Dear Applicant
May I extend an extremely warm welcome to you from myself and everyone at the Blackpool Aspire
Academy. This may be your first contact with this new Sponsored Academy and first impressions are seriously important! Therefore, we wish you to know at the outset that we shall take your application very seriously indeed. If you prove to be a worthy candidate we want you to feel that our internal processes will select the most appropriate applicants, be it yourself or others, and make the right decision in the end.
I am Colin Simkins the new Academy’s Principal, who has been employed since 1 st September 2014 by
FCAT (the Fylde Coast Academy Trust). I have been tasked to merge 2 predecessor schools and take them from their previous unsatisfactory Ofsted categories to become one ‘good’ school as quickly as possible. I have worked in various educational settings for the past 45 years and this is my 6 th Headship in secondary schools. I am passionate about young people achieving their best irrespective of social, economic, ethnic and other back grounds. In previous times I was Headteacher of Hodgson Academy, an ‘outstanding’
Training School and founder member of FCAT, which is only 5 miles away in Poulton-le Fylde, Lancashire. I am determined to prove that students at Aspire Academy, which is located in Blackpool, can do just as well as the students at Hodgson if the right teachers and leaders are employed here.
So ….. are you brave enough and ‘up for’ this serious professional challenge? We already have a vibrant and committed extended Leadership Team of 9 leaders, have extensive personalised training on offer using internal, regional (FCAT and Training School Alliance) and national providers (National College) and provide real opportunities for further promotion internally and across the growing FCAT number of schools. We are looking for teachers and ‘future leaders’ who can make THAT difference!
If you feel the Blackpool Aspire Academy is the right place for you and the next step on your professional journey then please apply… you will not regret it.
Best wishes
Colin Simkins
Principal

In July 2014 during a section 8 inspection, Ofsted commented that:
‘The quality of teaching in much of humanities remains strong. This is due to high expectations and thorough long-term and short-term planning. For example, in a Year 8 geography lesson, students were hooked from the start as they watched a rap video about the link between trade in diamonds and war. One boy proudly announced that he had watched a programme related to this issue at home, which was met with the reply, ‘Well done superstar.’ by the teacher. Excellent relationships, a thirst for knowledge and a very engaging and stimulating learning environment resulted in all students making big gains in their knowledge and understanding.
Humanities are also making a significant contribution to the social, moral, spiritual and cultural experience of students. During the inspection, some Year 10 students had been taken to visit a Buddhist Temple while others had an equally profound learning experience in their religious education class. Year 10 students were observed behaving very respectfully and with a maturity beyond their years as they discussed in great depth the global issue of homophobia. The teacher skilfully drew out their own observations and potential prejudice, resulting in students critically evaluating their own attitudes and beliefs.’
The faculty has 7 classrooms located within a suite, giving the faculty a strong identity within school. Located within one of the newest parts of school, the Humanities corridor is a vibrant and well cared for area of school, with 3
Geography rooms, 3 History rooms and an RE room. The school is due to move to a new build in September 2015 and it is expected that Humanities will be housed within a similar suite.
The faculty is well resourced and teachers teach good lessons, have high expectations and take pride in their class rooms and the Humanities corridor, such that students enjoy their learning in Humanities and respond well to teachers.
The Geography Department gained 77% A*-C (GCSE Geography) in summer 2014 and holds the ‘Geographical
Association Centre of Excellence’ award. In March 2015 the Geography Department was invited to be an Ofsted hub of excellence.
The faculty is responsible for the school’s ‘FairTrade’ mark and works within the school and the local community to promote the use of FairTrade products and ethics.
The faculty has responsibility for the school’s Eco Garden and holds the silver Eco Schools Flag award. Students are currently studying for the John Muir Award via their work in the Eco Garden.
The History Department gained 52% A*-C (GCSE History) and the RE Department gained 75% A*-C (GCSE Religious
Studies) in summer 2014. BTEC Travel and Tourism gained a 100% Pass rate (equivalent to grade C or above).
The faculty has overarching responsibility for the current Year 7 cohort. All Humanities staff are also Year 7 form tutors and take pride in the ownership of this successful Aspire year group.
Teaching within the faculty is consistently Good to Outstanding. Students enjoy Humanities lessons and the faculty has a shared vision of excellence which is fostered through innovative and forward thinking teaching and learning.
The successful candidate will be expected to share in this vision for excellence and must be able to evidence success within their current teaching role.

