Head of Physics

Roles and responsibilities

• Department Leadership: Lead the physics department, providing guidance, support, and motivation to colleagues. Ensuring that teachers within the department are well-prepared, effective, and working towards common departmental goals.
• Curriculum Design and Implementation: Develop and review the physics curriculum, ensuring it is up to date, aligns with school and national standards, and meets the needs of all students. Review assessment methods and adapt teaching resources and strategies to enhance learning.
• Teaching: Deliver high-quality physics lessons to students, especially in more advanced or senior classes (e.g., A-Level, IB). Develop practical experiments and demonstrations that help students understand complex scientific principles.
• Student Support: Provide support to students in their academic progress, offering guidance and additional learning resources for students struggling with physics concepts. Provide mentorship and advice for students pursuing physics beyond school, including university admissions.
• Assessment and Monitoring: Oversee the preparation and marking of assessments, ensuring consistency and fairness in grading. Track student progress through regular assessments, providing feedback to improve performance.
• Staff Development: Mentor and support the development of the teaching staff within the department. Organize professional development opportunities, share best practices, and ensure that teachers are equipped with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
• Department Administration: Manage the day-to-day operations of the department, including scheduling, budgeting, purchasing equipment and resources, and ensuring that all required paperwork is completed.
• Collaboration with Other Departments: Work closely with other subject heads to ensure cross-curricular learning, especially in subjects like Mathematics and Engineering that closely align with physics.
• Health and Safety: Ensure that all science labs are safe, with proper equipment, resources, and procedures in place. Oversee risk assessments for practical activities and ensure that students follow safety protocols during experiments.
• Parental Engagement: Communicate with parents about their child’s progress in physics, arranging meetings or consultations when necessary. Provide guidance on how parents can support their child’s learning at home.

Desired candidate profile

• In-depth Subject Knowledge: Strong and up-to-date knowledge of physics principles, concepts, and current trends in the field. Understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of physics.
• Curriculum Development: Ability to design and implement engaging, challenging, and effective physics curricula. Familiarity with national or international curricula (e.g., GCSE, A-level, IB), as well as strategies for differentiated instruction to meet varying student needs.
• Teaching and Pedagogical Expertise: Experience using various teaching methods to explain complex physics concepts. Ability to inspire and challenge students, creating an engaging and stimulating learning environment.
• Assessment and Feedback: Ability to design assessments, both formative and summative, that effectively measure students' understanding of physics concepts. Providing feedback to help students improve their understanding.
• Leadership and Team Management: Strong leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead and mentor a team of physics teachers. Proven ability to organize department meetings, support colleagues, and create professional development opportunities.
• Classroom Technology Integration: Familiarity with technology to enhance physics learning, such as simulations, interactive whiteboards, online resources, and digital tools to model experiments and visualizations.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Ability to encourage scientific inquiry and critical thinking among students, helping them develop problem-solving skills through practical experiments, theory, and real-world applications.
• Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills to explain physics concepts clearly, manage staff, and engage with students, parents, and school leadership.