What skills and experience we're looking for
This is a new and exciting opportunity to become the head of design and technology at Oasis Academy John Williams, a secondary school in south Bristol. The role is full time and offers an excellent opportunity to utilise passion and enthusiasm to expand a successful Food and Nutrition department as we look to introduce a wider Design and Technology offer for our students.
Food and Nutrition is central to the curriculum at OAJW and a subject area of which we take great pride, with students who are enthusiastic and engaged. Inclusion is the bedrock of the department and as a result every effort is made to ensure equal access to the curriculum for all students, with a policy of providing ingredients where needed, although the expectation is that students bring their own. Such is the engagement, however, that there is a culture amongst the students and the wider community that this is the norm: our community demonstrate the value that they place on the subject every week. At OAJW Food and Nutrition is the currently only DT subject that is offered, and all students have one lesson every week from year 7 to year 9 giving every student a strong subject knowledge base but more importantly the skills to look after themselves and their families. At KS4 Food and Nutrition is one of the most popular GCSE options with over half of students routinely opting to study it as a GCSE: we currently have three classes in year 10 and four classes in year 11 with that trend likely to continue next year. Results are consistently outstanding, regularly amongst the strongest at OAJW and above national average. Six years ago, the department was expanded due to the increase in student demand and the consistently strong GCSE results meaning that we have two purpose-built Food and Nutrition classrooms.
Building on the strength of the Food and Nutrition outcomes and conscious of the need for our students to have a wider curriculum provision we are extremely excited to be exploring the re-introduction of a wider Design and Technology provision. As a result we are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic leader to come in and drive forward the expansion of our Design and Technology curriculum provision. The successful candidate will have the incredibly exciting opportunity to work with the wider Multi Academy Trust curriculum team to implement a new curriculum that includes a wider Design and Technology offer, with the freedom to drive the direction of travel.
This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for teachers or leaders looking to develop their career by continuing the growth and development of the wider Design and Technology curriculum offer and enrich the lives of our students and the community we serve.
What the school offers its staff
Oasis Academy John Williams is a secondary academy in South Bristol which currently serves just over 860 young people. We are housed in a modern new build [opened in September 2010] with a host of subject specialist rooms and in December 2016 we further enhanced our facilities with a state of the art AstroTurf and tartan-running strip. The Academy is part of the Oasis South West Cluster which has three established secondary schools (John Williams, Brislington and Brightstowe) and two new schools who opened their doors to Year 7 students in September 2023 (Daventry Road and Temple Quarter). Our last Ofsted inspection was in 2023 where we were once again judged to be a ‘Good’ school.
Our student population is 84% White British, 15% SEN, 43% Disadvantaged and 32% FSM. We are proud to be the school of choice for so many in our local community and we have been heavily over-subscribed for several years. We have a strong, supportive staff team committed to raising standards for all our students. Our centrally planned and knowledge-rich curriculum is implemented through evidence-based T&L, rooted in the science of learning and principles of Rosenshine. You will be at the forefront of education technology through the Oasis Horizons project which includes the use of 32GB 8th generation Wi-Fi enabled iPads by all staff and students.
We are an academy that is committed to inclusion. Students are regularly taught about protected characteristics, allyship, activism and positive contribution to community. This is delivered as part of the Oasis Personal Development curriculum which we adapt for our local context. We are clear on our role being to develop well rounded individuals who are ready to face the challenges of adult life and contribute positively throughout their lives. We also have clear procedures in place for staff or students to report any concerns which are followed up on appropriately with education at the forefront of the follow up.
We also pride ourselves on the measures we put in place to ensure staff wellbeing is looked after and kept as a priority. For example, this year, we have been able to facilitate ‘early release’ for teachers who do not have timetabled lessons after lunch as well as ‘marking release’ where teachers have been allocated either mornings or afternoons to work at home during the Year 11 mock windows. Procedures such as these, alongside a relational leadership approach focused on everybody looking out for and supporting each other is something we are proud of and contributes to our high levels of staff retention.
Our staff profile is balanced in terms of stage of career, welcoming new entrants to the profession and working with those more established. There is an active staff forum who meet regularly to share thoughts and reflections as well as planning staff social and well-being events. Our staff are also able to take advantage of tea, coffee and refreshments provided throughout the day, use of fitness centre facilities and free on-site parking. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme and Employee Assistance Programme are accessible to all teaching staff at OAJW.
Closing Date: 9am Friday 28th March 2025
Interviews: Tuesday 1st April 2025
Commitment to safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks and a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours which flow from the Oasis Community Learning ethos. Oasis Community Learning supports Equal Opportunities Employment.