Head of Food

Kingsdown School; Swindon; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Kingsdown School in Swindon is seeking a resilient, creative leader to head the Design and Technology/Food department. You will raise attainment, monitor progress, and develop an ambitious curriculum with high-quality practical schemes of work.

The role offers bespoke leadership training and a workload-sensitive culture, with autonomy to shape the department within the River Learning Trust and Kingsdown School.

Qualifications

• Proven track record delivering excellent outcomes in Design and Technology or Food Preparation and Nutrition.
• Creative, research-driven approach to the Food curriculum and practical schemes of work.
• Ability to mentor colleagues and lead department-level change.

Responsibilities

• Raise standards of pupil attainment across year groups.
• Monitor and support student progress through curriculum development.
• Lead and develop department colleagues with autonomy.

Skills

Leadership

Curriculum design

DT/Food expertise

Mentoring

Job description

We are seeking a resilient and creative leader who is passionate about removing barriers to learning and who thrives on the autonomy to drive departmental excellence. We are looking for someone who will raise standards of student attainment and achievement for all year groups within the department and to monitor and support student progress through the development of the curriculum.

• Proven Impact: A track record of delivering excellent outcomes for students in Design and Technology or Food Preparation and Nutrition.
• Curriculum Expertise: A creative and well-researched approach to the Food curriculum, with the ability to build and refine practical, high-quality schemes of work.
• Leadership Potential: The resilience to tackle operational and classroom challenges head-on, along with the desire to mentor and develop colleagues.
• Evidence-Informed Mindset: A commitment to using professional research to improve classroom practice and practical pedagogy. The \"Why Us\" Difference
• Professional Agency: We trust you as the subject expert. We provide the autonomy for you to lead your department and shape your curriculum without micromanagement.
• Leadership Training: We don't just hire leaders; we build them. You will have access to bespoke leadership training and pathways to support your career progression.
• Workload-Sensitive Culture: We focus on what is genuinely impactful for pupils. This means prioritising effective feedback over \"performative\" marking and protecting your time for high-quality CPLD., River Learning Trust and Kingsdown School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. We are an exempt employer under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

We actively value the \"different contributions\" you can make. We want you to be at your best during the application process; if you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know. Kingsdown School and the River Learning Trust 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 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. 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
• 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.