Lead Science Technician

The role:

Northwood College for Girls seeks a dedicated and knowledgeable Lead Science Technician to join our forward thinking, energetic and diverse Science team. Leading and managing our current team of four experienced technicians, the post holder will be responsible for preparing equipment for lessons and experiments, developing the schemes of learning with the Head of Subject, ensuring all chemicals and apparatus are stored correctly and adhering to the COSHH standards. The successful candidate must be willing to work across subject areas, including STEM, but the role will be tailored to the strengths of the individual appointed to best meet the needs of the department.

Previous experience of working in a school science laboratory would be an advantage. The successful candidate will have good organisational skills, be a confident ICT user and be willing to work alone as well part of a team. Professional development opportunities are plentiful, both in house and across the GDST. You will also need to demonstrate enthusiasm for Science and STEM along with the ability to communicate effectively with young people aged 11 to 18. We value collaboration and work well as a team to provide the very best Science education to our students as possible.

The Department:

We have a newly opened Science building (The Alvarium) at the heart of our school, with state-of-the-art labs and facilities, offering a cutting-edge teaching and learning environment. We have a strong STEM focus and are very well resourced, and our goal is to help students awaken their inner scientists—so that no matter what they decide to pursue as a career, they can ask questions, develop creative solutions, think critically about data, draw conclusions and be scientifically literate members of society. We highly value practical work and this makes up an integral part of our curriculum. All students from Year 5 to Year 8 have a dedicated timetabled STEM lesson to help develop their investigative skills, delving into complex scientific areas, from robotics to materials science and engineering. We have a dedicated Maker Space lab, which includes 3D Printers and a Laser Cutter, as well as a dedicated Junior School Science Lab.

Our Heads of Biology, Chemistry and Physics work closely together, overseen by our Director of Science, to ensure that connections are made across the three sciences starting in KS3 with the Activate scheme of work. In Year 9 students begin the GCSE programme of study and choose either combined or separate science starting in Year 10. Over half of the Sixth Form choose to study one or more science options at A level as a precursor to university study in such areas as medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, engineering and pure sciences. We run an active extracurricular programme, with clubs and activities across all key stages, from the STEM team and CREST to Biomedical Society and EcoWarriors.

In recent years we have had a team of Sixth Form students compete in and win the TfL Innovate programme and one of our Year 6 students was a finalist in the Young Imagineers competition. Students regularly prepare for and compete in the Royal Society’s Biology and Chemistry Olympiads; we also hold annual ‘Biology Week’ and ‘Science Week’ events in line with national celebration of these subjects where students participate in competitions and engage with activities to further develop their scientific interest. As part of the GDST, we are able to offer the GDST Space Technology Diploma to our High Flyer students. The Physics Department has also led trips to Switzerland to visit CERN and the Biology department have led Biodiversity expeditions run by OPWALL, most recently to Mexico.