About Us
Dartford Grammar School is a selective academy for boys, admitting girls to its sixth form. There are five forms of entry to Year 7, and all of the students joining the school are from the top 25% of the ability range. The students come from Dartford, neighbouring towns and villages, and nearby London boroughs. The current roll is 1,313, including 538 in the sixth form.
Curriculum
The school provides students with a seven year innovative education programme, based on the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. Dartford Grammar School has become the first British state school authorised to offer the IB Middle Years Programme to pupils in Years 7 to 11. This is combined with a shortening of Key Stage 3 to 2 years. Its sixth form programme is also exceptionally wide with courses leading to the International Baccalaureate Diploma. The IB courses are crucial to our ethos encouraging our students to be independent, creative and highly successful lifelong learners.
Students at Dartford Grammar School enjoy very high academic success. In 2013 99.4% of Year 11 gained 5+ grades A*-C in GCSE examinations (including English and Maths), with a capped (8 subject) average points score (including English and Maths) of 411.8. Our 5+A*-A score was 67.1%. Our Sixth Formers gained an average UCAS points score of 493. Almost all of Year 13 students proceed to university.
Ofsted Inspections
The school has been identified four times by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools (most recently in May 2011) as one of England’s most successful schools and colleges, showing a sustained period of outstanding achievement.
Specialist Status
In September 1995, the school became one of the first two language colleges in the country. The school is committed to internationalism. While maintaining its high levels of strength in all curricular areas, the school is established as a centre of excellence for the learning of languages, offering tuition in ten.
In 2005 the school was awarded a second specialism and became a Leading Edge school in the Raising Achievement Partnership Programme, sharing areas of expertise with other schools. Following the 2008 Ofsted inspection the school was invited to apply for a third specialism and was awarded Science as this third specialism in April 2009. The school has also recently become a Lead School for the cross curricular provision for Gifted and Talented students and is a Confucius Classroom with the International Schools Award. Dartford Grammar School is an IB World School.
Buildings and Facilities
The school, founded in 1576, has occupied its present site since 1866. Additional buildings have been constructed since then, the major works in last 10 years being listed below:
2000the Mick Jagger Centre for the Performing Arts; new Sports Pavilion;
2001refurbishment and extension of laboratories and workshops; 3 floor disabled access lift installed;
2002creation of Key Stage 3 Learning Centre;
2003/4extension to the Mick Jagger Centre;
2005new Kaika Sixth Form Centre;
2006 a Key Stage 4 Learning Centre created; extension to the sports pavilion;
2008 extension of sixth form centre adding five teaching rooms;
2009the remodelling of the Mick Jagger Centre, to provide additional teaching rooms and new laboratories and a Food Technology suite;
2011new sixth form study suite;
2012/13new sixth form centre;
2014new science facilities, including science lecture laboratory.
Pastoral Support
The school has a strong pastoral system operating from Year 7 to Year 13. The school is divided into Key Stage units, and each year group has a Curriculum Manager who oversees all aspects of the students’ development. In Years 12 and 13, each student is attached to a Learning Mentor. The school provides a Higher Education Adviser and has a specialist Connexions Adviser.
Extra-Curricular Programme
The school is exceptionally rich in extra-curricular activities. It offers 16 sports and competes with others in at least eight of them each year. Teams regularly gain county, regional and national success, and many students gain representative honours at one or more of these levels. The school achieves high standards in music, and has an orchestra, wind band, choir, chamber choir and many other ensembles. Drama productions are frequent. There are many other clubs and societies, with debating always a popular activity. The school’s impressive programme of community service is regarded as a particular strength. The school benefits from many close links with Europe, China and Japan, and is twinned with eight other schools for exchanges. There are regular overseas cultural and sports trips, and other international visits.
External Links
The school has a very active Parents' Association, which provides valuable assistance and support. The school has strong links with local industry and with Higher Education. It has extensive links with many other institutions, and is also part of the world-wide International Baccalaureate Organisation network.
What the School Offers Teachers
The school provides its staff with the experience of teaching able and well-motivated students in an environment with high expectations of behaviour and well-developed systems of teacher-support.
The school has a national reputation for the quality of its programme of professional development. The programme includes much that falls within specific subject areas.The school is committed to participation in initial teacher training.
Other aspects include a course for newly-qualified teachers, preparation for middle management, development of existing middle managers, free access for any teacher to an MA course in Education Management (taught on the school’s own premises), and preparation for senior management. While the school’s extensive programme of overseas visits give many staff international experience, the school ensures that its staff development has a further international dimension, for example in IB courses. Staff members have access to the school’s excellent facilities for sport and the performing arts.
Becket Sports Centre and The Mick Jagger Centre for the Performing Arts
Out of school hours the facilities of both centres are shared with the local community. They are managed by school staff, reporting through independent management structures.
