Teaching & Learning (STEM) Lead Practitioner

Start date:  September 2024

Closing date: Tuesday 23rdApril 9.00am

Shortlisting date:  Tuesday 23rd April

Interview date:  To be confirmed

Salary Range:  L3 -L7 (£49,574 - £54,816) plus £2,000 recruitment incentive for STEM subjects

Kingsdown School has so much to offer new colleagues which includes a fantastic learning environment, ambitious and aspirational students with high standards of behaviour and the opportunity to work with incredibly talented teachers, leaders and professional support staff.

A £2,000 recruitment incentive (R&R) payment for a successful STEM candidate applying directly to RLT for this teaching role is payable after a qualifying period of two full terms. This includes a 2-year retention period. Please see our attached information sheet for more details.

Over the last three years Kingsdown School has become the school of choice in Swindon. So much so that we are now oversubscribed in our current Year 7 and 8. This pattern is set to continue for this next year hence we are looking for a creative, inspiring, ambitious and outstanding new colleague to join our team.

What are we looking for in our new Teaching & Learning (STEM) Lead Practitioner:

We are looking for an outstanding practitioner, preferably with a specialism in a STEM subject, with a track record of excellent outcomes who is ready to join a hardworking and ambitious team to help develop our curriculum further in order to improve the life chances of our young people.

The successful candidate will be passionate about your subject and eager to support the wider STEM curriculum. We are looking for a hardworking, creative and well researched professional who will never back away from a challenge, who is not afraid of hard work and who loves identifying and removing barriers and thereby making a difference. 

This exciting position will give the successful candidate the opportunity to take on some whole school responsibilities as well as work with the STEM departments and will come with the   support of an SLT mentor and appropriate leadership training where required.

What will and can we offer you:

By joining our Kingsdown family you will join a team who genuinely cares and champions each and every student and each and every member of the Kingsdown team.

At Kingsdown, we know that staff and students thrive in a ‘healthy work culture’ and the wellbeing of staff and student outcomes is inextricably linked. We are committed to providing the best working and learning environment for all. The RLT has a staff charter and strong values, we uphold these values and commitments, and further build on these with our Wellbeing Strategy.  

One of the core values of the RLT is that ‘everyone is learning’ and at Kingsdown we ensure each person has the personalised CPLD that they deserve. We do this through a variety of programmes, including our Restless Teacher Programme that allows all staff to take a lead on their own professional development, with the support of colleagues within the school. We are also very excited to be launching our coaching model this year, to allow staff the opportunity to be coached and develop their teaching practice further, whatever stage of their career they are in. High quality CPLD and training are an integral part of our meeting schedule and time is given to curriculum teams to collaborate and learn from each other. Alongside this we have a personalised induction programme that allows for new staff members to join us feeling supported and welcomed from day one. All ECTs have time with their mentors each week and with our team of Professional tutors. 

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils.

OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our “Working in RLT” guide.

This role includes regulated activity relevant to children.

The River Learning Trust and Kingsdown School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link RLT Safer Recruitment Documents for Candidates

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants click on this link List of offences that are not filtered