Head of Art

Ark St Alban’s Academy 

Head of Art 

Location: Highgate, Birmingham  

Salary: Ark Main or Upper Pay Scale (£30,570 - £48,390) TLR 2b (£5,350) 

Contract: Permanent 

Working hours: Full-time 

Start date: September 2024 (flexible for the right candidate) 

Closing date: Monday 08 April 2024 at 10.00 am 

Ark St Alban’s Academy is seeking to appoint a skilled and enthusiastic teacher to lead its Art provision.  

About the role: 

In Art, our pupils are consistently successful. This year, 100% of grades achieved by our GCSE artists were a grade 4 or higher, including 75% at 5+. Our A-Level artists were equally successful, with 100% achieving at least a C grade.  

Providing all pupils with an academic and rigorous Art education is central to our university preparatory curriculum.  

All pupils study Art at Key Stage Three. At Key Stage Four, Art is an increasingly popular choice. The successful candidate will take on the challenge of expanding our Art enrichment offer, to build a love of Art all the way through our school, as well as growing the number of pupils choosing to study Art at A-Level.   

The successful candidate will work with leaders to evaluate the Art curriculum and to develop an approach to guiding pupils to make even greater progress, particularly at Key Stage Three. In addition, there will be the opportunity in this role to continue the work of the department in playing a leading role in the trust-wide collaboration of curriculum leaders from across the network of Ark Schools. 

In this role, the successful candidate will receive direct support from the Director of Arts and the senior leadership team through line-management. The successful candidate will also join a thriving a curriculum leadership team within the school that work together to drive whole school improvement. As part of Ark Schools, all colleagues also have access to exceptional professional development and training opportunities, including NPQs through the Ark Teaching School Hub and Ambition Institute.  

We are seeking an excellent teacher to join our work to provide a transformational education for all of our pupils.  

About our school: 

Ark St Albans Academy is committed to addressing educational disadvantage. We consistently guide pupils to GCSE and A-Level outcomes which place our cohorts in the top 10% of schools nationally on many measures, including those for the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Our school serves pupils from central Birmingham. The percentage of our cohort eligible for the Pupil Premium is the eighth highest in the country.  

There are very few communities in the UK who need great teachers more than ours. Teachers and leaders at Ark St Alban’s Academy are determined to prove that the background of a young person can be no impediment to their success. Our school prepares pupils to succeed at elite universities, with our alumni proudly representing our community at prestigious destinations including Cambridge University, Durham University and the London School of Economics. 

Find out more about Ark St Albans Academy here. 

We offer: 

• Salaries 2.5% higher than main pay scale. 
• Generous pension scheme. 
• Access to Ark rewards – a scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers 
• Interest-free loans – up to £5,000 available for season ticket or to buy a bicycle.  
• Gym discounts – offering up to 40%. 
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme – providing free, confidential counselling, legal advice and a range of different support. 

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer.  

How to apply: 

Please visit our website and submit your application. 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. Early application is strongly encouraged.  

For further information about the role or to arrange a visit to our school, please contact Katie Roberts on 0121 446 1300 or katie.roberts@arkstalbans.org .  

For any technical issues, please contact our system support team by clicking the chat function on the bottom right of the advert screen. 

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.