The Becket Sports Centre comprises a sports hall and fully equipped fitness studio, with a separate aerobics/training room, which has a sprung floor, allowing dance sessions to be held. The Mick Jagger Centre includes two auditoria (seating 150 and 350 respectively, both with retractable seating), practice rooms, dance studio, exhibition space, a visual arts suite and a Drama Studio. It is a base for 22 community organisations, and runs a commercial programme attracting performers of national and international repute (
Website
Further details of the school, including breakdown of performance figures, can be accessed through:
The Leadership Group [Background]
Dartford Grammar School is a high performing specialist Languages and Science College with growing international links and an outstanding curriculum based upon the principles of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. The school has recently achieved the Specialism Quality Mark at the highest level, the International Schools Award and is a highly regarded Confucius Classroom, having recently become the Confucius Classroom of the Year. While meeting the demands of these features, the school is careful to ensure that it remains well-ordered, and a centre of excellence for learning, in the forefront of a range of innovations.
For many years we have claimed to represent a different kind of grammar school specialising in an international curriculum where students enjoy learning and staff enjoy teaching. It is marked by
- Strong commitment to the IBO philosophy
- Internationalism and global citizenship as core features
- Holistic development of students through the curriculum and co-curriculum
- Extended school through the operation of the Sports Centre and Arts Centre
- Readiness to support other schools locally, nationally and internationally
Although its students are able and highly motivated, Dartford Grammar School is a demanding school for members of the Leadership Group. It is not a school that accepts complacency of any kind. For an ambitious candidate, it offers unique and exciting opportunities for contribution and development.
The Governing Body has recently reviewed the structure of the Leadership Group in response to the school’s increasing popularity and projections of future growth. Recent appointments to the Leadership Group has created a structure that delegates responsibility and leadership (accountability for curriculum, assessment, monitoring, welfare and the learning environment) to Key Stage areas. In addition to carrying out the role of an Assistant Head as described in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, the candidate appointed to the new post will be asked to contribute to a Key Stage.
The Director of the IB will complete the LG structure for the foreseeable future. The successful candidate should be of the highest calibre, with highly developed leadership skills; resilient, loyal and determined. There is an expectation of three years commitment attached to this vacancy. The quality of experience and evidence of innovation are more important than length of service or existing knowledge of the detail of the International Baccalaureate.
Person Specification
- To provide leadership for the IB curriculum
- Genuine interest in the school’s responsibilities to the wider IB community, and a readiness to further develop relationships.
- Determination to maintain effective monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement of the quality of teaching and learning, and of student progress.
- High profile around the school at all times.
- High expectations in relation to students’ behaviour, appearance, effort and commitment.
- Capacity, and willingness, to make difficult decisions and to be solution rather than problem orientated.
- Promoting the involvement of students and staff in the co-curriculum.
- Readiness to challenge issues in the performance of teachers and support staff and the recognition of the importance of praise where deserved.
- Capacity to deal professionally and promptly with parents.
- Exemplary performance as a classroom practitioner, teaching load 20 lessons.
- Exemplary time management skills and the ability to predict and meet deadlines.
Vacancy
Job Title: Assistant Head/Director of the IB; [Examinations and Assessment]
Line Manager: Mr W J Oakes
Persons Line-managed: Head of Mathematics Department, [Examinations Officer]
Dates: September 2014 – August 2015
Outline of Role:
- To carry out the role of a teacher as defined in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document.
- School Data Manager
- To lead the successful development of IB courses throughout the school, ensuring the effective learning and wellbeing of students.
Key Leadership Outcomes:
International Baccalaureate co-ordination
- To plan and manage effectively the implementation of the IB Middle Years Programme.
- To maintain and develop the efficient and successful operation of the IB Diploma Programme.
- To liaise effectively with appropriate external bodies, and local, national and international IB network.
- To organise Creativity Weeks.
- To carry out the role of an Assistant Headteacher as described in the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.
- To support and oversee the work of the Head of Mathematics.
- To maintain efficient and effective systems of assessment for learning and reporting throughout the school.
- To maintain efficient and effective systems for tracking and target setting throughout the school.
- To develop the use of data to raise performance and to record achievement.
Future Challenges:
- To maintain awareness of international developments and resulting needs.
- To plan future curriculum development.
- To research innovative methodology in learning and teaching.
Key Leadership Behaviours:
- Emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, self-confidence
- Empathy, organisational awareness, service orientation
- Emotional self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement orientation, initiative, optimism
- Developing others, inspirational leadership, change catalyst, influence, conflict management, teamwork and collaboration
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
- Exemplary performance as a classroom practitioner.
- Deep understanding of learning and teaching.
- High level skills in communication.
- Model commitment to self-development.
- Understanding of the education system locally, nationally and internationally.
- A track record of readiness to do what has to be done – if necessary, outside the school day and the school term.
NOTES
1The responsibilities are subject to the general duties and responsibilities contained in the statement of Conditions of Employment.
2This job description allocates duties and responsibilities but does not direct the particular amount of time to be spent carrying them out, and no part of it may be so construed.
3This job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post. It will be reviewed at least once each year, and it may be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the holder of the post.
Please return a completed application form, to the Headmaster, Mr W J Oakes, DartfordGrammar School, West Hill, Dartford, KentDA1 2HW.
Closing date: Friday 7 March 2014
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS check is required for all successful applicants.