Beacon Community College Academy Trust

Transcription

1 Beacon Community College Academy Trust Science Technician Information for Applicants Principal: Mr P Swan

2 Contents 1. Letter from the Deputy Head of Academy 2. About the Academy 3. Department Information 4. Job Description 5. Person Specification 6. The selection process

3 Dear Applicant Post of Science Technician Thank you for your inquiry regarding the vacancy for the above named post. The post is for 23 hours per week, over 5 days, term time only, plus 4 days in the holidays, on Single Status grade 4 15,330-16,239 pro rata. This equates to 8,261-8,751 per annum. Please find enclosed a pack, which has been prepared to help you with your application. It includes: Information about the college The job description The person specification An application form Completed application forms should be ed to the Cheryl Ruck Cheryl.ruck@hays.com by noon on Friday 20 th March Beacon Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects staff to share this commitment. Please come and visit us at any time and see for yourself. To arrange a visit please contact Cheryl Ruck, Hays Education, on If you require any further information about the role, please call Angela Bailey on or a.bailey@beacon-academy.org. Judy Nobbs Deputy Head of Academy Business

4 Beacon Academy We are a rural, mixed comprehensive converter academy with nearly 1400 students including 350 in the Sixth Form. We are situated in Crowborough on the edge of the Ashdown Forest and in close proximity to Tunbridge Wells and the South Coast. We are co-located with Grove Park School (a school for students with profound and multiple disabilities) which, apart from the obvious benefits for students, provides an additional strand to our already well developed inclusive curriculum. The co-location was part of a major 14 million building refurbishment and although some of the buildings may not be described as attractive from the outside, there has been considerable refurbishment and building work over the last ten years. This has included relocating the Sixth Form to Green Lane, a dedicated facility less than a quarter of a mile from the main Beeches site. The Sixth Form College houses in excess of 350 students studying predominantly Level 3 courses. We retain over 80% of our Sixth Form students from Beacon and also successfully recruit from other local and international schools. We are confident that the Sixth Form will continue to expand in the future and go from strength to strength with well-established and consistently outstanding results. Year 7 through to Year 11 students are on Beeches site with the benefit of the dedicated care of our non-teaching pastoral team who support them in their journey from Key Stage 3 to 4. To facilitate the transition from Primary School, our Year 7 s have their own block and playground alongside a five minute difference in timings to the rest of the school for breaks, lunch and the end of the school day. Beacon draws students from Crowborough, Jarvis Brook, Rotherfield, Withyham, Hartfield, Forest Row and Groombridge and also attracts students from outside this traditional catchment area, from Kent and some from the independent sector. There are ten main contributory primary schools. This wide catchment area produces a truly comprehensive intake, both in terms of ability and socio-economic background. There are some students whose educational needs are the subject of a formal statement. The majority of students are of average to above average ability. I took up the post of Principal in September 2000 and can categorically confirm that for a large school such as ours, the quality of relationships at Beacon are exceptional and our students and whole staff body are a reflection of this ethos. We value mutual respect, responsibility, equity, enthusiasm, self-discipline, team work and consideration for others. We believe in an open minded approach, creativity, self-reliance, confidence and excellence. Above all we invest in our staff. It is not surprising therefore that we have maintained our Investors in People status with ease. As a body of staff we work tirelessly to ensure there is a relentless attention to detail with high quality teaching and learning experiences for all our students in an atmosphere of high expectations. Our students are well mannered, personable, resilient, and have the desire to do well. We seldom deal with major behaviour issues. We enjoy a good reputation with our local community and have forged strong links with our feeder primary schools over a number of years. We have been judged good with outstanding features in 2 successive Ofsted observations, and are well on the way to achieving our goal of outstanding. Our headline results at GCSE and in the Sixth Form support this. We have been planning with the future firmly in mind and have high aspirations for the coming years. Our A Level performance is just as impressive with our A* - E exceeding 98% over the last three years and our A* - C consistently over 70%. As a Specialist Science and Sports College we continue to pride ourselves on our ICT and STEM developments, continuous professional development opportunities, and ability to cope with change whilst continuing to improve standards of achievement in each of the last 8 years. These are exciting times for Beacon, with a unique 3.5 million Creative Learning Centre recently completed. We are looking for applicants that would embrace the changes we have made without losing sight of the need to keep students and personalisation as central for the future.

5 In order to recruit and retain high calibre staff Beacon operates comprehensive, personalised in house training and supports enthusiastic and committed colleagues with enhanced continuous professional development opportunities. In April 2012 we became an Academy and are taking full advantage of the flexibilities and opportunities this offers us. We believe that this is a great place to work. Applications are sought from those who are seeking to work in a successful and supportive Science Department, ambitious for the students and for themselves. o Please complete an application form o A letter of application should be no longer than 2 sides of A4 and should be structured according to the main headings of the person specification. o Please note that two references are required for all candidates Beacon Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects staff to share this commitment. Please come and visit us at any time and see for yourself. To arrange a visit please contact Cheryl Ruck, Hays Education, on Peter Swan Principal March 2014

