Secondary Head of Science Department

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership responsibilities

• To actively promote the school's Vision, Mission and RISE (Respect, Internationalism, Spirit, Excellence) values.
• To develop strategic plans for the department, collaborating with colleagues and using data to inform and establish a Vision (or ‘Future Design’ - where do we want to be?), ‘Current Reality’ (where are we now?) and ‘Learning Plans’ (how do we plan to fill the gap?).
• To liaise with Head of Science Departments in the Middle School and Francophone section, ensuring alignment of departmental business, such as curriculum design and mapping and book ordering.
• To liaise with Head of Science Departments in the Middle School and Francophone section and with the section Principals in leading teachers in the department through the TAPD performance evaluation process, such that good practice can be recognised, refinements to teaching approaches made and the level of performance documented.
• To oversee the induction of new teachers into the department, including the appointment of a mentor/buddy for an initial induction period of at least the first three months of activity.
• To create and develop a positive team atmosphere.
• To innovate and promote collaborative, interdisciplinary project work inspired by real-world (authentic), complex problems, thereby providing opportunities for students to develop transferable, higher order problem-solving skills.
• To provide curriculum leadership for the Science department, ensuring that written curricula are implemented and reviewed in accordance with the Curriculum Review Policy.

• Developing and reviewing curriculum guides and policy.
• Overseeing curriculum review and development.
• Standardising and aligning curriculum content and learning objectives.
• Optimising vertical and horizontal articulation of the curriculum.
• Promoting interdisciplinary curriculum design and development.
• Reviewing student assessment data to inform curriculum review and teaching.
• Compiling, and periodically checking a department inventory.
• Managing departmental resources to support curriculum delivery.

• Arranging and chairing departmental meetings (structured and documented through use of an agenda and action/decision log for each meeting).
• Following and communicating both internal and external directives and other information.
• Representing the department at events such as school, staff, student and parent meetings.
• Coordinating/facilitating communications between students, teachers and parents/House Parents, particularly in relation to student academic performance and subject support.

• Allocating courses to teachers.
• Checking teacher timetables (correct allocations, number of periods etc.).

• Teacher Appraisal
• Guiding and supervising teachers through the teacher appraisal process.
• Ensuring that classroom practice across the department is consistent with CDL’s definitions of ‘High-Quality Learning’ and ‘Effective Teaching’ and Teacher Appraisal Criteria by:
  • Undertaking class observations against these standards and giving feedback to teachers.
  • Establishing and monitoring Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) where appropriate.
• Keeping abreast of developments in the department field and communicating these to staff.
• Arranging and advising on professional development activities which support teachers in reaching CDL’s standards of ‘Effective Teaching’, the NAE and CDL Teaching Standards and their own professional objectives.
• Promoting the use of the Nord Anglia University professional development platform.
• Facilitating team building and cohesion.
• Promoting collaboration on internal and external projects and with NAE colleagues.

• External examinations (High School)
• Liaising with Exam Coordinators concerning examination candidates and arrangements.
• Meeting examination board requirements (such as moderation and predicted grades).Reviewing external examination results and standardised assessment data to identify patterns and to inform curriculum review, teaching and student support strategies.
• Internal examinations
• Managing departmental…