Head of Subject - Primary Maths

Head of Subject - Primary Maths

Reports to: Programmes Director (or Head of Product if the programme is still in pilot)

Location: Currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am - 5.30pm) / Part Time

Closing date: 25/10/2024 at 10am

Interviews: 28/10/2024 OR w/c 04/11/2024

Salary: £60,000 to £70,000 (depending on experience)

About the role:

The Head of Primary Maths will provide educational leadership for their programme, ensuring its impact across both Ark schools and wider partnerships. Working closely with the AC+ Education Director, they will share responsibility for driving strong educational outcomes within Ark Schools.

This role involves collaborating with the Ark subject leadership team to establish a shared vision for subject excellence and ensure it influences all aspects of programme implementation and evolution. The Head of Primary Maths will also be actively involved in improving subject outcomes within Ark Schools, providing school support and working under the direction of the Ark School's Director of Curriculum and Assessment.

In addition to leading the Primary Maths team, the role includes maintaining high educational standards, overseeing curriculum and assessment design, and coaching team members. The Head of Primary Maths will also play a key role in building the programme's external profile

and advocating for AC+ educational approaches.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to and implement the organisation's strategy and mission
• Lead identified cross-functional projects and activities, as appropriate
• Keep abreast of sector and subject developments, legislative changes, and innovative practices relevant to their subject on a national and international level
• Ensure a strong ongoing subject-specific learning and development programme for AC+ teams, maintaining subject expertise and pedagogical best practices
• Review and quality assure existing programme resources, ensuring alignment with educational priorities and improving teaching and learning impact
• Maintain a rigorous understanding of programme implementation and impact, informed by assessments, school visits, and feedback
• Provide school support for the Ark Network through targeted school visits and tailored school support models to drive high subject outcomes
• Build and maintain positive relationships with key Ark School stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and high levels of school engagement
• Coordinate routine programme maintenance, including assessment writing, resource updates, and ongoing CPD development
• Oversee high-quality assessment writing and ensure timely, rigorous quality assurance to meet school and MAT needs
• Approve induction, CPD, and school support content, ensuring alignment with educational vision and programme standards
• Lead pedagogical quality assurance reviews and support new content creation, ensuring all resources meet high educational standards

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• Educated to degree level
• Minimum of 3 years teaching experience across Key Stages
• Demonstrates knowledge of education developments and best practice in teaching.
• Ability to multi-task and re-prioritise workload quickly
• Strong stakeholder management skills
• Strong negotiation skills and experience of working with external partners
• Up-to-date knowledge and use of the current curriculum and assessment requirements and best practice in implementation and delivery of professional development
• Track record of providing professional development to teachers, including coaching, mentoring and training
• An experienced and confident leader with a proven ability to lead and implement change effectively and sustainably
• Ability to probe, challenge and question appropriately and strive for continual improvement
• Enjoys working in a fast-paced, ambitious organisation
• Demonstrates commitment to personal development

About Ark

Ark Curriculum Plus is a not-for-profit education venture. Our mission is to empower teachers to give every young person, regardless of their background, the subject knowledge and skills that will allow them to succeed.

Grown out of Ark Schools Multi Academy Trust, Ark Curriculum Plus (AC+) is dedicated to supporting teachers in providing consistent, high-quality education, that raises attainment across the school.

We are a team of highly skilled education professionals who have worked with our schools to design and trial curriculum, lesson design and training in the development of our AC+ subject improvement programmes.

We know that to achieve powerful teaching that changes lives, teachers need to have strong subject knowledge, the best evidence-based subject pedagogies, rigorous assessment and effective planning, all working together. That's why we developed the AC+ Subject Excellence Programmes that follow a 5-Step Improvement Process, based on over a decade's experience of transforming subject results in one of the most respected MATs. We now have almost 1,000 programmes in use across the UK, including the 39 schools in the Ark network.

We are proud of the impact we have had and are having in the schools we partner with. The Education Endowment Foundation found students using Mathematics Mastery Primary made two months' additional progress.

Benefits

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years' service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

How to Apply:

Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. Applications to be submitted by Friday 25 th October 2024 at 10am but please note: we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this advert may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response.

This ATS application form should take no longer 20 minutes to complete. At any time, you can pause, save, and log back in. If you have any difficulty with meeting the deadline for application, please contact

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

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, please click this link .

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone - staff and students - can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark's diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.