Science Technician, HARRIS FEDERATION

Guardian Jobs; London; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace seeks a dedicated Science Technician to support the Science Department effectively. The role involves providing technical support for practical classes while ensuring a safe laboratory environment. Applicants should be qualified to A Level in a relevant science subject and possess knowledge of safety regulations. The academy promotes career development opportunities and a supportive work culture.

Benefits

Competitive rewards and benefits package

Professional development opportunities

Pension scheme with generous employer contributions

Qualifications

• Qualifications to A Level or equivalent in relevant subjects.
• Experience or solid understanding of working as a technician in a school.
• COSHH training is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assist teaching staff in preparing for practical exercises.
• Ensure safe usage of tools and equipment.
• Conduct safety checks and risk assessments.

Skills

Health and Safety knowledge

Chemistry understanding

Technical support for practical classes

Education

A Level or equivalent in Physics, Chemistry or Biology

Job description

About Us

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is a mixed Academy for 1,300 students aged 11-18, with a large sixth form of nearly 400 students.

The Academy has four consecutive Outstanding judgments by Ofsted, with the most recent inspection in 2025 finding the Academy to be Outstanding in every category. We are a consistently high performing school. Our motto, ‘All Can Achieve’ encapsulates our vision that all members of the Academy community are supported and encouraged to achieve their absolute potential. We believe that a well-supported and valued staff body is the key to our success.

We are the ‘Teaching School Hub’ for Croydon and Sutton and we are able to offer all teachers an extensive programme of first class professional development. Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is part of the Harris Federation and this enables us to offer you a comprehensive induction programme and training and development opportunities to support your career development including Masters and other qualifications.

We welcome applicants at any point in their career and are open to full consideration of part time and job share requests.

Summary

We are looking for a Science Technician to provide technical support to the Science Department at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace, enabling the smooth running of practical classes and maintaining a safe working environment.

We are happy to consider full-time or term-time plus contracts. For a term-time plus contract, the salary will be adjusted pro rata.

Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will include:

• Assisting and advisingteaching staff on the preparation and layout in classrooms for practical exercises, running trials of experiments, demonstrations and helping students with learning activities
• Ensuring equipment and materials are prepared to the teacher's specifications, including making up special equipment or modifying from existing equipment
• Advisingstudents and staff on the safe and proper use of tools and equipment and on the correct and safe way to carry out learning activities
• Assistingin the safety, repair and general maintenance of all resources, equipment and tools, and advisingwhere any maintenance or inspection is beyond your competence
• Ensuring the welfare and care of any plants and animals in the science area and the security of the equipment
• Ensuring understanding of science syllabus and schemes of work to prepare for practical lessons adequately
• Assisting with stock keeping
• Undertaking safety checksand risk assessments tocomply with the requirements of Health and Safety, COSHH and other relevant legislation and school documentation
• Ensuring that all equipment and materials are stored safely, securely,and in good condition
• Safe disposalof used chemicals/hazardous waste
• Keeping up to date with health and safety regulations and with developments in practical science
• Workingwith other technical staff to assist in keeping areas neat, clean, tidy and in a safe condition in readiness for lessons, as well as cleaning and making safe spills, breakages and related incident.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to A Level or equivalent (A Level in either physics, chemistry or biology)
• COSHH training as appropriate
• Basic knowledge of Health and Safety regulations
• Good understanding of a range of chemicals and their properties
• Experience or solid understanding of working as a technician in a school or educational establishment, undertaking a range of practical tasks
• Experience of managing and being responsible for own workload.

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includesour Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS,a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more aboutour benefitson our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.