Head of Assessment

Head of Assessment

All the relevant skills, qualifications and experience that a successful applicant will need are listed in the following description.

Reports to: Director of Curriculum and Assessment

Location: Currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm)

Closing date: 11/12/2024

1st round Interviews: 16/12/2024 and 17/12/2024 (virtually)

2nd round interviews: 19/12/2024 (in person)

Salary: £85,000 to £95,000 (depending on experience)

About the role:

The Head of Assessment has lead responsibility for overseeing and developing assessment across the Ark network at both the primary and secondary phases, including early years and post 16.

Ark is known for its innovative approaches to assessment and research-informed practices. At Ark, we carefully consider the purpose of assessment at each stage, incorporating cutting-edge methods such as online assessments and Comparative Judgement. Our shared assessments across the network ensure comparability and consistent grade setting, enabling reliable predictions and formative uses.

The Head of Assessment has oversight of all assessment-related matters including assessment practice, termly assessments, gathering in of data from all sites, awarding of grade boundaries and providing Ark’s management team with insights into assessment outcomes at key points in the year. The role also involves working with the Ark Curriculum Plus (AC+) team to ensure high quality assessments for our curriculum programmes. Strong liaison with Principals, Regional Directors, strand leads, exam boards, local authorities, other educational organisations and senior Ark Central staff is essential to effective performance in this role.

Key Responsibilities:

• To lead the assessment work undertaken across the network at both primary and secondary level and ensure that assessments are fit for purpose, available in a timely fashion and produce robust and accurate data which can be used to support strong student outcomes
• To develop and lead the school assessment lead community across the network
• Liaise with all subject leads to ensure a robust termly assessment programme is in place and that assessments are written, quality assured and ready at appropriate points in the year – this to be done for all subjects
• To support schools in ensuring they fulfil their statutory responsibilities around end of phase assessments and tables checking exercises
• To report regularly to our Regional Directors, Management Team and the Ark Board on the attainment and progress of students in the network, providing insights to support decision making
• To work closely with the Data and Insights team to ensure that appropriate analytics are available for schools at each assessment point to support them in making teaching and learning decisions on the basis of assessment outcomes
• To co-ordinate the calendar of assessment events including working with data leads in schools to co-ordinate the assessment process across the network
• To keep abreast of innovation and changes in the assessment landscape, including developing software and tools which could support the streamlining of assessment processes in Ark schools

Key Requirements:

• Qualified to degree level and above
• Qualified to teach and work in the UK
• Right to work in the UK
• Awareness of the latest educational research, findings and best practices around student learning and assessment
• A strong understanding of assessment at least across one phase of education whether that be primary or secondary
• Evidence of continually improving teaching and learning through strong assessment practices leading to increased student achievement
• Demonstrable experience of significantly raising attainment in a challenging context
• Experience of providing professional development to others, including coaching, mentoring and training
• Experience of working with both internal and external stakeholders at both senior and junior levels
• Awareness of the latest educational research, findings and best practices around student learning and assessment
• A strong understanding of assessment at least across one phase of education whether that be primary or secondary
• Evidence of continually improving teaching and learning through strong assessment practices leading to increased student achievement
• Demonstrable experience of significantly raising attainment in a challenging context
• Experience of providing professional development to others, including coaching, mentoring and training
• Experience of working with both internal and external stakeholders at both senior and junior levels

Benefits:

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

About Us:

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 30,000 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

Diversity and inclusion:

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.

Safeguarding statement:

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience.

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