DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL

THE DAME ALICE OWEN FOUNDATION – 1613

Tel:01707 643 441Dugdale Hill Lane

Fax:01707 645 011 Potters Bar

Email: Herts EN6 2DU

16 June 2017

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

(full-time or part-time, term-time only, starting September 2017)

Application pack

Closing date: Wednesday 28 June 2017 (noon)

Interviews on Wednesday 5 July 2017 (morning)

Thank you for your interest in the post of Laboratory Technician. The application pack for this post consists of:

  • this covering note
  • a copy of the advertisement
  • general information on the post and department (the Science Technician Role Profile)
  • an application form, and
  • the school prospectus (downloadable from our website, Us > Prospectus – if you would prefer a paper copy, please contact our Admin Office – details above).

Please note:

  • Closing date: Wednesday 28 June 2017 at noon.
  • Electronic versions of the application form

These are available on our School website, at:

You will need to download three forms: the relevant application form, guidance notes for applicants, and person specification for a support role from the relevant folder.

  • Interview date:Wednesday 5 July 2017, morning (approx. 8.45am to 12.00pm).
  • References

Please ensure that you provide email addresses for all your referees as we will request references by email. A mobile number for them would also be useful.

  • If you have any queries regarding this post

Please contact Debbie Palmer, Science Resource Co-ordinator, at the School on 01707 622 855 (Science Prep Room) (), or Véronique Duvergé, Head’s PA, on 01707 622 841 ().

  • How to apply and where to send your completed form

Please complete the application form and person specification, and return them to the school by noon onWednesday 28 June, together with a letter of application outlining why you would like this role, what you would bring to it, and how your skills and experience match the demands of the post.

Please send your completed forms and accompanying documents by email to Véronique Duvergé, PA to the Head, at (01707 622 841); please also ensure that you send Ms Duvergé by post a hard copy of the documents sent by email (postal address at the top of page 1). Should you be selected for an interview, you will hear from us by Monday 3 July 2017. Please accept our apologies as we cannot notify individual candidates of the outcome of their application.

We look forward to reading your application, and thank you for your interest in our School.

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Job ad:

DAME ALICE OWEN'S SCHOOL

(Voluntary Aided) | THE DAME ALICE OWEN FOUNDATION - 1613

Dugdale Hill Lane, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 2DU

11-18 Co-educational; Number on roll: 1,464; Sixth Form: 415

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN (starting September 2017)

Permanent post, full-time (37 hours p/week) or part-time, term-time only

Scale H3/14 – Actual pro-rata salary approx. £13,935 for the full-time role

(based on a salary of £16,781 for the full-year round role)

Closing date: Wednesday 28 June 2017 (noon)

Interviews on Wednesday 5 July 2017 (morning)

The governors of this highly successful, partially selective, mixed school invite applications for the post of Laboratory Technician from September 2017. Successful applicants will become part of a large Science department of 21 teachers and 6 support staff. A scientific background (especially in Physics) and some experience of a school Science prep room would be an advantage.

The school is situated on an attractive 35-acre site in the Green Belt, has excellent facilities and provides extensive professional development opportunities for all staff. Central London is easily reached by rail from Potters Bar and the school is close to motorway links. The Department is housed in a new state of the art science block. Science is a very popular subject throughout the school, with 80 % of all GCSE students studying triple sciences and there are 28 science classes at A-Level. In 2016 97% of all students secured 5 or more A*-Cs at GCSE, and 82% of A level entries were graded A*- B.

For an application pack with full details and guidance on how to apply, see > General Enquiries > Vacancies; for an informal discussion, contact Véronique Duvergé, Head’s PA, on 01707 622 841 (). We look forward to receiving your application.

Vacancy: Laboratory Technician

Science Technical Role Profile

June 2017

Job title:Science Technician

Responsible to:Head of Science

Main purpose of role:

As a member of our small team, you will provide support for the teachers in this busy Science Department, focusing especially on Physics. You will be expected to assist the other members of the team to cover the daily requirements for 16 laboratories, as requested by the teaching staff. You will receive whatever training may be required to fulfil the key responsibilities below.

Key responsibilities:

  • Preparing chemicals and equipment for lesson practicals and assessments
  • Putting equipment/chemicals / computer trolley into the laboratories prior to class and collecting after
  • General laboratory housekeeping, including hand washing glassware, returning stock to stock cupboards/shelves in the prep room and disposing of waste
  • Photocopying and collating worksheets and tests which complement the schemes of work
  • Assisting in the monitoring of various laboratory consumables
  • Constructing, maintaining and repairing equipment
  • Trialling practical activities, particularly for coursework and controlled assessments
  • Providing technical assistance to teachers and students
  • Promoting awareness of health and safety in science lessons
  • Communicating telephone messages to students/teachers when the need arises; and
  • Any other duties as specified by the senior staff.

Knowledge:knowledge of science would be an advantage, especially Physics.

Experience: some experience of laboratory work(especially in a school context), and basic ICT competency.

Skills and competencies:

To be able to:

  • multi-task
  • act quickly
  • work well within the team
  • prioritise workload; and
  • be flexible.

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Details of the School, Department and vacancy

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN - Needed for September 2017

Thank you for your interest in the post of Laboratory Technician.

The school has been designated with a second specialism in Science and we are seeking an enthusiastic practitioner to join our experienced team of 23 teachers and 5technicians in this exciting new opportunity. If you believe you have the skills to enhance our performance further, are committed to academic excellence and have new ideas/initiatives to continue our success we would be very interested in your application. We hope you will find the following information both interesting and helpful and look forward to receiving your application.

