Work For Us
Choosing your next role should be an exciting time. The air should be full of opportunity and potential.
As you polish your application you will be undertaking a deep dive of school websites, Ofsted reports, social media and even speaking with someone who knows someone. You will have some assurance in the knowledge that you will probably have many schools to choose from and they will be clamouring for you to join them. So, what makes us different? Why would you want to join us… and our wonderful school?
There are many reasons detailed on these pages, but in brief, you will feel a sense of belonging and community. That sense of family permeates throughout the school, amongst pupils, your peers and colleagues and with families. Our ethos is one of openness, honesty and collaboration. We work in partnership with our families, partner primary schools and colleagues in other Trust schools. Your ideas will always be listened to, and our open door policy encourages our staff to step forward and have their say.
We are an ambitious school that wants the best for our staff and pupils whilst aiming to be in the top 10% for progress in the country and we are looking for aspirational staff that are keen to make a difference. Our staff tell us that it’s more than a job here and that is why the wellbeing of our team, and pupils, is threaded through everything we do.
You will enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded members of staff and will be surrounded by good mannered pupils who follow our good manners programme – CREST – courage, respect, effort, service and teamwork.
Our surroundings are beautiful; we are set in a listed building and our campus has a large footprint with great facilities.
We want to find out more about you and the mutually beneficial opportunities that lie ahead in your career with us. Visit us and experience first hand the spirit and essence of St Thomas More.
Professional development
We recognise the importance of investing in people and growing an outstanding workforce. Our priority is the development of everyone’s individual potential, confident in the knowledge that our staff are investing their time, energy, talents and the best of themselves into the success and vision of our school. We are all on the same journey – to improve learning outcomes of our young people.
A wealth of opportunities is available to both our teaching and support staff and more specifically our CPD programme will develop outstanding teachers and exceptional non-teaching staff. Here is a sample of further professional development opportunities at St Thomas More:
- Extensive Early Career Teacher training: borough lead and a weekly programme of activities
- Further education bursaries, for example National Professional Qualifications
- Half termly training on core policies and procedures, including safeguarding, curriculum, behaviour and pedagogy
- Access to MAs
- Teacher and Learning Circles: small teacher communities that learn from and support one another, reflecting on current teaching practices
- More Journal: our very own internal teaching and learning journal, containing well-researched and academic articles, book reviews and practical ideas and resources for the classroom as created by our own staff.
Induction & progression opportunities
We encourage a philosophy of a ‘whole school approach’ to the induction process. Our well-planned, high-quality induction programme commences even prior to you joining us and will be flexible depending on you as an individual, your needs as well your job role. Every new employee will also have a link to a designated member of the senior leadership team who is responsible for induction.
There is the widest range of progression opportunities not just within the school but across the Cardinal Hume Academies Trust and these are published and promoted at multiple levels. Every new member of staff can expect:
- A full induction programme
- A dedicated member of staff as a personal mentor
- A personal career/training/coaching plan
- Line management with coaching support
- Collaborative projects with other Trust schools
- Opportunities to undertake specific leadership programmes e.g. NPQH, NPQSL and NPQML
- An Associate Leadership Programme providing rapid access and opportunities to be part of the leadership team
- Accredited training with recognised qualification
- Work placements
- School business leadership training and coaching
- SENCO qualification support
- Apprenticeship training for support staff
Financial benefits, incentives & wellbeing
To ensure a fulfilling career, we understand the importance of investing in you, enhancing your day to day working life and offering some excellent and unique benefits. We have a broad range of incentives, from financial schemes to wellbeing packages including:
- Inner London pay (we are an outer London borough)
- Discounts with businesses in the local area e.g. beauty lodge, mechanics
- Free range of personal support services, including financial and legal advice
- Free gym, group personal training and fitness classes
- Education support partnership – free counselling
- Staff encouraged to go on trips, developing cultural capital
- Flexibility on trips and organising new ideas for trips
- Regular staff socials e.g. crazy golf, quizzes, theatre trip
- Onsite professional chef – free tasty snacks/savouries, appetisers
- Free lunch for staff on lunch duties
- Free tea/coffee and snacks at breaktime, end of term staff lunches, Friday coffee morning
- Staff sports teams: football and netball
- Free onsite parking
- Staff wellbeing committee
Living & working in Wood Green
The thriving, bustling area of leafy Wood Green is around six miles north of the City of London where the pace of life is more relaxed and everything you need is right on your doorstep.
With great local culture, access to open spaces and good transport links to central London, Wood Green has been recognised as a true buzzy hotspot in one of the outer London boroughs. Its Zone 3 location and straightforward connectivity - the Tube station is on the Piccadilly Line – travellers are transported straight into St Pancras, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park Corner and South Kensington.
From shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés to open green spaces such as Ducketts Common and Downhills Park, you are spoilt for choice. There is also Alexandra Park with its iconic palace, affectionately known to locals as Ally Pally. This iconic setting is a vibrant sports and entertainment venue where you can catch everything from lively darts events to atmospheric classical music performances. The park is set over 80 hectares and features a boating lake, skatepark, outdoor cinema, rose garden and pitch and putt golf course, as well as playground, wildlife and football and cricket clubs.