Science Technician

St James; Stockport; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

St James' Catholic High School in Stockport is seeking a Technician to support practical lessons, maintain equipment, and ensure a safe classroom environment. You will assist teachers, help students maximise learning experiences, and perform administrative tasks to keep the department running smoothly.

The role involves preparing equipment for lessons, organizing resources, and adapting apparatus for students with physical disabilities while upholding high safety standards at all times.

Qualifications

• Assisting with practical classes and maintaining health and safety standards.
• Organising and maintaining equipment and teaching areas.
• Carrying out administrative tasks to ensure smooth department operation.

Responsibilities

• Prepare equipment for practical lessons and organise necessary resources.
• Assist teachers and support students during practical activities.
• Maintain cleanliness and safe conditions in preparation areas and classrooms.
• Report equipment or maintenance issues to the line manager promptly.

Skills

Equipment prep

Health & safety

Classroom support

Administrative tasks

Teaching assistance

Job description

As a technician, you will commonly take responsibility for:

• preparing equipment and teaching areas for practical classes
• maintaining equipment and teaching areas
• ensuring a safe classroom environment
• supporting teachers in practical classes
• helping students to obtain the most out of their learning experiences
• carrying out administrative and other tasks related to the smooth running of the department
• Prepare equipment for practical lessons, organise necessary

Principal Accountabilities Practical Tasks

• To assist when required in practical lessons to support staff and children to help with maintaining health and safety
• Prepare equipment for practical lessons, organise necessary practical equipment to ensure that the correct resources are available for lessons
• Modifying apparatus and equipment for those children with physical disabilities
• Maintaining levels of cleanliness and hygiene in the central preparation room.

Administrative Tasks

• Order equipment to ensure that the resources are available for lessons to enable demonstrations and practical lessons to run smoothly
• Photocopying, printing and duplicating
• Reporting any equipment or other maintenance issues promptly to your line manager

Scope for Impact

The post holder is responsible for all equipment and science resources, ensuring that they are in date, are used safely and are fit for use in the various lessons

General responsibilities

• To become familiar with the school procedures and regulations as set out in the staff handbook and other documentation, as appropriate to the responsibilities and to follow these
• To implement the school's health & safety policy currently in force and assist with safeguarding the health and safety of children when they are on the school premises
• To participate in arrangements for the appraisal of your performance

Line Manager Responsibilities

The line manager will give guidance on:

• working with teaching staff;
• confidentiality of some work within school (pupil circumstances and assessments);
• supporting teaching and learning and helping children with their practical work;
• maintaining safe working procedures and the approach to risk assessments;
• setting up and maintaining displays

Many specific responsibilities will require collaborative working with other team members which the Directors of Faculty will develop proactively

Whilst every effort has been made to explain the main duties and responsibilities of the post, each individual task may not be identified. The post holder will be expected to comply with all reasonable requests from the Headteacher to undertake work of a similar level that is not specified in their job description

What the school offers its staff

St James' Catholic High School is a popular and oversubscribed 11-16 mixed comprehensive Catholic High School where all aspects were judged to be either of an expected or strong standard by OFSTED in April 2026. The Diocese of Shrewsbury judged our school to be an "Good" Catholic school with "Outstanding" areas (CSI 2024). St James' is a highly academic performing school:

• In 2026, 72% of students attained a Grade 4 or above in both English & Mathematics (the equivalent to the old Grade C) with 52% achieving a Grade 5 or above in both English & Mathematics
• 100 grade 9s and 147 grade 8s were awarded to our students in 2026, demonstrating exceptional attainment across a wide range of subjects
• Exceptional results in open, Maths and English subjects placing us in the top 20% of similar schools nationally

Our school is at the cutting edge of teaching and learning and thrives on providing outstanding opportunities for the young people we serve. All our staff work to provide our young people with the skills, knowledge and understanding in order to achieve their full potential. Inspired by the example of St James, the purpose of our school is 'To educate and develop global Catholic citizens'. Our three school values of Family, Faith and Excellence are lived out every single day by staff, students and all stakeholders. The reputation of our school is exceptional within Stockport and across the Shrewsbury Diocese for academic excellence, impeccable pupil conduct and for providing outstanding additional opportunities for our young people. The result is that our young people develop into global Catholic citizens who are proud to profess their faith and who make a positive contribution to society.

At the root of our success is our St James' community. This is built on strong, positive relationships between all staff, students and parents. Our parents support our school and develop their children at home whilst our dedicated staff are relentless in driving excellence by providing the best educational experiences and opportunities for our students. Underpinning this excellence are our unique values, Catholic ethos and our mission. We are inspired and driven by the Gospel where we are told: 'With God all things are possible' (Matthew 19:26)

Commitment to safeguarding St James' Catholic High School is an equal opportunity employer which is "Positive about Disabled People". Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented in the workforce, who meet the person specification for the post St James' Catholic High School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.