Job Vacancy: Science Lead (Head of Department)
Job Title: Science Lead
Responsible To: Assistant Principal (Curriculum & Outcomes)
Salary: Main / Upper Pay Scale + TLR 1 (dependent on experience)
Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent
Job Purpose
The Science Lead will provide high-quality strategic leadership and management for the Science Department. The postholder will be responsible for securing outstanding teaching, robust health and safety compliance, effective resource use, and high standards of achievement and progress for all students across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
As a middle leader, you will foster scientific curiosity and academic excellence across the academy, designing an innovative, rigorous, and logically sequenced curriculum. A seamless fit with the academy’s core pedagogy is essential; you will be responsible for driving a highly structured instructional model, embedding 'Teach Like a Champion' (TLAC) techniques to maximize learning ratios, eliminate downtime during transitions (particularly between theory and practical lab work), and maintain an environment of impeccable academic rigor.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Direction and Leadership
- Lead the vision for the Science Department, aligning departmental goals with the overarching strategic development plan of the academy.
- Evaluate departmental performance rigorously, using data and quality assurance measures to identify areas for growth and implement effective improvement strategies.
- Line manage, support, and develop the science team—including teaching staff and science technicians—fostering a collaborative, professional working environment.
- Mentor and coach early career teachers (ECTs), trainees, and non-specialist teachers within the department to build capacity, pedagogical expertise, and confidence in delivering practical work.
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
- Design and oversee a high-quality, sequenced Science curriculum at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 (Combined and Triple Science pathways) that builds deep conceptual understanding and mastery of working scientifically.
- Model exemplary classroom practice, delivering engaging, high-impact science lessons that reflect the school’s high-expectation pedagogical values.
- Drive pedagogical excellence within the department by ensuring TLAC techniques (e.g., Cold Call, No Opt Out, Threshold, Radar, Standardize the Format) are consistently embedded across all labs and classrooms to secure high-ratio engagement.
- Establish tight, highly structured routines for practical lessons, ensuring that safety instructions and laboratory transitions are executed with absolute clarity and efficiency.
Student Progress and Attainment
- Track and analyse student progress data systematically across all science disciplines, identifying underachieving cohorts or individuals.
- Implement targeted interventions (e.g., small-group tutoring, required practical intervention sessions) to close attainment gaps, particularly for disadvantaged or high-needs students.
- Liaise with the SENDCo and Intervention Team to ensure the curriculum and practical experiments are fully accessible to students with additional learning needs.
Oversee external exam entries (GCSE Combined and Separate Sciences) and maintain rigorous standards of internal tracking to accurately predict final outcomes.
Resource and Operational Management
- Act as the departmental lead on Health and Safety, ensuring absolute compliance with CLEAPSS guidelines, risk assessments, and statutory regulations for chemical storage and lab safety.
- Manage the departmental budget efficiently, prioritizing resources, equipment, and consumables that directly impact student outcomes and practical learning.
- Oversee the allocation of labs and classes, maximizing the utilization of specialist spaces and teaching expertise.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Professional Development
- Essential: Good honours degree in a Science discipline (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or related field).
- Essential: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
- Desirable: Evidence of further professional development or leadership training (e.g., NPQLT, NPQBC, or NPQML).
Experience
- Essential: An outstanding track record of teaching Science at a secondary school level with proven exam success across Key Stages 3 and 4.
- Essential: Experience implementing high-structure, high-expectation routines and TLAC methodologies within a science classroom or department.
- Essential: Experience managing lab safety protocols and supervising practical, inquiry-based learning effectively.
- Desirable: Experience of managing a small team, a specific key stage, a scientific discipline, or holding a second-in-department position.
Knowledge and Skills
- Deep pedagogical alignment: A strong understanding of, and commitment to, the Teach Like a Champion (TLAC) framework and techniques.
- Comprehensive knowledge of the National Curriculum, CLEAPSS health and safety guidelines, and current GCSE examination board specifications.
- Strong data literacy, with the ability to interpret complex student performance metrics and translate them into actionable interventions.
- Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ability to command a room and lead a team through explicit, structured routines.
Personal Qualities
- An unwavering commitment to educational equity, social mobility, and high expectations for all students.
- Resilience, emotional intelligence, and a proactive, solution-focused approach to leadership and classroom management challenges.
- The ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with teaching staff, technical support staff, parents, and external stakeholders.
Safeguarding Statement
The organisation is strictly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, expecting all staff and volunteers to share this unwavering commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check, secure satisfactory professional references, and clear all statutory pre-employment screenings.
