Working with us
A message from the Principal, Michael Whitworth
(Please see the bottom of this page for our wellness strategy)
Chobham Academy is always on the lookout for inspirational and influential staff. Most of all, we are on the lookout for potential colleagues who like our students and want to help them succeed. We understand that if staff are to give their best to our students over a sustained period of time, then the school needs to provide them with the best deal possible. We want or staff team to be well motivated and well looked after. If your time at Chobham is to be happy, then it needs to be rewarding and professionally fulfilling.
In order to help our staff have the best possible experience and achieve a proper work- life balance, we have put into place a range of measures to benefit both our teaching and students services colleagues. These include:
- An extra week of holiday for all Chobham staff. This takes the form of a two-week half term in October. We work fewer days than most other schools.
- Outstanding professional development both at Chobham and through the wider Harris Federation
- Excellent promotion opportunities
- A constant dialogue about workload and how to manage it most effectively. We have regular workload audits, an active and an active wellbeing programme and frequent campaigns to tackle unnecessary work and identify quick wins
- Rapid and effective support with any student behavioural issues arising
- A high-quality staff induction programme
- Marking protocols devised by departments themselves
- Manageable and flexile lesson planning explanations
- Clear communications and manageable deadlines. We only ask staff to do what is necessary and avoid complication and confusion. Chobham is an exceptionally well-run school.
- Learning walks rather than formal lesson observations. These are not graded.
- Nursery on site
- Flexible and part time working encouraged whenever possible
- Additional time for leadership responsibilities
- Focus on effective outcomes rather than time spent
- High levels of admin support for all teachers
- On-going celebration of staff excellence
Other benefits of working at Chobham:
- World class facilities for learning, leisure and sport. A school which is genuinely at the heart of its local community
- The advantages of working or the country’s most successful major Academy group. These include amazing consultant support and a range of high-quality central services.
- Generous Harris rewards and benefits package, including an extra £2000 annually for all teachers working in our academy.
Wellness
‘Valuing the whole person’
We understand that while it is incredibly rewarding, teaching is also a physically and emotionally wearing job. We want our teachers to be as fit and fresh as possible and to know that the school as a community really values the whole person. We have tried to put these principles into practice with a number of initiatives which we think give Chobham teachers one of the best wellness packages to be found anywhere. These include:
- Wellness Strategy
- Extensive professional development programme of opportunities
- A meeting free week every half term
- An extra week of holiday with a two-week half term in the Autumn
- A late start or early finish for every teacher on one day each week
- Access to the Calm mindfulness app
- Subsidised gym membership
- Staff fitness suite, yoga classes and multiple team sports opportunities
- Guest speakers on wellbeing
- Staff social events
- Staff discounts at shops and restaurants in the local area
- Access to the Harris Federation’s staff counselling service
- Dedicated Wellness Hub
- Frequent opportunities for feedback and solutions
Our staff are regularly consulted on impact of our wellness programme and we always respond to staff suggestions. In this way, staff feel empowered and get more of the services they really want.
We are very proud of our wellness programme at Chobham and hope you will agree that it shows our commitment to making the school an exemplary working environment
Click here to view our staff wellbeing charter.
What kind of people are we looking for?
- First and foremost, you must like working with children and be good at it
- You must be highly skilled in the role you are applying for or else willing and able to learn in post
- You must show a passion for education and improving the life chances of London children
- You should be willing to contribute to the wider life of the Academy (running clubs, attending events)
- You should be highly motivated, like working as part of a team and possess excellent communication skills
- You must hold appropriate qualifications for the roe you are applying for
Please take a look at our website to find out more about the school. If you would like to someone about the role before applying, please contact our Human Resources department in the first instance, hr@chobhamacademy.org.uk .
Training to be a teacher at Chobham Academy
At Chobham, we regard training new teachers as central to our purpose as a school.
Many of our current teachers trained here at Chobham. Other colleagues have trained as teachers here and then moved on in due course to other schools.
We train new teachers via the School Direct programme, run in partnership with the Harris Federation.
If you are a graduate who is interested in training to be a teacher then you may be eligible for a place on School Direct. It does not matter whether you have just graduated or whether you have been working in another career for a period. All expressions of interest are welcomed. School Direct is an excellent school based training programme which gives participants experience of being in the classroom whilst they train, together with regular days out of school to look in depth at the theories underpinning successful classroom practice. The out of school element of the programme is administered by the Harris Federation which has an outstanding reputation for initial teacher training.
If you would like to find out more about School Direct please contact us at hr@chobhamacademy.org.uk
