Director of Curriculum and Assessment

Reports to: Director of Education

Location: West London – currently operating an agile working policy with two core days (Mon and Weds) in the office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm)

Closing date: Friday 21^st April at 10am

First round interviews: Tuesday 25^th April (virtual)

Second round interviews: Wednesday 26^th April (in person)

Salary: Highly competitive package, negotiable depending on experience

About the role:

We are looking for an outstanding education leader to join Ark in an exciting role at the heart of our network’s education team. The Director of Curriculum and Assessment will support the continued development of Ark’s education model with detailed responsibility for curriculum and assessment across our network of 39 schools working alongside our Principals, Regional Directors and Directors of Education.

We are looking for someone who can research, seek and bring evidence-based best practice to our schools so we can become leaders of curriculum provision in the sector.

You would be joining a well-established team, all working together to build sustainable excellence in our schools. You will have overall responsibility for:

• Network Curriculum Strategy and Design: Lead the on-going development of the Ark Base Curriculum across all key stages from EYFS to Post-16 and quality assure network curriculum
• Subject Curriculum: Advise and support schools on curriculum design theory and practical application
• School Curriculum Implementation and Support: Provide quality curriculum intent and implementation training to school leadership and subject leads
• Subject Leadership and Training: Support the development of subject leadership, and oversee the running of Head of Departments’ meetings, standardisation activities and network days
• Extended curriculum: Music, Sports and Scholarships: Oversee the extended music and sports offer to ensure that they act as flagships for other extra-curricular programmes
• Assessment: Line manage the Head of Assessment, whilst maintaining a strong personal knowledge of both the demands of external assessment and accountability frameworks

Key Responsibilities:

• Clearly articulate the Ark vision and strategy for the academic curriculum making clear the choices being made and the rationale for those, including the need for diversity and inclusion to be woven throughout
• Manage and maintain the strong Ark/AC+ strategic and operational relationship to ensure that both organisations draw benefit from cross-working
• Ensure that the curriculum intent and implementation across all schools and all subjects is delivering highest impact
• Advise and support schools on curriculum design theory and practical application
• Oversee and lead on the ongoing development, and associated training, of the Ark Planning and Curriculum & Assessment Toolkits
• Lead on the design and delivery of the Ark inset days
• Oversee and line manage the work of the Head of Creative and Extended Curriculum to ensure we are fulfilling our aims in this area
• Work with the Director of Pastoral and Inclusion and Head of Creative and Extended Curriculum, to set and communicate a compelling strategy for the development of the extended curriculum across the Ark schools
• Work with the Head of Assessment to ensure that assessments fully align and evaluate pupil progress through the curriculum

Key Requirements:

• Graduate with a BA/BSc, or ideally MA/MSc and qualified to teach in the UK
• Recent experience of successful and sustained leadership in education, either as a principal, vice principal or in a strategic leadership position across more than one school
• Detailed understanding of curriculum theory design, development and implementation
• Detailed understanding of the requirements of the national curriculum and appropriate progression across all key stages
• Experience of providing extensive and purposeful CPD to both teachers and experienced school leaders
• Proven ability to lead, coach and motivate staff to achieve the highest levels of personal and collective performance in a school context

View the full job description and person specification here

About Ark

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 30,000 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20^th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service and full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Hybrid working, with currently two days a week in our state-of-the-art office in West London working alongside colleagues
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work life balance and personal commitments
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to TPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.  

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment – this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.