Dear Visitor

If you’ve alighted on our “Situations Vacant” page by design rather than navigational error, the chances are you have at least a passing interest in working at Woodford.  If so, I hope you’ll find what you read here helpful.  Although our website is designed to illustrate a student’s experience of the school, perhaps, in putting on display our purpose, our practices and our successes, it will give you at least a sense of what it’s like to be part of the team that makes everything happen.  I’d like to think so.

Being a selective school like this one creates almost limitless opportunities. Our staff can count on highly able, multi-talented, unquenchably enthusiastic students, and orderly and purposeful conditions for teaching and learning.  It’s an academic environment in which subject specialists are able to extend, and go on extending, the scope of the material they teach and the methods they use to do it, and in which support staff can see very clearly both the purpose and the value of their support.  The other side of that coin, of course, is the responsibility to provide as much challenge as our students are capable of rising to, within and beyond the curriculum – and the satisfaction of doing so is not easily earned.

In a school of this size it’s possible to know all your colleagues properly, and it doesn’t take long to realise that Woodford staff are skilled, generous with their time and highly professional.  But behind those crucial common factors lies all the variety you’d expect, with both sexes well represented and a full range of age and experience.  The loyalty and affection which the school inspires play a key part in ensuring stability in our staffroom; at the same time, we’re proud of Woodford’s influence on the careers of young colleagues who move on (often very rapidly) to positions of significant responsibility whether here or elsewhere.

If there’s one thing on which all agree – students and staff both past and present, and first-time visitors to the school – it’s the warmth and friendliness of the place, and the welcome awaiting everyone who enters it.  This is a genuine community, to which all its members contribute in equal measure and which no-one leaves without a sense of regret, or remembers, however long afterwards, without a pang of nostalgia.   

If it sounds to you from all the above that your profile and ours might be a good match for one another, we should be delighted to receive an application from you.  In the meantime, don’t hesitate to ring or e-mail us with any further questions you might have.  You can be sure of a prompt and friendly response.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Van Praagh
Headteacher

We can certainly guarantee plenty of variety, whether you are a teacher or a member of the support staff. No day is ever the same and within a single day you may end of doing a wide range of tasks.

For teachers there is the teaching itself, but this will vary across a range of year groups, sometimes as many as five in each day. You are also likely to be a form tutor, bringing with it pastoral responsibilities. On top of that there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities, school trips, the sustainability team and fun events such as the School Panto and staff band.

Support staff will have their main tasks to carry out, but there are plenty of opportunities to interact both with other staff and the student body. Support staff are key in making the School Prom work every year and often end up having a fine time at that event themselves. You may also be asked to act in the annual Murder Mystery play or to help make the school a special place at Christmas.

 Schools are great places for meeting a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and with different interests. We have a friendly staff and one of the benefits of being in a physical work space, rather than working remotely is the social bonds it forges. As well as working with talented and interesting people, you will have the chance to make new friends and develop those relationship, whether it be playing badminton together on a Friday, relaxing in the staffroom, going jogging at lunchtime or sharing food in one of our many food-themed events.

 We are strong believers in autonomy for our members of staff, both teaching and support. Although we recognise that at times supervision is appropriate and staff must always be supported, we do not favour micro-management. Therefore, although teachers are expected to follow the scheme of work of their department, there is no prescribed teaching method and no blueprint of what makes a good lesson. We expect our pupils to be stimulated, interested and to learn – how teachers go about doing that is in their power. We also support staff who like to introduce new initiatives, thus enabling them to develop both their autonomy and their experience.

 

 

Teaching is a busy and stressful job, so we cannot promise that you will not be incredibly busy! However, we strive to minimise unnecessary workload. Among other things, teaching staff are rarely used for cover, have light duty expectations and are not expected to write lengthy reports on the children they teach. We also have a strong support staff who are careful to distribute tasks fairly and maximise the use of technology. No-one is expected to answer emails outside their work hours. We keep workload under constant review.

 

 

We are striving all the time to improve working conditions. Most teachers have their own dedicated classrooms and all contain Smartboards. We have a number of well-equipped staffrooms, a cheap canteen that sells good quality food and beautiful grounds which staff can use to relax in on their breaks or when they are free. Woodford High Road is a few minutes’ walk away and contains a post office, cafes, chemist and a variety of other shops. There is even a local garage where you can leave your car for the day if it needs repairs or an MOT. Parking on-site is free, we have electric car charger points, extensive cycle racks, two bus stops right outside and we are within walking distance of Woodford on the Central Line and Highams Park on the Overground. We also strive to accommodate reasonable requests for dependency and compassionate leave and to be as flexible as possible when timetabling staff with childcare needs. In fact we are now affiliated with a scheme which offers specialist nursery care for school staff at reduced rates.

 

An educated workforce is important in the education sector! As members of the Princes Trust Institute, we have a strong track record of supporting teachers improve both their subject knowledge and pedagogy. We have a tailored and personalised CPD programme and encourage both teachers and support staff to improve their knowledge and skills. We have a very good record of staff progression, including of support staff moving into teaching. Training is delivered through a mixture of in-house and external providers. We also encourage our staff to engage in research and have supported a number of them to attend events abroad and study for Masters degrees.

 

 

  Working in a school is one of the most meaningful things anyone can do in life. We want to make sure people feel that it is too. One of the things frequently commented upon by both visitors and staff at the school is the level of community spirit and the engagement levels of the pupils. At Woodford there is a palpable sense that you are doing a meaningful job.

 

 

People like to feel that they know what they are doing and that they are doing a good job. Our CPD programme, line management system and good intra-staff relations mean that teachers and support staff here feel valued, but are also able to talk through those areas where they feel less confident. Proper training will then be put in place to address any relevant skills shortages, thus enhancing both the competence and the confidence of our staff.