6 The Science Department The Science Department is a large, successful department within the college, with fourteen teaching staff and a team of five technicians. The department is led by a Head of Science who is supported by a strong team of three middle management staff, each with individual responsibility areas. Our large and vibrant Sixth Form are housed in a purpose built site less than a quarter of a mile from the main campus. Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 3 lessons take place on the Beeches site, where there are nine laboratories and four prep rooms. All of the Key Stage 5 Science is currently taught at the Sixth Form Centre where there are three excellent laboratories and a prep room with one designated technician. All laboratories on both sites are equipped with full scientific apparatus and data projectors. Science lessons are also increasingly being taught within the schools new state of the art Creative Learning Centre (CLC) which enables students to participate in 21 st century learning. We currently teach Key Stage 3 Science over three years and at Key Stage 4 offer AQA Triple science, AQA Core and Additional Science. Key Stage 5 science at Beacon is extremely popular and as a result we offer A-levels in OCR Biology, OCR Chemistry, OCR Physics and Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Science. Within the department all staff teach across all Key Stages and subjects, teaching within our specialisms at Key Stage 4 triple science and A-level. Science has a long tradition of academic excellence, consequently many students progress to taking one or more of the sciences at post 16. We have a history of students progressing to study the sciences at Oxbridge and to study medicine or veterinary at prestigious institutions. As a department we are keen to extend the science experience beyond the laboratory. The majority of the department staff are involved in extra-curricular support, and as well as our science clubs and additional support sessions, we regularly organise trips to places such as CERN, Geneva, Sussex University and Herstmonceux Science Centre/Observatory. We are well-known in the local area for both the annual Egg Race involving local primary schools, and the Year 10 challenge that encourages competition between local schools. Additionally we have very strong links with the local primary schools and are very active in offering science events for Year 5 and 6 students. Groups of primary school students regularly attend Beacon for whole-day sessions involving Forensic Science, or Rockets and Robots. This year our links with primary schools are being further developed under the Director of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). These developments include the introduction of Saturday morning STEM clubs and other exciting opportunities.

7 Job Description JOB TITLE RESPONSIBLE TO MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB Science Technician Team Leader Technician Under the overall control of the team leader/senior technician, to co-ordinate the use of practical resources and facilities, and provide assistance and advice in meeting the practical needs of the science curriculum, including liaising with teaching staff, and support staff outside the department. Main Functions 1. To ensure the maintenance of a healthy and safe working environment through: actively contributing to the assessment, monitoring and review of both health & safety procedures and information resources keeping up to date with current procedures and practices through continuing professional development the provision of technical advice and support on health & safety issues to teaching and trainee technical staff the safe treatment and disposal of used materials including hazardous substances and responding to actual or potential hazards the healthy and safe storage and accessibility of equipment and materials 2. To carry out health & safety and risk assessments relating to laboratory work and apply COSHH regulations and assessments 3. To assist the team leader/senior technician with the day to day organisation and development of trainee staff to ensure that essential performance standards are achieved. 4. To contribute to the design, development and maintenance of specialist resources and/or long term projects.

8 5. To support the team leader/senior technician in ensuring the availability of suitable materials and equipment, helping to compile orders and liaising or negotiating with suppliers and finance departments. This will include sourcing, costing and suggesting economic alternatives to maintain stock levels. Keeping up-to-date records of stock. 6. Under the overall guidance of the team leader/senior technician, to ensure that both routine and non-routine checking, cleaning, maintenance, calibration, testing and repairing of equipment are carried out to the required standard. 7. To assist in practical classes and carry out demonstrations 8. To set up and maintain audio visual aids 9. To set up computers and data logging equipment This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time it was drawn up. The post holder may be required from time to time to undertake other duties within the school as may be reasonably expected, without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. This is a common occurrence and would not justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.

9 Person Specification Knowledge and Experience 1.1 Knowledge of Health & Safety legislation as it relates to the work of a school 1.2 Knowledge of COSHH and ESCC regulations in relation to the safe handling and storage of chemicals 1.3 Knowledge of safe working practices in relation to the handling and usage of hazardous equipment and tools 1.4 Some knowledge of National Curriculum requirements Skills and Abilities 2.1 Ability to carry out risk assessments in relation to laboratory work 2.2 Ability to maintain a range of tools and equipment 2.3 Ability to prepare equipment and materials for lessons, as requested by the teaching staff 2.4 Ability to work in an organised and methodical manner 2.5 Ability to identify work priorities and manage own workload within agreed parameters 2.6 Ability to establish positive relationships with pupils, including those with special educational needs 2.7 Ability to maintain accurate work records and inventories 2.8 Ability to work effectively as part of a team Personal Qualities 3.1 Ability to demonstrate commitment to Equal Opportunities 3.2 Willingness to participate in further training and developmental opportunities offered by the school and county, to further knowledge Desirable Criteria 4.1 NVQ2 in Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities (LATA) or NVQ2 for Laboratory Technicians in Education or Level 2 Certificate in Laboratory Technical Skills or equivalent. 4.2 Previous experience of working in a school environment

10 The Selection Process Following receipt of your Application Pack, you may wish to have an opportunity to discuss this post informally. If so, please contact: Angela Bailey, at the school via or The interview process will involve: A tour of the College Meeting Department Staff Formal interview We look forward to receiving your application. Deadline for receiving applications: Noon on Friday 20 th March 2015

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