Director of Performing Arts

at  David Ross Education Trust

Lodge Park Academy are looking to recruit a Director of Performing Arts (Including Drama and Dance)
Do you want to be part of a team who are committed to working together to deliver opportunities for all no matter what background? Do you want to work at a school that has ‘high expectations of what pupils can achieve’ and a school where pupils are ‘polite and respectful and try hard in lessons.’
Ofsted November 2023

ABOUT US

We have a strong sense of purpose and are fervently committed to the achievement of every individual. We aim to provide a high-quality education in a safe, happy, caring and focused environment. We encourage all students to embody our values of ambition and aspiration, courage and resilience and gratitude and respect. We are intent on developing a love of learning amongst our students, offering them a broad and balanced curriculum, enhanced by a range of enrichment activities designed to support their personal growth. We encourage all students to take responsibility for their own learning.
We are ambitious for every child, no matter what their background, prior attainment or needs. We are very proud of our community and believe we offer something exciting for those who join us. We have the privilege of working in a stimulating and dynamic school that engenders a culture that genuinely cherishes individuality, aims to instil creativity and independence. Underpinned by our values, we are student focused and we believe that there are no limits for outstanding learning and outstanding achievement. We have high expectations of our students and staff, high aspirations for them and demonstrate complete belief in them all.
The town of Corby in situated in the north of the county and is close to the market towns of Stamford, Uppingham, Oakham and Market Harborough. There are good transport links to the southeast and the city of Leicester is only a 35 minute drive.
Within the Trust, our schools work as a team and achieve great things through these partnerships. Our subject specialists, our trust-wide intranet, a common curriculum and our online learning resources all help us share knowledge and expertise simplifying work processes allowing staff to focus on high quality teaching.
We value our staff highly and take work/life balance seriously; we realise a happy staff is an effective staff. The leadership of the Academy is determined to create an environment where teachers can carry out their core role of delivering excellent lessons. We have a clear and simple behaviour policy that is easy to administer. If action is needed beyond the basic classroom routines the pastoral and senior teams take the burden away from the teachers, conducting detentions, following up and dealing with parents on your behalf.
In addition to this, teachers are trusted to be professionals and as such we have no unannounced observations, no lesson grading and meeting and INSET day time for joint team planning.
We aim to bring out the best in you as well as in our students and we understand the importance of quality CPD. Lodge Park offers a range of development opportunities, with both internal and external providers for staff at different stages in their career. We are responsive to staff needs supporting them with training and development so that they can deliver excellent teaching.
Being part of the David Ross Education Trust enables us to collaborate with a range of staff from across the trust both Primary and Secondary as well as accessing CPD from HMIs and Ofsted trained staff. We are always keen in developing all our staff in which ever career direction they wish to go.

We require, for a September 2024 start, an enthusiastic and highly committed person who will be Director of Theatre and Creative Arts and an excellent teacher of Drama.
We are looking to appoint an inspiring leader to continue to drive forward the performing arts at LPA producing a sense of belonging for students, building their confidence and self-esteem, and delivering outstanding performances for the wider community.
The Director of Performing Arts will work alongside the Director of Music to develop programmes for drama, musical theatre, and oversee the strategic development of the Arts across the school.
The role involves line management of Drama and Dance, in addition to this the being ultimately responsible for key performances, shows and overseeing exhibitions throughout the school year.

The successful candidate will ..

• be passionate and committed to upholding the vision and values of the academy in all we do
• be an exceptional, reflective and resilient practitioner, adept at leading teams
• have a proven track record of outstanding teaching and will be committed to developing staff and teams in order to ensure that TACA becomes an outstanding area of the school.
• be a self-starter
• Have the capacity to generate energy and enthusiasm for learning and a love of/interest in the arts
• be able to raise achievement through motivating, challenging and inspiring our students;
• help foster a culture of high expectations and achievement across the faculty
• have a commitment to inclusion
• have a passion for recognising students and making them feel valued
• be able to establish strong relationships with students and staff
• model professional standards across all areas of work.

We are looking for a highly committed team player with drive, energy and passion who will inspire a love of learning within their students.
You will have the knowledge, skills and experience to lead and deliver the drama curriculum across all key stages, including GCSE and A-Level. We would like to deliver LAMDA exams so experience of this would be desirable but not essential. It is important we get the right personality to promote, inspire and develop this important part of our academy.
It is important we encourage an in inclusive department and the successful applicant will have the ability to meet the needs of all students and this will become a real strength of the department.

Key elements of this post include:

• Build on the drama curriculum to improve student outcomes and increase enrolment in GCSE courses.
• Oversight of Drama and Dance courses, including coursework, moderation of grades and teacher development. CPD support can be brokered for Dance if this is not an area of specialism. You do not need to have skills in this area but be able to read the specification, ask the right questions and act as a spring board for the dance teacher, as well as asking for support for Dance if and when needed.
• Further develop extra-curricular drama with the production of annual performances, musicals and plays. The Director of Performing Arts will work very closely with the Director of Music.
• Liaise with local theatres etc to create opportunities for trips, collaborations, or competitions.

Ours is a warm and compassionate community where students explore and discover their passions working alongside staff who are committed to enriching the lives of their students.