Principal Development Lead - Science Secondary

Interviews: w/c 20/05/2024 

Passionate about science teaching? Come and join our lovely Science Mastery team and play a central role in transforming KS3 science teaching across the UK!   

Our non-profit Science Mastery programme has been developed in Ark classrooms informed by the most up-to-date science educational research, and includes all the integrated professional development, assessment, and curriculum resources that teachers need to plan lessons that have the highest impact on their student outcomes. This has already had incredible feedback, with 100% of implementation leads and 93% of teachers agreeing that there has been a positive impact on pupil progress.  

About the role:  

This role offers an opportunity to have a huge impact on hundreds of teachers using Science Mastery, ensuring they get the maximum benefit for their students, their teaching practice, and their wellbeing.   

The successful candidate will be a right hand to the Senior Delivery Manager, supporting with all aspects of delivery of Science Mastery including partner communications, training, professional development, and one-to-one school support. They will work with their counterparts in other programmes to agree and implement aligned approaches that ensure that the design intent behind Science Mastery translates effectively into what school’s experience and understand.   

The Principal Delivery Lead will support a caseload of schools directly and will use this and other sources of insight and data to become an expert on the implementation of the Science Mastery programme. They will be a champion of teacher voices, ensuring this feedback is heard. Where needed, they will use this insight to support recommendations to the Head of Secondary Science and the broader School Development Team that will equip schools to get more value from our programmes at each stage of their journey.   

This is a young programme, and the Principal Development Lead will work flexibly as part of the science team to support their colleagues. 

To be successful in this role you will need to be passionate about science teaching and the Science Mastery programme; have a curiosity and openness to understanding schools’ experience in practice; be able to build consensus around pragmatic improvements; and bring high attention to detail to ensure that PD resources are available on time to a high quality.   

Key Responsibilities:   

• Work collegiately as part of the secondary science team to ensure the programme’s success, taking on wider duties and contributing to the programme strategy 
• Work collegiately as part of the school development team to ensure that our pan-programme delivery approaches are sector-leading and equip schools to get the most value from all the AC+ programmes, including creating sector-leading professional development support 
• Support with the creation of training, professional development and communications included within the Science Mastery packages, ensuring that these set all partner schools up to get the most benefit from the programmes for teachers and students 
• Work with and support internal team members and Associate Development Leads to deliver high quality school support 
• Provide one-to-one school development support across a portfolio of partner schools, ensuring they are supported to implement our programmes successfully to gain the intended immediate and longer-term impact 
• Be a champion of customer voice, ensuring customer insights from the secondary science programme are heard and inform programme development, and working with available Ark forums to further develop our understanding of programme implementation at a school and classroom level 
• Support partnerships initiatives directly when required to support sales and marketing efforts, including leading webinars and information sessions 

Key Requirements:  

• Understanding of the education landscape and issues affecting education 
• A proven record in delivering outstanding achievement in secondary science, particularly for pupils with low prior attainment in challenging urban schools 
• 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 
• A strong and proactive communicator with a collaborative working style 
• Commitment to excellence, with strong focus on delivering intended outcomes  
• Structured approach, working to clearly defined aims/intentions 
• Ability to probe, challenge and question appropriately and strive for continual improvement  

About Ark Curriculum Plus  

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. We believe that great curriculum design and delivery leads to improved teaching and learner outcomes, which impacts positively on children’s life chances.   

Our commitment is to empower and equip schools to provide high quality subject teaching, through curriculum and integrated professional development, to develop young people’s subject mastery.   

We are grown out of one of the highest performing Multi Academy Trust’s in the UK. Our connection with Ark gives us our experience and our specialist expertise earned while we developed and taught curriculum across our own network of 39 successful academies in the UK.    

Our AC+ programmes in Primary and Secondary are used by over 700 schools in the UK, including the 39 schools in the Ark network.    

AC+ helps schools transform science teaching. Our integrated curriculum, assessment and bespoke professional development programme is developed in schools. It includes everything teachers need to plan lessons that have the highest impact on their student outcomes. Informed by the most up-to-date science educational research, the programmes are already having a fantastic impact and are getting great feedback.  100% of Mastery Leads and 93% of teachers using the programmes agreed that Science Mastery has a positive impact on pupil progress.   

Benefits  

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service and full office closure between Christmas and New Year 
• Hybrid working, with currently one day a week in our state-of-the-art office in West London working alongside colleagues 
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit  
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work life balance and personal commitments 
• 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