The Fernwood School are seeking to appoint a permanent head of department for Food and Health & Social Care. The candidate will be a dynamic, enthusiastic, and highly skilled leader of Food and Health & Social Care, capable of planning and delivering a high-quality curriculum at both KS3 and KS4, in line with the subject and faculty intent and high-quality learning.

We warmly welcome prospective applicants to visit our school prior to submitting an application. A visit will give you the chance to experience our ethos first-hand, meet our dedicated team, and see our learning environment in action. To arrange a visit, please do not hesitate to contact 0115 928 6326.

The Fernwood School enjoys an excellent reputation for high standards of achievement and behaviour. We offer a school with:

Professional Development & Excellence

• An ethos of ‘High Achievement with Care and Discipline for All’
• Excellent CPD Opportunities
• An Outstanding Ofsted Judgement
• A strong Progress 8 score
• Leading Edge Status

Wellbeing & Support

• Mental health and wellbeing services such as access to a 24/7 confidential employee employee assistance programme.
• Healthcare schemes such as Specsavers Eyecare vouchers for DSE users.
• Cycle to Work Scheme             

Financial Benefits

• Incremental Pay Progression
• Generous Occupational Pension Scheme
• Blue Light Card

The Food and Health & Social Care is a passionate, talented and dedicated team with a keen interest in teaching and learning. Our staff are keen to work collaboratively to secure the best outcomes for children across KS3, KS4 AQA Food Preparation and Nutrition and OCR Cambridge National in Health and Social Care. The Food and Health & Social Care department consists of 5 teachers of KS3 food and 3 teachers of the KS4 qualifications.

Students benefit from a carefully sequenced curriculum, underpinned by pedagogical research, which challenges all learners. Our curriculum celebrates the diversity of the Fernwood Family and seeks to create learners who are willing to develop their practical and theoretical skills within the kitchen.

The Food and Health and Social Care department use curriculum resources as a springboard for their adaptive teaching; we encourage staff to innovate and teach creatively in a way that feels authentic to them, whilst ensuring students receive a balanced and varied education.

The right candidate will have a clear vision for the future development of teaching and learning in Food and Health & Social Care. They will be able to drive improvement in the outcomes within the department and motivate and lead the department to further success.

The Trustees and staff are committed to continuous improvement and would welcome applications from candidates with both drive and determination. We are seeking a leader who is able to challenge and inspire their team, driving the success of students, regardless of their ability or background.

The Fernwood School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Therefore, this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. An online search will be undertaken on all shortlisted candidates. This search does not form part of the shortlisting process, and you will have the opportunity to discuss any issues of concern that may arise from this search at the interview.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please return your completed application form, together with your letter of application (which should be the equivalent of no more than 2 sides of A4, font size 11) explaining how your skills, qualities and experience would enable you to be successful in the role to the Headteacher, Mr C Gell, via MyNewTerm.

Further details are available on our website https://www.fernwood.school.

Role specific enquires: j.barker@fernwood.school (Head of Faculty Art, Design and Technology)