High School Curriculum and Assessment Lead; Grades 8-12 - SPARK Office

About SPARK Schools

SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of affordable private schools. The SPARK Schools network provide transformational education innovation through Africa’s first blended learning model, which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their students effectively.

The blended learning model, which combines classroom teaching and online instruction, allows teachers to anticipate student needs and equips schools to provide personalized education at an affordable cost. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all.

SPARK Schools has a culture of collaboration, because getting South Africa to lead global education takes a team effort. We are innovators who strive for excellence through persistence and a sense of urgency to achieve SPARK Schools’ vision, mission and social transformational objectives. Our work environment is vibrant/cheerful, fast-paced/dynamic, engaging/stimulating, tech-enabled and data driven.

SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven, entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools and 5 high schools and serving over 16, 000 families. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.

Reports to: Curriculum and Assessment Manager

Purpose of Role:

The High School Curriculum & Assessment Lead is accountable for ensuring curriculum coherence, assessment quality, and moderation integrity across SPARK High Schools (Grades 8–12). The role translates system-level curriculum and assessment strategy into consistent, high-quality execution at school level, ensuring reliable data, strong academic standards, and improved learner outcomes. This is a quality-assurance role, not a classroom teaching post.

Responsibilities:

Key Outcomes of the Role:

• Consistent curriculum coverage and pacing across all High Schools
• High-quality, standardised, and moderated assessments
• Reliable assessment data for instructional and system decision-making
• Improved scholar proficiency (≥60%) and FET outcomes
• Strong alignment between curriculum, assessment, and classroom practice

Core Responsibilities:

Curriculum Implementation & Alignment:

• Implement and maintain approved High School curriculum frameworks (Grades 8–12) in line with CAPS and SPARK learning models.
• Ensure vertical and horizontal alignment of:
• Content
• Skills progression
• Cognitive demand
• Support schools with pacing guides, scope & sequence, and term plans.
• Ensure curriculum supports differentiation, PBL, and blended learning practices.

Assessment Design and Standardisation:

• Develop and standardise:
• Baseline, formative, and summative assessments
• Common assessments across schools
• SBA and exam tasks, particularly in FET
• Ensure all assessments are CAPS-aligned, valid, reliable, and instructionally useful.
• Maintain assessment blueprints and quality standards.

Moderation and Quality Assurance:

• Lead internal moderation processes:
• Pre-assessment moderation
• Post-assessment moderation
• Ensure consistency, fairness, and appropriate standard setting across schools.
• Identify and address assessment quality or performance risks early.
• Support schools with external moderation readiness (especially FET).

Data and Reporting:

• Ensure accurate, timely capture of assessment data.
• Analyse trends in performance to identify:
• Gaps in curriculum coverage
• Assessment quality issues
• Scholar learning needs
• Provide clear insights to the Curriculum & Assessment Manager and school leaders.
• Support use of data to inform instructional improvement.

School and Team Support:

• Work closely with:
• Curriculum Officers
• Academic Leads
• Principals and AP (Associate Principal)
• Build assessment literacy and curriculum understanding at school level.
• Contribute to professional development linked to curriculum and assessment priorities.

FET and Matric Support:

• Support Grades 10–12 curriculum and assessment implementation.
• Assist schools in exam readiness, SBA quality, and moderation processes.
• Track subject-level performance trends and risks.

Key Interfaces:

• Curriculum & Assessment Manager
• Curriculum Officers
• School Principals and…