Computer Science Teacher (Sixth Form only) - London
Ada, the National College for Digital Skills
Location: Victoria
Salary: £35,000 - £41,000 per year (Teacher’s Pension Scheme)
Job type: Permanent
Start date: As soon as possible
Job overview
Welcome to Ada!
We are the National College for Digital Skills, established in 2016 as the first new Further Education College in England since 1993. Our mission is: to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent, and our values of Rigour, Resilience, Creativity, Curiosity and Collaboration sit at the heart of what we do and how we go about our work. We seek to harness tech as a positive tool for social mobility and improve the gender and ethnic diversity of the tech workforce.
We are a small, specialist college with c.500 students and apprentices on roll at present but with plans now well underway to grow to 850+ learners by December 2025 across our two fantastic new city centre hub campuses in London (Pimlico) and Manchester (Ancoats).
Role Description:
Are you interested in joining the leading computing college in the country? Are you passionate about teaching the next generation of outstanding computer scientists and digital pioneers? Do you want to actively work with major industry partners as a part of a project-based curriculum?
You will teach on the BTEC (RQF) Level 3 Computing programme, our new T-Level in Digital Production, Design and Development and A Level qualifications. Leading and co-delivering units, you will develop high quality content and deliver excellent lessons in such topics as computer programming, computer system fundamentals, cyber security and encryption, computer game design, project management, database design and computer networks. There will be opportunities for you to lead on elements of the course suited to your individual expertise as well as to team teach to develop your skills in others.
At Ada, you will work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with an aspirational group of teachers and students who are passionate about computing and digital skills. As a key member of the team, you will need to be willing to step in to take on additional tasks and activities and support other team members as required.
Alongside your teaching commitments you will have other student focused roles. As a Team Lead (Tutor) you will have a pastoral, supportive role with a group of students during their time at Ada. On Wednesday afternoons we continue to deliver clubs and enrichment and ask our teachers to lead activities that connect to their interests. These have included: Climbing, Football, Badminton, Art, Life Skills, and Primary Computing club and we often take students out on trips to Industry partners or cultural venues such as parks, galleries and museums in the local area and beyond.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
As a Computer Science Teacher you will:
● Teach Computer Science to Ada students, maintaining outstanding standards of teaching, learning and assessment.
● Support the college in developing an inventive approach to teaching, learning and assessment in computer science so that all students are challenged effectively and enabled not simply to achieve high outcomes but also to gain an excellent understanding of the subject which propels them into successful progression routes.
● Prepare high quality learning resources that reflect the Ada Approach to Collaborative Professionalism.
● Provide academic and pastoral support for students in their lessons, as well as support outside lessons (e.g. after college or during part of lunch) to ensure that every student makes continuous and effective progress.
● Support student progress by providing constructive feedback both in lesson and on homework submitted that systematically check’s learners’ understanding, identifies misconceptions accurately and provides clear, direct strategies for improvement.
● Provide written feedback on students’ progress to the college, to parents/carers and to students themselves where appropriate and as directed by Senior Leaders.
● Be a Team Lead (Form Tutor) and support, through mentoring and intervention, the personal development and academic progress of the students in your Team in line with Ada’s Social Mission and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
● Ensure you incorporate relevant industry support into your classroom teaching, e.g., through guest speakers, industry visits, subject competitions and that you take an active part in Ada’s industry projects.
● Participate fully in the learning community of Ada teachers, for example by regularly observing colleagues and welcoming observations in return and by contributing enthusiastically to discussions around teaching and learning.
● Provide or contribute to written assessments, reports and references relating to individual students and groups of students.
● Participate in arrangements for preparing students for public examinations and in assessing students for the purposes of such examinations.
● Attend professional development activities either at Ada or elsewhere to improve and enhance your own practice, including attending meetings which take place outside of normal working hours.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Qualifications and Experience
● Degree level qualification in a relevant subject
● Qualified teacher status (QTS) / PGCE / Lecturer qualification (QTLS)
● Delivery of Computer Science/Computing to at least KS4 with strong subject knowledge to facilitate the teaching at KS5
Desirable Qualifications and Experience
● Delivery of Computer Science/Computing at Level 3 – either A Level, BTEC or Digital T Level
● Teaching and learning role in an education focused organisation
● Curriculum and assessment design
● Pastoral experience with post 16 students, for example as a tutor
● Knowledge of industry, ideally the tech sector, and ideas of how to invigorate the curriculum by harnessing industry’s challenges and ways of working
For a list of Personal Qualities, aptitudes and skills please see attached Job Description.
Equal opportunities
Ada. National College for Digital Skills recognises that equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity are integral to its strengths.
Sponsorship
We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role so can only accept applications from candidates who have the legal right to work and remain in the United Kingdom.
Attached documents
About Ada, the National College for Digital Skills
At Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, we have a mission to work with industry to design and deliver an education that empowers all our students, especially women and those from low-income backgrounds, to progress into highly skilled digital roles and lead flourishing lives. Through our social mission and excellent digital skills provision, we are changing the face of the tech sector, expanding the talent pipeline and transforming lives.
The College focuses on achieving three aims:
- To be a centre of excellence for the teaching and learning of advanced digital skills
- To offer students a viable, high-quality alternative to university
- To be a beacon of best practice for employment-focused provision
Ada was announced by the Prime Minister in December 2014; England’s first new FE College since 1993, we opened our doors at our main campus in Tottenham Hale for the first time in September 2016. Since then we’ve gone from strength to strength including a Good with Outstanding features in our first and second Ofsted inspections.
The digital industry is experiencing epic growth but there is a talent shortage. Over 130,000 tech jobs are available each year in the UK but students are leaving education without sufficient knowledge and experience to get the job. We want to change this.
With Ada, students can learn relevant digital skills to pursue their dream job in tech. We are a unique community which puts computer programming at the heart of everything we do. Our students are the future game changers: challenging the norm, excited by change, and resilient in the face of adversity.
We want to remove the glass ceiling for women and individuals from low-income backgrounds in the tech industry. Everyone, from any background, is entitled to a quality education and a better future. Our community is united by digital so we work closely with Haringey Council and the local community to ensure the inclusion extends beyond the walls of Ada.
Location & Provision:
As of May 2021, we have 145 16-19 students enrolled, these students study the academically stretching BTEC in Computer Science along with a range of complimentary A-Levels.
Our Higher and Degree Level Apprenticeships in Digital Innovation (aligned to the Software Developer Standard) and Data Analytics and Visualisation (aligned to the Data Analyst Standard) have almost 200 apprentices enrolled from a range of organisations.
Our curriculum is academically stretching but practically rigorous and truly embedded with industry. Students are provided with a one on one coach from industry and employers help design and deliver our curriculum and careers advice. The positive impact to students and employers is demonstrable.
We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved in just four years, we have had some fantastic successes and plans for more to come. There are many ways to help make a difference to these young people and to the tech sector by volunteering, taking apprentices and philanthropy; for more information on working with us please visit www.ada.ac.uk