This job description outlines the main duties of the post at the time of writing. It may be amended in consultation with the postholder to reflect changing educational or operational requirements.…Job Vacancy: Science Lead (Head of Department)
Job Title: Science Lead
Responsible To: Assistant Principal (Curriculum & Outcomes)
Salary: Main / Upper Pay Scale + TLR 1 (dependent on experience)
Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent
Job Purpose
The Science Lead will provide high-quality strategic leadership and management for the Science Department. The postholder will be responsible for securing outstanding teaching, robust health and safety compliance, effective resource use, and high standards of achievement and progress for all students across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
As a middle leader, you will foster scientific curiosity and academic excellence across the academy, designing an innovative, rigorous, and logically sequenced curriculum. A seamless fit with the academy’s core pedagogy is essential; you will be responsible for driving a highly structured instructional model, embedding 'Teach Like a Champion' (TLAC) techniques to maximize learning ratios, eliminate downtime during transitions (particularly between theory and practical lab work), and maintain an environment of impeccable academic rigor.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Direction and Leadership
- Lead the vision for the Science Department, aligning departmental goals with the overarching strategic development plan of the academy.
- Evaluate departmental performance rigorously, using data and quality assurance measures to identify areas for growth and implement effective improvement strategies.
- Line manage, support, and develop the science team—including teaching staff and science technicians—fostering a collaborative, professional working environment.
- Mentor and coach early career teachers (ECTs), trainees, and non-specialist teachers within the department to build capacity, pedagogical expertise, and confidence in delivering practical work.
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
- Design and oversee a high-quality, sequenced Science curriculum at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 (Combined and Triple Science pathways) that builds deep conceptual understanding and mastery of working scientifically.
- Model exemplary classroom practice, delivering engaging, high-impact science lessons that reflect the school’s high-expectation pedagogical values.
- Drive pedagogical excellence within the department by ensuring TLAC techniques (e.g., Cold Call, No Opt Out, Threshold, Radar, Standardize the Format) are consistently embedded across all labs and classrooms to secure high-ratio engagement.
- Establish tight, highly structured routines for practical lessons, ensuring that safety instructions and laboratory transitions are executed with absolute clarity and efficiency.
Student Progress and Attainment
- Track and analyse student progress data systematically across all science disciplines, identifying underachieving cohorts or individuals.
- Implement targeted interventions (e.g., small-group tutoring, required practical intervention sessions) to close attainment gaps, particularly for disadvantaged or high-needs students.
- Liaise with the SENDCo and Intervention Team to ensure the curriculum and practical experiments are fully accessible to students with additional learning needs.
Oversee external exam entries (GCSE Combined and Separate Sciences) and maintain rigorous standards of internal tracking to accurately predict final outcomes.
Resource and Operational Management
- Act as the departmental lead on Health and Safety, ensuring absolute compliance with CLEAPSS guidelines, risk assessments, and statutory regulations for chemical storage and lab safety.
- Manage the departmental budget efficiently, prioritizing resources, equipment, and consumables that directly impact student outcomes and practical learning.
- Oversee the allocation of labs and classes, maximizing the utilization of specialist spaces and teaching expertise.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Professional Development
- Essential: Good honours degree in a Science discipline (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or related field).
- Essential: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
- Desirable: Evidence of further professional development or leadership training (e.g., NPQLT, NPQBC, or NPQML).
Experience
- Essential: An outstanding track record of teaching Science at a secondary school level with proven exam success across Key Stages 3 and 4.
- Essential: Experience implementing high-structure, high-expectation routines and TLAC methodologies within a science classroom or department.
- Essential: Experience managing lab safety protocols and supervising practical, inquiry-based learning effectively.
- Desirable: Experience of managing a small team, a specific key stage, a scientific discipline, or holding a second-in-department position.
Knowledge and Skills
- Deep pedagogical alignment: A strong understanding of, and commitment to, the Teach Like a Champion (TLAC) framework and techniques.
- Comprehensive knowledge of the National Curriculum, CLEAPSS health and safety guidelines, and current GCSE examination board specifications.
- Strong data literacy, with the ability to interpret complex student performance metrics and translate them into actionable interventions.
- Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ability to command a room and lead a team through explicit, structured routines.
Personal Qualities
- An unwavering commitment to educational equity, social mobility, and high expectations for all students.
- Resilience, emotional intelligence, and a proactive, solution-focused approach to leadership and classroom management challenges.
- The ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with teaching staff, technical support staff, parents, and external stakeholders.
Safeguarding Statement
The organisation is strictly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, expecting all staff and volunteers to share this unwavering commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check, secure satisfactory professional references, and clear all statutory pre-employment screenings.
This job description outlines the main duties of the post at the time of writing. It may be amended in consultation with the postholder to reflect changing educational or operational requirements.WWWWW…