At Dame Alice Owen’s School we have earned ourselves an enviable national reputation based on:

  • Committed and dedicated staff who are responsive to change
  • Teamworking as the norm
  • Energetic and enthusiastic pupils
  • Renowned for extra-curricular activities
  • Outstanding league table performance
  • Excellent resources and facilities
  • Forward-looking and proactive leadership
  • A foundation stone of tradition and heritage
  • Exceptional recognition by OfSTED

What Ofsted said about us:

  • This is an outstanding school.
  • The school sets demanding targets and provides outstanding academic support and guidance to students of all abilities.
  • Standards in the Sixth Form are outstanding and have been for some time.
  • High standards of attainment and student progress are a consistent feature in MFL, Science, Mathematics, Religious Education, History, ICT and Music.
  • An accelerated MFL learning programme encourages many students to take GCSE examinations early.
  • The school believes that the quality of teaching and learning is outstanding and HMI agree.
  • The students’ attitude to learning is excellent.
  • The students’ personal development is outstanding; they become mature, articulate individuals.
  • Behaviour throughout the school is excellent; students are polite and confident.
  • Leadership and management are outstanding.

The school has developed a very close partnership with a very supportive parent body to ensure the effective education of their children. We are hugely oversubscribed with over 1,000 applications each year for the 200 places available in Year 7, and 10 applicants for every external place available in the Sixth Form.

What drives our success:

Strategy

  • To enable pupils to achieve their highest standards of academic, cultural and sporting excellence.
  • To maintain the distinctive character of the school based on its long heritage and close links with the Trustees of the Dame Alice Owen Foundation.
  • To provide the optimum standard of facilities and resources to respond to the changes and development in education.

Aims

  • To achieve the best academic results for which each pupil is capable.
  • To provide a stimulating, ordered and disciplined environment in which all pupils can learn and thrive.
  • To prepare pupils for responsible adult life.
  • To provide pupils with the skills needed in the changing world of work.
  • To offer a wide range of extracurricular activities.
  • To create a caring and friendly environment caring for individual needs.
  • To encourage a sense of pride in belonging to the school.
  • To promote respect and understanding of religious and moral values within the framework of the Christian tradition and inclusive of other faiths and cultures.
  • To develop self respect and respect for others.
  • To enable pupils to benefit from the history, tradition and experience of the Dame Alice Owen Foundation and the Governing Body.

Values

  • Aiming High – striving for excellence, high achievement and personal improvement whilst developing challenging, creative and enquiring minds.
  • Personal Development – being involved, committed and enthusiastic members of the school community and beyond, developing self-confidence, respect and discipline whilst valuing tolerance, honesty, loyalty and service to others.
  • Getting Things Done – focusing on commitment, accountability and productivity through effective time Partnership – understanding how to contribute to and benefit from partnerships and communities through involvement in extracurricular, artistic, sporting and charitable activities within the context of the tradition of The Dame Alice Owen Foundation.

The Science Department

At Dame Alice Owen’s School, Science holds an important place in the academic curriculum. It is a large department with 23 teachers and 6 support staff.

Examination results are exceptional and Sixth Form study in all three disciplines is always well subscribed. Students are normally expected to secure a grade A at GCSE to commence A Level in a science subject.

The level of funding is generous, reflecting the support of the Trustees, and the new Science block was completed in February 2014. The new building comprises 14 purpose-built laboratories, two prep rooms and a staff work room. The school has also retained two specialist physics laboratories in the old block.

The Science Department has extensive schemes of work which are very highly resourced to support the learning needs of students. Science is one of the most popular subjects in the school thanks to the high quality of teaching and learning and the opportunities provided within the Department.

Teaching Programme

At Key Stage 3, Year 7 pupils follow a general science course with three lessons timetabled each week. In Years 8 and 9, pupils have three lessons per week, one for each of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

At Key Stage 4, pupils opt for either Combined, or Triple Science. Approximately 80% of pupils are expected to follow Triple Science.

At Sixth Form level, all three science subjects are popular: at least four classes per subject, per year group.

The team you will join

Staff teach their specialist subject where possible. Such specialisms are listed below:

Biology:Finty Clarke (Head of Biology)

Debbie Elston (0.8)

Sian Jays (AST, 0.6)

Diana Karolis (0.6)

Sarah Lofthouse (0.7)

Leena Mukherjee (0.7)

Amanda Whitehead

Chemistry:Dr Bernard Davies (Head of Chemistry)

Marina Di Franco (0.5)

Kika Dorotheou

Mike Jays (Head of Science)

Tim Leake

Dr David Mitchell (Assistant Head/KS3)

Joanna Papalouca

Physics:Simon Poliakoff (Head of Physics and AST)

Adam Holden

Jack Friedlander (KS3 Co-ordinator)

Kate Fradley (0.6)

Matt Pickering

Nigel Richards (0.8) (ICT Co-ordinator)

Kirsten Valente (School Direct)

Psychology: Amy Kent (Head of Psychology and teaches Biology)

Accabre Rutlin (and teaches Biology)

Technicians:Debbie Palmer (Science Resource Co-ordinator)

Kim DeCoteau

Louise Lange

Norman Roper (Health & Safety Officer) (0.6)

Colin Strong (0.6)

Carol Sibley (0.4)

What we can offer you

The school provides an excellent range of staff development opportunities. To extend this, there is a Deputy Head CPD who works with a team of five ASTsto support the development of teaching and learning across the school. All staff participate in the performance management programme to ensure continual professional development.

The school benefits from a very wealthy foundation (an additional £980,000 per year) which creates a very special ethos and fosters the very positive staff working environment. The students and staff benefit from a number of traditions including Beer Money, staff awards and Visitation!

Successful candidates will be interviewed as soon as possible. Procedures for appointments at the school include a tour of the school, opportunities to meet technicians and teachers and a formal interview. We very much look forward to reading your application.

Hannah Nemko

Hannah Nemko

Headteacher

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