Head of Drama

Job title: Head of Drama (Ark Blake Academy)

Location:                 East Croydon – Ten-minute walk from East Croydon station

Contract:                 Full-time hours, permanent contract.      

Start date:               September 2024

Salary:                      Ark MPS / UPS £35,368 to £53,230 plus TLR2a £3,213

Closing date:          12.00pm Friday 19 April 2024

Things are changing at Ark Blake – Do you want to be part of a new and developing team where you will help make a lasting impact on our students and unlock their life chances? We currently have an opportunity for an exceptional Head of Drama in East Croydon.

Ark Blake Academy is a growing and successful academy based in East Croydon that opened in September 2020.  We are consistently oversubscribed in every year group and currently have students in Years 7–10.  We will continue to grow and look forward to our first cohort of students completing their GCSE studies in the summer of 2025.  We have recently welcomed a new Principal and a number senior and middle leaders to the Academy and are now wishing to recruit for further key roles to drive forward our ambitious plans.

At Ark Blake Academy, our mission for the school is to embed a powerful knowledge-rich curriculum and provide fantastic opportunities for character development, all underpinned by an environment where exemplary behaviour is the norm.  In terms of our school culture, it is based around the simple but powerful belief of ‘working hard, being kind and taking responsibility’.  We aim to become a leading school in London as quickly as possible by living out this day to day belief.

What we offer our staff?

·        Collaborative planning, centralised or shared resources

• Clear and consistent behaviour systems
• Knowledge rich curriculum & traditional T&L approach
• Highly visible supportive leaders who have your back
• Centralised daily detentions
• Realistic and manageable feedback policy
• Excellent CPD opportunities – internal & within network
• Thoughtful and impactful meeting schedule with time for co-planning
• Friday afternoon co-planning following earlier student dismissal
• A free breakfast daily

Why Work at Ark Blake Academy?

Further information about working at Ark Blake can be found here.

The role

We are seeking an exceptional candidate as Head of Drama, to work in close partnership with the Principal, the Senior Leadership Team and the Head of Performing Arts to embed the school’s vision and develop an outstanding school that empowers our students to take responsibility and seize greatness.

You will lead the development of our Drama Department with a curriculum designed to inspire a love of drama both as individuals and as groups and collaborate with the Creative Arts team, English, the Music department, and other Ark Schools.

This is an ideal opportunity for a successful candidate to grow with our school.  You will be given autonomy and support from the Senior Team.  We value the Arts at Ark Blake and need the right candidate to be committed to their subject in and out of the classroom.  The academy already has an extensive extracurricular offer; the Head of Drama will be supported to add to this, hosting many events, trips and performances over the academic year.  We will provide one-to-one support, coaching and access to extensive network training to support career development and further leadership opportunities. 

In addition to professional support all employees are eligible for Ark Rewards, a scheme that offers discounts at many retailers and other benefits such as Cycle to Work and the Employee Assistance Programme.

You will:

·        Have an unwavering determination to deliver excellence for students from all starting points

·        Share the Ark Blake beliefs, vision and mission and be aligned with the Ark six pillars underpinning it

·        Be committed to Ark’s ethos of high expectations for every student in both academic achievement and personal development

·        Be committed to continually improving classroom practice and raising attainment

·        Manage behaviour effectively to create a positive, calm and purposeful climate for learning

·        Have the drive, skills and resilient character required to help build a new school

·        Combine subject matter expertise with a passion for teaching your subject

·        Be reflective about the Academy and committed to securing its continued development

·        Value and support practices driving continued progress across the network of Ark schools

For further information refer to the full job description and person specification.

Ark Blake Academy is part of Ark, one of the UK’s most successful school groups, with a network of 39 schools in 4 locations across the country.

As a proud member of the network, we offer:

·        Twice as many training days as standard

·        Weekly staff training designed to meet the needs of the school

·        Coaching for every teacher

·        Protected co-planning and department meeting time

·        Access to the high-quality, regular professional development

·        Opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the network 

For more information about our school, please visit: www.arkblake.org.  To arrange a confidential conversation with the Principal about this role, or if you have any further questions please contact: v.rouse@arkblake.org