Religious Education is an integral part of the Humanities faculty and RE teaching is currently undertaken by an RE specialist and Humanities teaching staff. Teaching and learning in RE aims to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of religion and world views and to explore challenging questions. Pupils develop important attitudes such as respect, self-awareness and open mindedness as well as skills such as reflection, evaluation and empathy. RE also plays a key role in the social, moral, spiritual and cultural education of Aspire students and it is expected that the successful candidate will continue this vital work and evidence SMSC within their teaching and schemes of work.
The RE Department has a long history of success at GCSE. 86% of students gained A*-C in 2011, 84% of students gained A*-C in 2012, 92% of students gained A*-C in 2013 and 75% of students gained A*-C in 2014. The RE
Department consistently achieves A*-C results well in excess of its targets and a high proportion of students gain the top grades of A and A*. It is expected that the successful candidate will work to maintain the success of GCSE RS in terms of results and excellence in teaching and learning.
Students at KS4 currently study the WJEC specification B. The aim of this syllabus is “to support pupils’ personal search for meaning by considering the question ‘What does it mean to be human?’ - exploring answers offered by religion and belief.” RE is made relevant to the lives of our students by referring to current events from the media and students have opportunities to meet with people from local religious communities.
In September 2015 Aspire Academy will move to a three year KS4 and Year Nine students will start GCSE courses.
There are currently two GCSE Full Course RS classes in KS4 and in September 2015 it is hoped there will be three
(one in each of Year Nine, Ten and Eleven). In KS3 (Years Seven and Eight) students receive one hour of RE teaching per fortnight, following the Blackpool Agreed Syllabus. From September 2015 statutory Religious Studies in KS4 will be covered in the school’s six ‘Aspirational Days’ throughout the year and the successful candidate will be required to plan RS lessons to be delivered on these days.
From September 2015 Year Nine students will study a new GCSE specification (in line with national changes to GCSE); it is expected that the successful candidate will choose their preferred specification for this cohort, along with the
Year 10 cohort, from September 2015. In Years Ten and Eleven GCSE RS students receive three hours of learning per week over the two year course. In Year Nine GCSE RS students will receive two hours of learning per week over the three year course.
The RE Department plays a key role in enriching the lives of Aspire students. KS3 trips currently include outings to a wide variety of places of worship including the Hindu Temple Preston, Blackpool Central Mosque, St Teresa’s
Catholic Church, Blackpool Reform Synagogue and Manchester Jewish Museum. KS4 students visit St Stephen’s
Church, Manjushri Buddhist Temple and Keajra Buddhist centre, Blackpool. Extracurricular activities offered by the department include Youth Alpha (which is staffed by volunteers from local churches), Prayer Spaces in the Summer term and charity fund raising for Actual Reality.
Blackpool Aspire Academy’s Religious Education Department is already progressive, forward thinking and student centred. The successful candidate will work to maintain and build on current success and share a vision of excellence and innovation to take RE into the future, ensuring it plays a key role in the story of Aspire Academy.

Job Description
Job Title
Salary
Liaising With:
Accountable To:
Responsible For:
Subject Lead of Religious Education
MPS +TLR 2a
Director of Humanities
Teachers, Teaching Assistants
SLT, Parents & Carers, Caseworkers
Main Duties and Responsibilities
The Subject Lead of Religious Education:

Supports the Director of Humanities in building and maintaining an effective teaching team which continually improves the quality of learning and achievement and supports the objectives of the school

Contributes towards raising standards and achievement of all students, and being specifically responsible for raising the standards amongst key student groups (eg Pupil Premium, High Achievers, LAC, SEND etc)
Leadership & Management
The Subject Lead of Religious Education will:

Deputise for the Director when required or requested by any member of SLT

Take the lead role in implementing and taking part in departmental initiatives

Take the lead role in implementing strategies that will rapidly improve rates of progress

Maintain meticulous records of interventions implemented and the associated impact

Support the Director in ensuring that the schools behavior policy is consistently implemented within the
Humanities area and elsewhere in school

Support the Director in ensuring that all departmental and school deadlines are met

To act as an Appraisal Review for identified members of staff

To assist in the recruitment and deployment of staff
Curricular/Departmental Improvement
The Subject Lead of Religious Education will:

Assist the Director in devising and implementing the Faculty Improvement Plan and the Departmental


Improvement Plan
Make effective use of data to monitor and evaluate the achievement of students within the subject
Be responsible for devising, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of departmental policies and documentation

