in seeking feedback to constantly improve practice

·           Commitment to regular and on-going professional development and training to establish outstanding classroom practice.

·           Commitment to and understanding of professionalism in line with the National Teaching Standards

Other

·           Right to work in the UK

·           Commitment to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding and welfare of all students

·           Willingness to undertake training

·           This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our academies.  In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process. This process is outlined here, but can be provided in more detail if requested. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.