Job opportunities with St Paul's Academy

I joined St Paul's Academy in July 2013 having just graduated from Ulster University following completion of a PGCE in Physical Education.  Taking my initial steps into my first teaching role was very daunting, especially having to move from my home in Northern Ireland to London.  As an NQT at St Paul's Academy I was fully supported through my initial transition from University to professional life.  The Academy's comprehensive Professional Development Programme for NQT's meant that I continued to develop my pedagogy in my first year of teaching.  The schools Professional Development Programme acted as a forum to collaborate with fellow NQTs in addition to learning from senior teachers at the Academy. 

Following my NQT year I was afforded the opportunity through my role as Sports Outreach Co-ordinator, with the full support of the Academy, to establish the Greenwich Secondary Schools' Netball League.  With the league now in it's seventh year of existence, from its infancy to now, the league has grown to include the participation of 14 secondary schools in the Greenwich borough.  This has resulted in the regular participation of hundreds of girls in netball training and fixtures across Years 7 to 11 over the past seven years.  In addition to the establishment of the Greenwich Secondary Schools' Netball League, I also further expanded upon the development of Netball in the borough by working alongside local primary schools to also establish a Greenwich Primary Schools' Netball League for Year 5 and 6 girls and boys.  All of this accumulated in me being awarded the London and South and Kent Netball Teacher of the Year Award and then subsequently the England Netball Teacher of the Year Award in 2017 following the success of the development of Netball across the borough of Greenwich.

The Academy continues to support the professional development of staff beyond their NQT year.  With the full financial support of the Academy, I completed my Masters in Education: Leading Innovation and Change at St Mary's University Twickenham in July 2017. 

In September 2018 I was appointed as the Academy's Charities and Enterprise Co-ordinator, a role which has seen me organise whole school events throughout the school year including a School SleepOut, our annual Lap for Life, an ECO Fashion Show and many other large events.  I have been afforded the autonomy to be creative and with the full support of the Principal, plan challenging, engaging and enriching events, which have helped our school community to raise over £220,000 since becoming an Academy in 2010.  As well as raising money we have also raised awareness of the work of a large range of local, national and international charities.  Through such charity and enterprise events we also work to empower our students to become agents of change in their local community, something which students whole-heartedly embrace.

Through the experience gained over the last seven years working in many varied roles, in May 2020 I was successfully appointed Head of Year 7.  As a middle leader in the Academy I now line manage the Pastoral Care of the 240 Year 7s who attend the Academy. 

Working with students and staff from a wide range of cultural backgrounds as well as students with varying levels of need and ability, has certainly helped to enhance and refine my professional practices over the last seven years.  Being a teacher at St Paul's Academy is extremely fulfilling and rewarding.  I am grateful for the teaching experiences I have gained and the opportunities I have embraced over the past seven years which I have no doubt will allow me to further develop in my professional career at St Paul's Academy and beyond. 

I joined St. Paul’s as an English teacher in September 2018. Despite having a year post qualification under my belt teaching at home, in Ireland, I had been unable to complete my NQT year due to the fact I was subbing on a day to day basis. Having had an unstable start to my teaching career my confidence was quite low. It was a difficult decision to move away from home to England but I knew that it was the right decision to ensure I had a stable base in a school where I could successfully complete my NQT year. From the moment I walked in to the academy for the first time I felt completely welcomed by everyone within the school community (staff and students alike), any worries I had about the potential move soon melted away.

Through the excellent and supportive PDP programme I was able to successfully complete my NQT year. Even once I had achieved this, I was still strongly supported through the appraisal and CPD programme within the academy, allowing me to continue to develop my practice with confidence. I have found that throughout the academy I have been encouraged, supported and inspired by my wonderful team of colleagues (both within and outside of my department) which has given me the confidence, in my 3^rd year, to take up the position of KS3 Coordinator for English.

In September of 2018 I began my teacher training through the Teach First programme at St Paul’s Academy. Throughout the year I was supported and moulded within an enthusiastic arts team. As the year progressed I was given the encouragement and autonomy to lead extra-curricular clubs as well as give input on the development of the music curriculum. I felt that my ideas were valued which allowed my confidence to grow. Regular and meaningful observations allowed me to feel that my progression was being monitored and supported effectively. Despite spending my NQT year in a one teacher department, the experiences of my training year and the support of the Director of the Arts along with the excellent professional development programme were integral to my appointment as head of department in the summer of 2020.

I am a science teacher at St Paul's Academy and having just completed my NQT year here I can say that there is a very supportive and welcoming community at this school. Having moved to London from Ireland after finishing my studies I was somewhat apprehensive about starting my NQT year, but I can say that any worries were quickly pushed aside. From my very first day all staff, both within and outside of my department were so welcoming. I received an enormous amount of support throughout my first year of teaching from both my NQT mentors and other colleagues. There is a very well organised and beneficial professional development programme in place for NQTs. Now that I am an NQT+1 I feel that I am receiving the same level of support as last year through the teacher appraisal programme in the school.

St Paul's Academy has supported me at every stage of my school career. I joined the Academy in 2005 as a Graduate Teaching Assistant within the English department and the following year was lucky enough to complete a work-based teacher training route as a member of the English teaching staff. I have watched the Academy grow and change: moving to our new campus in 2010, increasing our numbers of students and subjects offered, improving our facilities and opportunities for students but always maintaining an ethos of care and ambition for our students to ensure they are the most successful version of themselves possible. In my time at St Paul's I have been offered multiple opportunities for career development and I have been responsible for Key Stage 3 in English, worked as Head of Faculty for English and Languages and now work across the school as an Assistant Principal. St Paul's is a school that values its staff and their professional development and will provide opportunities for teachers to flourish in their areas of expertise.