Design Technology (Food Tech) Technician (Part-Time)
The Swan School, Oxford
Design Technology Technician (Food Tech)
About the role
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be part of starting an exceptional comprehensive school. As a DT technician, you will be joining the Creative Technology faculty and will provide the exceptional support needed for teachers to be able to teach their highly effective lessons.You will also play a crucial supporting role in the school's enrichment programme by helping to organise the resources needed to run electives and clubs including Master Chefs, Craft Club, and school performances. The Creative Technology faculty includes both Art & Design and Design Technology subjects (textiles, product design, and food technology).
Initially this role will mainly focus on providing technical support for Food Technology practicals, but you will also have the opportunity to work across the full range of subjects and learn new skills.
This is a fantastic opportunity to work within a motivated team of teaching and support staff colleagues. The Creative Technology faculty is made up of five teaching staff and one other technician. Currently, Creative Technology subjects are offered at KS3 and GCSE; they are increasingly popular and we may expand into an A-Level offer in the near future.
This is a part time (0.5) role and the exact working pattern can be flexible to meet the needs of both the school and the successful candidate. There are likely to be chances to increase the number of hours and level of responsibility in the future, if desired.Significant professional development opportunities are offered as part of this role.
What we are looking for
The successful candidate will share our ambitions for our students. You will relish the challenge of creating a new school that will be different to other comprehensive schools in the city. You will be a highly motivated team and someone who is keen to continue learning in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for our students.
Some experience of working in a technical support role is needed for this position. Experience working in a school or with young people is highly desirable but not essential - in the absence of this experience, we would look to see evidence of your ability to work with children and in a fast-paced environment.We welcome applications from both technicians and those at the start of their career with an interest in getting into this field.
About our school
The Swan School, part of the River Learning Trust, is Oxford’s first new secondary school for over 50 years, and opened in September 2019. When full, we will have approximately 1,200 students on roll, of whom around 300 will be in the Sixth Form.Our students are drawn from a local catchment area and the school is at the heart of the community.
Learning from the most successful approaches at the best schools, The Swan School provides a uniquely challenging and structured experience in a caring and disciplined environment. The ethos is academic; we regard an excellent academic education as the entitlement of all young people, no matter what their background or previous experiences of learning.Students are inspired and nurtured, acquiring the knowledge and skills to think critically and creatively. They will learn to be confident, resilient and ambitious, and will have high expectations in terms of their own achievements and their contribution to wider society.
Student outcomes at The Swan School are exceptional - our first cohort of GCSE students achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.55, placing The Swan in the highest category of schools across the country. In 2023, the school was graded by OFSTED as outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management, and Sixth Form.
How to Apply
If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone about this post, please contact us via headteacher@theswanschool.org.uk or on 01865 416070. Please visit theswanschool.org.uk/work-at-the-swan/ to find out more about working at The Swan.We would welcome any requests to speak to our team or visit us to find out more about our school. The deadline for applications is Thursday 23rd May at 8am with interviews held during the week of the 2nd June. The school will consider applications as they are submitted.
This role is offered on a part time (0.5) basis with the exact working pattern being flexible.
All applications must be made through the My New Term recruitment portal. Please get in touch if you would like further guidance about how to apply.
About the River Learning Trust
Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.
OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.
OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils
OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.
Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff.For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see our “Working in RLT” guide.
Safeguarding
The River Learning Trust and The Swan School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. The Trust is required to conduct a variety of checks and online searches about you as part of their recruitment process in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.
For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on the following link RLT Safer Recruitment Documents for Candidates. Please see our website for up to date policies including our Child Protection and Behaviour Policies.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. For further guidance for applicants click on this link List of offences that are not filtered