Lead the Departmental Quality Assurance Program by Undertaking Learning Walks, Providing Feedback,
Completing Work Scrutiny, Reviewing Class Level Analysis Reports and Undertaking Joint Lessons
Observations with the Director / SLT
Teaching & Learning
The Subject Lead of Religious Education will:

Always lead by example as an excellent classroom practitioner

Deliver high quality lessons to at least a good standard and increasingly towards outstanding

Ensure that appropriate homework tasks are set across the department on a weekly basis

Provide an excellent role model for other members of the department in all aspects of professional life

Assist the Director by ensuring that the agreed future FCAT Schemes of Work are appropriately resourced and implemented across the department

Ensure that best practice (internal, regional & national) is shared across the department

Professional Responsibilities
The Subject Lead of Religious Education will:

Meet the National Teacher Standards (& UPS Standards if Applicable) to a high level

Participate in any offered INSET as a participator and contributor
This job description is not your contract of employment, or any part of it. It has been prepared only for the purpose of school organisation and may change either as your contract changes or as the organisation of the school is changed.
Nothing will be changed without consultation. This document must not be altered once it has been signed but it will be reviewed annually as part of the appraisal process or as appropriate.
Signed:_________________________ (Subject Lead of Religious Education)
Date:_________________
Signed:_________________________ (Principal)
Date:_________________

Person Specification
Subject Lead of Religious Education
Personal attributes required based on Job Description
Qualifications
1.
Relevant Degree and good academic qualifications relevant to the post
2.
A recognised teaching qualification
3.
Evidence of appropriate professional development, over the last three to five years, in preparation for career progression
4.
Evidence of further study, preferably with a higher qualification
5.
Experience as a GCSE Examiner/marker for Religious Studies
Experience
1.
Have a proven record in leadership and management
2.
Have experience of enhancing the education experience through ICT
3.
Have successfully worked with groups out of school to develop learning projects
4.
Be able to demonstrate secure knowledge and understanding in the required specialist subject area.
5.
Have an excellent track record of teaching Religious Education for ages
11 to 16.
6.
Have a track record of raising achievement.
7.
Have experience/understanding of the processes of change management.
8.
Involvement in initiatives that have shown significant impact, securing improved outcomes for children.
Knowledge
1.
Understand and have good knowledge of recent curricular issues
2.
Show a broad understanding of issues relating to the National
Curriculum
Skills
3.
Be efficient, highly motivated and able to deal with a heavy workload
4.
Have a high level of ICT skills
5.
Have personal impact and presence
Essential (E) or
Desirable (D)
E
D
D
D
E
E
E
E
E
E
D
D
D
E
E
E
E
E

Abilities
1.
Have the ability to articulate and maintain a vision for high quality education
2.
Have the ability to lead and delegate
3.
Have the ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
4.
Ability to use data to inform planning and monitor progress
5.
Proven ability to effectively motivate staff and students
6.
Have the ability to establish good working relationships with staff, parents and the wider community
Other Attributes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Implement quality assurance practices that lead to positive outcomes
Have a commitment to school improvement and be able to demonstrate present involvement in current initiatives
Have loyalty, discretion and commitment to the Academy and its aims
Willingness to take a lead role in extra-curricular interventions
Have energy, dynamism, a sense of perspective and a sense of humour with a pro-active, can-do spirit.
Capacity for hard work and resilience
Ambitious, with aspirations
Show on-going evidence of a commitment to their own personal development and training.
Involvement in initiatives that have shown significant impact, securing improved outcomes for children.
E
E
E
E
D
E
E
E
E
Essential requirements are those without which an applicant will not be considered for appointment.
E
E
E
E
E
E

If you feel this is the post for you, please complete the enclosed application form and equal opportunities monitoring form.
In section 6 ‘Statement in Support of Application’ please outline your career to date and how your experiences have prepared you to take on this exciting and crucial role. Please also use the person specification to indicate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. Your statement should be no longer than 2 pages of A4, in Calibri Font (Size 12). CV’s will not be considered as part of the selection process.
Your application form and equal opportunities monitoring form should be submitted (preferably by email) to Judy Woolcock ( judy.woolcock@aspire.blackpool.sch.uk
), Senior HR & Finance Officer, by 3pm on
Thursday 7 th May 2015.
Interviews are scheduled to take place during Week Commencing 11 th May 2015
If you have any questions during the application process please contact Judy Woolcock with any enquiries.
Given the volume of applications we often receive if you have not heard anything by Friday 15th May please assume your application has been unsuccessful.